Fish Communication

Steve Handley

Steve Handley

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Inside this months IYCF magazine there is a very interesting article by Dr Mark Burdass, who is a lecturer at Hampshire's Sparsholt College, regarding communication between fish via sound and chemical responses.

I think most of us have seen it, when we have released a fish back into the water, it can sometimes spook the rest of the shoal. What I did'nt realise is that it ismaybe due to the release of chemicals that actually causes this reaction.

As with a lot of anglers these days I rarely use a keepnet or retain my fish. If I'm fishing small rivers I will often release a good fish further upstream to prevent it spooking the rest of the shoal, but a lot of the time on stillwaters and if I'm fishing for barbel on the Trent, I return the fish directly back into my swim.

An interesting thought, are we damaging our chances of catching more fish now that we are more likely to release our fish back into the water straight away?

An interesting article and well worth a read.
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North)

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Steve.

I haven't read the article, but it does sound interesting. Not so long ago, I would have read the article and thought, that sounds about right, I wouldn't have given it a second thought or questioned it.

Nowadays on here we are being brainwashed into being more F.C (Fishacly Correct) about such matters. It could be that fish can't communicate with each other, but each individual fish has its own inbuilt radar system of danger, and some are better at it than others. Who really knows?
 
Graham Whatmore

Graham Whatmore

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It is hardly surprising that fish communicate with each other is it as does every creature on this earth? The fact that they do it in a different way to us is only to be expected and try as we might we will never ever really understand the hows and wherefores of it though some will try to like this doctor chappie.Various animal programmes on tele often show animals communicating dangervia sounds, posesor a particular behaviour so why should fish be any different.

I am not for one minute suggesting he is wrong because I wouldn't know but I would bet that it is a bit more involved than releasing a chemical and yes, continually releasing fish into the swim you are fishing can (but not always) result in less bites more especially if you are catching close in such as stick float fishing, if you are catching 50 yards out then the chances are it won't matter a hoot, not in my experience anyhow. Think about pole fishing where you are continually catching at say nine metres or less and even though you are retaining them in a keepnet these 'danger' chemicals would surely leach through the water wouldn't you think?
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North)

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It is Matt, I just invented it.

I LIke Grahams reasoning though.
 
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twitch

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In answer to Graham's post the article suggested that these chemical signals were localised in effect. The dispersal in a still water would only be localised due to dilution & in running water the effects would be less.

This could be seen as a point to support the use of keep nets.
 
Graham Whatmore

Graham Whatmore

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I don't accept that Twitch, stillwater is never still, it is constantly moving as a result of wind however slight and there is also the thermocline to consider as well where water moves through different depths and believe me, fish can smell or sense bait (however they do it) from a lot further than 9 metres and dangerchemicals should they existwouldn't be any different.
 
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twitch

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I agree stillwater is not totally still. However the chemicals being refered to are in such small consentrations that they are effective over a small area before becoming so diluted as to no longer be detectable or maybe short lived.
 
Mithrandir

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If a fish gives off a danger chemical into the water, surely kepping a fish in a keep net would give you a big cloud of danger chemical constantly right in your swim, By releasing them back into the water atleast they swim away from your fishing area.
 
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stuart clough

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There is a considerable scientific literature relating to fish communication, and indeed "alarm pheromones". While there is no doubt fish can communicate with one another the scientific community is divided on the issue of alarm pheromones. The link posted above by Coelacanth is worth a read, but for balance, please also read:Is there a Fish Alarm Pheromone? A Wild Study and Critique
A. E. Magurran, P. W. Irving, P. A. Henderson
Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 263, No. 1376 (Nov. 22, 1996), pp. 1551-1556
 
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Paul (Brummie) Williams

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I think that a keepnet may actually calm the fis by making it think it has found sheltered sanctuary and therefore stop it from giving off alarm signals...........hence more fish from the swim when on the short pole and stick etc.

They also use body language a lot to pass on signals.
 
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Cakey

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If they give off these chemicals why are there such big bags in matches
 
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coelacanth

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"Is there a Fish Alarm Pheromone? A Wild Study and Critique
A. E. Magurran, P. W. Irving, P. A. Henderson
Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 263, No. 1376 (Nov. 22, 1996), pp. 1551-1556"

Stuart, you haven't got access to a .pdf of this paper have you? I've read quite afew of Anne Magurran's papers, but must have missed this one. If not I'll geta hard copy.
 
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stuart clough

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Unfortunately I do not have this electronically. You can access the abstract on line, just copy the details into google scholar.
 
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Paul (Brummie) Williams

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Do you ever get the impression that "scholars" never listen to those who have spent a lifetime on the bank?
 
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