INTERNATIONAL NEWS - The seas around Britain may be getting so noisy that fish species like cod and haddock now have some difficulty communicating with each other.
And if their chatter is being obscured, it could hamper their ability to breed.
Steve Simpson and colleagues are testing the idea by dragging hydrophones through coastal waters to record the marine soundscape.
It has long been recognised that large marine mammals are susceptible to noise pollution - as are coral reef fish.
But the new study intends to understand the impacts on some more familiar UK fish species.
"Cod particularly have very elaborate calls compared with many fish," the University of Exeter professor told BBC News.
"They vibrate their swim bladder - their balloon inside them - to make sound.
"They can create a whole range of different pops, grunts and rumblings."
The animals vocalise at the point of spawning: the male sings and the female then assesses whether the male is any good before she releases her eggs.
