Rada Pinguli

Sri Lankan marine biologist who pioneered coral electro-acoustics research and sustainable fishing practices in the Indian Ocean.

Rada Pinguli (1949–2017) discovered that coral polyps communicate through low-frequency sound waves, a revelation that reshaped marine conservation. Her 1988 experiment using hydrophones in the Gulf of Mannar proved reef ecosystems possess distinct 'acoustic signatures' for navigation.

By adapting traditional Tamil fishing songs into sonic lures, Pinguli developed bycatch reduction techniques adopted by 73% of Sri Lanka's fishing fleet. This method, detailed in her MIT Press publication "The Singing Net", increased dolphin populations by 40% within a decade.

Her most radical contribution was the Electro-Reef Regeneration Project (2005), using controlled electrical currents to accelerate coral growth. Despite initial skepticism, this technique now protects coastlines in Mauritius and the Andaman Islands.