Climate change will shift fish toward poles

A new analysis using computer models indicates that many commercially important species of fish are moving toward the poles and that some could disappear from the tropics altogether by 2050. The analysis used multiple models and covered 802 species to show that fish ranges are moving at a rate between 15 and 26 km per year. […]

Archerfish are more skillful than previously thought

Archerfish use jets of water to shoot down insects for dinner, but new research shows they are more skilled at this than previously thought. Researchers trained archerfish to hit targets ranging in height from 20 to 60 centimeters from a precise location, and monitored how they produce the jet. They found that the fish adjust […]

A fish out of water . . . can get used to it

A new study shows just how much a fish can change when raised in a land environment, and sheds light on the role such changes could have played in the evolution of land animals. Bichir (Polypterus senegalus) have both gills and lungs and, although they prefer water, can walk across land to reach new habitat […]

Genetically-modified salmon reproduce as fast as wild-type

Growth hormone (GH) transgenic salmon doesn’t reproduce faster than wild-type salmon, but transgenic salmon can reproduce with wild-type fish, a new study shows. GH transgenic salmon contains a chinook salmon growth hormone gene fused to an ocean pout antifreeze gene which significantly accelerate its growth rates. Researchers reared salmon in large (350,000 L), semi-natural, seawater tanks […]

Small populations have more diversity than previously thought

Populations of trout living in streams with a small number of breeding adults still have enough genetic variation to be able to adapt to environmental changes according to a new study. Researchers found that streams with as few as 70 adults had more genetic variation than expected. Such variation provides a greater ability to adapt to environmental changes. […]

Lionfish hunt in groups

Like their namesakes on land, lionfish demonstrate cooperative hunting, according to a new study. Lab tests showed that lionfish use a unique ‘flared fin’ display to alert other lionfish to the presence of prey. They then work together to herd the prey into smaller areas and take turns striking at the group. This type of […]

Fish-eating spiders found all over the world

It’s known that some spiders can catch and eat small fish, but a new survey of worldwide sightings shows the phenomenon is more widespread than previously thought. The survey found that spiders from up to five different families prey on fish, and that fish-eating spiders exist on every continent except Antarctica. One species, the striped […]

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