Fisheries research, monitoring, and conservation
The Oregonian
September 7, 2012
Researchers think they have found the source of a mysterious humming sound that has been bothering West Seattle, KING 5 News reports.
Residents have wondered whether the hum, which to us sounds a lot like the music used to build up tension in a horror movie scene, came from nature or nearby industries. Julie Schickling of West Seattle, who made a recording of the sound for the West Seattle Blog, describes it like this:
“It gets high and lower, and goes away, then comes back.”
Some of her neighbors report being shaken out of bed by the low rumble, also described as a growl.
So what could it be? Biologists at UW think it could be the male midshipman fish, a not-so-attractive bottom dweller with a distinct mating call. Judge for yourself. Learn more about the fish and listen to its droning love ballad at the National Science Foundation website.
