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Otolith Fall
In this episode, we talk to Josie about her fall internship, collecting stones from fish ears—otoliths! And then we travel down stream and explore otolith folklore and even get some answers to what exactly fish hear.
You might remember Josie’s Oyster Farm. Summer chronicled in a previous episode—Link all the way at the end of the show notes!
VOCAB WORDS
* Otolith
* Indian River
* Pink Salmon
* Chum Salmon (Keta)
* NSRAA
* Salmon Enhancement
* Sympathetic Magic
* Strontium
* Nephropathy
* Otolith Thermal Marking
* Swim Bladder
* Lateral Line
* Cortisol
LINKS
ALASKA & REGIONAL CONTEXT
Indian River – Fishing Opportunities (ADF&G)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastSitka.fishingOpps&fishery=Indian+River
Alaska’s Private Non-Profit Hatchery Program, ADF&G Wildlife News – Article 775https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=775
How Old is That Fish? Fish Aging: The Art of ScienceADF&G Wildlife News – Article 627https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=627
How Salmon DO We Fish? 2025 Alaska Commercial Salmon Preliminary Season Summary Tables (ADF&G)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/pdfs/commercial/2025_preliminary_season_summary_tables.pdf
Fun with Otoliths! Rockfish Lifespan (ADF&G Sport Fish PDF)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/pdfs/sport/lifespanrockfish.pdf
More information Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA)https://www.nsraa.org/?page_id=22
Visit the sites mentioned in this podcast! Sitka Trail Works – Indian River Trailhttps://www.sitkatrailworks.org/indian-river-trail/
OTOLITH SCIENCE & FISHERIES BIOLOGY
The Importance of Otoliths in Fisheries Biology (American Fisheries Society)https://habitat.fisheries.org/the-importance-of-otoliths-in-fisheries-biology/
Fish Scales and Ear Bones: A Roadmap to the Fish Life Journey (WDFW Medium)https://wdfw.medium.com/fish-scales-and-ear-bones-a-roadmap-to-the-fish-life-journey-637a046a8d53
How Salmon Hatcheries Mark Their Fish (Peninsula Clarion)https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/a-look-into-how-salmon-hatcheries-mark-their-fish/
USGS – Otolith Microchemistry Studyhttps://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20045023
Wiley Review – Otolith Researchhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12162
CDFW: Otoliths – Listening to the Life Histories of Fisheshttps://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2025/05/20/otoliths-listening-to-the-life-histories-of-fishes/
Fish Otoliths and Folklore – Survey (ResearchGatehttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/240533616_Fish_Otoliths_and_Folklore_A_Survey
ScienceDirect – Otolith Research Articlehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667122001719
Canadian Museum of Nature – The Rocks in Fish Heads Tell Amazing Storieshttps://nature.ca/en/the-rocks-in-fishes-heads-tell-amazing-stories/
NOAA Fisheries – Fish Otolith Collection Databasehttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/data/fish-otolith-collection-database
FISH AGE & LONGEVITY
The 230-Year-Old Fish – New Zealand Geographichttps://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-230-year-old-fish/
FISH HEARING & ACOUSTICS
How Do Fish Hear? (Ask Dr. Universe – WSU)https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2023/10/06/how-do-fish-hear/
Acoustic Particle Motion in Fishes (Wiley PDF)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00132.x
Salmon Facts – Pacific Salmon Foundationhttps://psf.ca/learn/salmon-facts/
Sounds Produced by Atlantic Salmon (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America)https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article-abstract/154/4/2665/2918407/Preliminary-examination-of-sounds-produced-by?redirectedFrom=fulltext
MUSIC, NOISE & FISH STRESS
Ultra Music Festival Increased Stress Hormones in Fish (University of Miami Shark Research)https://sharkresearch.earth.miami.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Cartolano-et-al.-2020.pdf
Environmental Noise & Fish Welfare (MDPI Fishes Journal)https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/11/565
Music and Growth in Rainbow Trout (ScienceDirect)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0144860913000046
Music Tempo & Fish Welfare – Zebrafish & Guppies (ScienceDirect)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513425003369
CULTURAL & FOLKLORE CONTEXT
Tooth Amulet (Oxford Museum of Natural History)https://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets/index.php/tooth-amulet4/index.html
UWA Research Repository – Cultural/Otolith Reference PDFhttps://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/331772650/11160_2018_9515_ReferencePDF.pdf
SciELO – Brazilian Academy of Sciences Articlehttps://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/fXwTXNSQxQBH7hrKFgj4dGq/?format=html&lang=en
Josie’s Previous Episode!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com
View all episodes
By Jeremiah MurphyIn this episode, we talk to Josie about her fall internship, collecting stones from fish ears—otoliths! And then we travel down stream and explore otolith folklore and even get some answers to what exactly fish hear.
You might remember Josie’s Oyster Farm. Summer chronicled in a previous episode—Link all the way at the end of the show notes!
VOCAB WORDS
* Otolith
* Indian River
* Pink Salmon
* Chum Salmon (Keta)
* NSRAA
* Salmon Enhancement
* Sympathetic Magic
* Strontium
* Nephropathy
* Otolith Thermal Marking
* Swim Bladder
* Lateral Line
* Cortisol
LINKS
ALASKA & REGIONAL CONTEXT
Indian River – Fishing Opportunities (ADF&G)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=ByAreaSoutheastSitka.fishingOpps&fishery=Indian+River
Alaska’s Private Non-Profit Hatchery Program, ADF&G Wildlife News – Article 775https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=775
How Old is That Fish? Fish Aging: The Art of ScienceADF&G Wildlife News – Article 627https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=627
How Salmon DO We Fish? 2025 Alaska Commercial Salmon Preliminary Season Summary Tables (ADF&G)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/pdfs/commercial/2025_preliminary_season_summary_tables.pdf
Fun with Otoliths! Rockfish Lifespan (ADF&G Sport Fish PDF)https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/pdfs/sport/lifespanrockfish.pdf
More information Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA)https://www.nsraa.org/?page_id=22
Visit the sites mentioned in this podcast! Sitka Trail Works – Indian River Trailhttps://www.sitkatrailworks.org/indian-river-trail/
OTOLITH SCIENCE & FISHERIES BIOLOGY
The Importance of Otoliths in Fisheries Biology (American Fisheries Society)https://habitat.fisheries.org/the-importance-of-otoliths-in-fisheries-biology/
Fish Scales and Ear Bones: A Roadmap to the Fish Life Journey (WDFW Medium)https://wdfw.medium.com/fish-scales-and-ear-bones-a-roadmap-to-the-fish-life-journey-637a046a8d53
How Salmon Hatcheries Mark Their Fish (Peninsula Clarion)https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/a-look-into-how-salmon-hatcheries-mark-their-fish/
USGS – Otolith Microchemistry Studyhttps://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20045023
Wiley Review – Otolith Researchhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12162
CDFW: Otoliths – Listening to the Life Histories of Fisheshttps://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2025/05/20/otoliths-listening-to-the-life-histories-of-fishes/
Fish Otoliths and Folklore – Survey (ResearchGatehttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/240533616_Fish_Otoliths_and_Folklore_A_Survey
ScienceDirect – Otolith Research Articlehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667122001719
Canadian Museum of Nature – The Rocks in Fish Heads Tell Amazing Storieshttps://nature.ca/en/the-rocks-in-fishes-heads-tell-amazing-stories/
NOAA Fisheries – Fish Otolith Collection Databasehttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/data/fish-otolith-collection-database
FISH AGE & LONGEVITY
The 230-Year-Old Fish – New Zealand Geographichttps://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-230-year-old-fish/
FISH HEARING & ACOUSTICS
How Do Fish Hear? (Ask Dr. Universe – WSU)https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2023/10/06/how-do-fish-hear/
Acoustic Particle Motion in Fishes (Wiley PDF)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00132.x
Salmon Facts – Pacific Salmon Foundationhttps://psf.ca/learn/salmon-facts/
Sounds Produced by Atlantic Salmon (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America)https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article-abstract/154/4/2665/2918407/Preliminary-examination-of-sounds-produced-by?redirectedFrom=fulltext
MUSIC, NOISE & FISH STRESS
Ultra Music Festival Increased Stress Hormones in Fish (University of Miami Shark Research)https://sharkresearch.earth.miami.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Cartolano-et-al.-2020.pdf
Environmental Noise & Fish Welfare (MDPI Fishes Journal)https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/11/565
Music and Growth in Rainbow Trout (ScienceDirect)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0144860913000046
Music Tempo & Fish Welfare – Zebrafish & Guppies (ScienceDirect)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352513425003369
CULTURAL & FOLKLORE CONTEXT
Tooth Amulet (Oxford Museum of Natural History)https://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets/index.php/tooth-amulet4/index.html
UWA Research Repository – Cultural/Otolith Reference PDFhttps://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/331772650/11160_2018_9515_ReferencePDF.pdf
SciELO – Brazilian Academy of Sciences Articlehttps://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/fXwTXNSQxQBH7hrKFgj4dGq/?format=html&lang=en
Josie’s Previous Episode!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com