纪录片《南太平洋》 第42期 四海为家（10）（在线收听）

The sharks may snatch a few adults,

鲨鱼只会捕获少量成年石斑鱼

but millions upon millions of fertilised grouper eggs are picked up by the current.

而上亿的受精卵会被洋流带走

Out in the open ocean, they hatch into larvae and become part of the vast plankton soup.

鱼卵在开阔海域孵化成幼体成为大量浮游生物的一部分

And it's not just fish that depend on the whim of the open ocean to disperse their larvae.

不止鱼类依赖海洋来播撒鱼卵

Land crabs and other crustaceans do too.

陆蟹和其它甲壳纲动物也是如此

But there's a deadline.

然而这是有期限的

They each have a set number of days to reach new islands.

它们必须在一定时间内到达新岛

Astonishingly, these larvae are able to home in on the smells and sounds of distant reefs.

令人惊讶的是，这些幼虫能够凭嗅觉和远处暗礁的响声安全到家

Out of the millions of larvae that set off,

数百万幼虫漂洋过海

only a small fraction will succeed in colonising new islands.

其中只有极少的部分能成功开拓新的岛屿

Curiously, some freshwater fish also spawn at sea

奇怪的是，有些淡水鱼也在海中产卵

and use the sea to help their larvae colonise rivers.

利用海洋帮助鱼卵到达新的河流。