April 22, 2025 | Victoria News via UVic News
A newly discovered grunting sound made by Arctic cod is helping scientists at the University of Victoria (UVic) uncover critical ecological insights—and develop new methods for tracking this keystone Arctic species. Leading this research is Dr. Francis Juanes, professor in UVic’s Department of Biology and the Liber Ero Chair in Fisheries Research.
The vocalizations, first identified in 2017 by former UVic research associate Amalis Riera, are now at the center of a broad research initiative. Dr. Juanes and his team aim to understand how Arctic cod use sound—particularly during spawning—and to apply passive acoustic monitoring to track populations in remote and rapidly changing environments.
“Arctic cod play a critical role in northern ecosystems, yet many aspects of their basic ecology remain unclear,” says Dr. Juanes, “by studying their sounds, we hope to gain new insights into their behaviour and strengthen conservation strategies.”
This research, and its broader implications, was recently featured in a news story that also spotlights The Codcast—a new UVic podcast series exploring fish acoustics, ocean noise pollution, and marine conservation through the lens of the Arctic cod project.
Dr. Juanes is internationally recognised for his work in marine ecology, with research spanning predator-prey interactions, juvenile salmon survival, and the impact of human activity on underwater ecosystems. At UVic, he leads The Juanes Lab, where students and collaborators explore how fish respond to their environments and how science can inform better conservation practices.
As part of UVic’s commitment to open scholarship, much of Dr. Juanes’ research is available through UVicSpace, the university’s institutional repository—including episodes of The Codcast, which further explore the science behind this work. We invite you to explore his research and discover how sound science—literally—is helping us better understand and protect our oceans.
