Photo credit Mark Frapwell
Scientists have been trying for hundreds of years to study fish movements. Studying an animal that lives under water is not necessarily an easy task. Before modern technology, researchers would sometimes clip fins or secure a chain around the tail to mark individuals. The value of this type of mark and recapture study is that if we know where an individual fish is at two different times we can obtain important information on migrations, abundance, stock structure, mortality and growth rates. Many of these parameters are integral to fisheries models upon which management is based. Thus, to develop adequate management strategies, it is critical that we have a handle on these aspects of basic biology.
As with many other fields, research of fish movements has been propelled into the future as a result of technological advancements and miniaturization. While some of the old methods are still applied and very useful, new tools are allowing scientists to ask much more complicated questions about fish in their natural environment. We can essentially follow the fish on its travels through the seas without ever getting wet.
To learn more about some of the tools that MCSI uses to study fish movement and behavior click on the links below…
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