STUDY: Fishes remember being caught for a long time
Be it for fishes being sold alive, or captured in catch-and-release fishing, the findings suggest that these animals carry stressful memories with them, potentially for a very long time.
LUKAS JASIUNAS: Although fishes have been shown to retain information from a few weeks up to several months, studies revealing high cognitive capacities in fish are still scarce. In this study, researchers attempted to add to the pool of information by confirming that wild cleaner fishes can remember being caught. Generally, it is said that the ‘powerfulness’ of a given event can increase memory retention, where long‐term memories are typically ones of various adverse events. Examples include salmon and carp who still exhibit “hook-shyness” a year after having been caught. A previous study with cleaner fish also showed that they avoided nets and hid in crevices while researchers tried to recapture them 4 weeks after the time they had caught and marked them.
The present study supplemented the results of the above-mentioned research in that the acquired data suggests that cleaner fishes can remember a single negative experience for 11 months. The researchers also confirmed that the negative association was made with the net, not the divers, as the individuals who would hide with the net in sight, reemerge when it was removed and only the divers remained. The choice of observing cleaner fish is a clever one, as it’s generally really difficult to evoke hiding in the species, with the courageous fishes even approaching and entering predator mouths regularly. In other words, such a strong response is truly significant in these otherwise brave animals…
Be it for fishes being sold alive, or captured in catch-and-release fishing, the findings of this and similar studies suggest that these animals carry stressful memories with them, potentially for a very long time. Animal advocates will surely recognize just how such a state of mind adds to the overall stresses that exploited fishes experience. Although we are far from a place in time when the basic welfare of fishes is ensured, this study certainly suggests that we should be advocating for the mental wellbeing of these wonderful water-dwelling earthlings. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: