MARINE biologist Stephen Simpson, of the University of York, is leading an international team of researchers looking at ways to better management of reef fisheries.

He believes fishy noises could be the answer to leading stock to artificial reefs where they may start new colonies.

He said: "Many coral reef fish are spawned on the reef, and while the eggs develop, their noisy parents look after them.

"Once they hatch, the ant-sized fish escape out to sea for a month to escape the many predators on the reef.

"There they develop into juveniles. They wait for the new moon and then, under the cloak of darkness, they cross the "wall of mouths" to settle on a reef.

"This research has also solved a mystery - how they choose a reef has baffled us for many years."

Working at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, the researchers have used noise to persuade fish to settle on artificial reefs.

In addition, by playing comparable noises to fish eggs, Mr Simpson and Dr

Hong Yan at University of Kentucky discovered that embryos would hear the noises made by the fish on their reef before they have even hatched.

Mr Simpson put speakers into artificial reefs, and found that fish used the recorded noises to find a place to settle.

"The number of fish arriving on noisy reefs was six times the amount that went to the silent reefs."

Updated: 09:24 Thursday, June 12, 2003