Fish can hear you - cut your engines ?

[DICER]

The following article is from the New Scientist....

"Help a fish relax - cut your engine"

BOAT lovers beware: the noise from your engines may be stressing out fish. Lidia Wysocki and her colleagues at the University of Vienna, Austria, recorded underwater ship noise from the river Danube and two Austrian lakes and played it back in the lab at similar volumes, 153 decibels, to common carp, European perch and gudgeon. After 30 minutes they measured the amount of cortisol, a common marker of stress, released into the water through the fishes' gills.

They repeated the experiment using no noise and hissing white noise at 156 decibels - about as loud as a pistol shot. Fish exposed to ship noise secreted significantly more cortisol than those exposed to either no noise or white noise, while fish exposed to white noise had normal cortisol levels (Biological Conservation, vol 128, p 501). Wysocki suggests that while fish can probably adapt to constant white noise, the unpredictability of ship noise in terms of its volume and when it occurs may be what triggers the stress response.

Since high cortisol levels are known to have detrimental effects on the growth, sexual maturation, immunological function and survival of fish, Wysocki suggests that ships in lakes and rivers should be required to lower their noise levels by using different propulsion systems, for instance.

From issue 2535 of New Scientist magazine, 21 January 2006, page 17

[Fishinmishin]

If she wants to help the fish....she can come row my boat ::).

[DICER]

your a fish magnet though Jay ;D

[Navi]

steve starling was on telly last week saying that the motor noise made the fish excided so bugger if I know ,

what I want to know is how do you fit a ship (fair star fun ship ) in to a lake?? :-/



cheers Chris 8-)

[Owen]

I'm pretty sure when the fish hear my boat coming they start laughing ;D ;D ;D
No wait,that should be :'( :'(

cheers
Owen

[Panda]

Its been well known for many decades that you generally get more fish on a week day when there is less boating traffic around. This is nothing new. It just goes to prove what fishos have known for a long time.

I usually dont feel like eating when someone has the stereo blasting in my ears either.

Perhaps lowering submarine speakers playing classical music at an acceptable level would attract the fish? They reckon it works for growing plants. And a lot of restaurants do it to enhance the appetite of clients. Geeze, whats the world coming to. I bet someone will go out and try it and write a scientific article about it. I can just see the headlines;-- "Mozart stimulates feeding frenzy".
But then, where does that leave the poor little bait fishies who come along just to enjoy a bit of relaxing music and get snaffled up by the predators with musically enhanced appetites? Perhaps we would see another article like this;--- Shopan death trap for hardyheads. ;)

[Panda]

steve starling was on telly last week saying that the motor noise made the fish excided so bugger if I know ,
cheers Chris #8-)
----------

I guess then if Steve Starling is right most of the fish would be hanging around boat ramps on a Saturday morning? Everyone has a theory.

Basically, loud noises do startle fish same as any other animal on guard against predators. But on the other hand some fish are attracted to unusual activity in the area. I have seen whiting scatter when I throw the cast net only to turn around and follow it in as I retrieve it.

[shaman]

steve starling was on telly last week saying that the motor noise made the fish excided so bugger if I know ,

what I want to know is how do you fit a ship (fair star fun ship ) in to a lake?? :-/



cheers Chris #8-)

Apparently people aren't the only ones scared sh!tless by The Fairstar. ;D ;D ;D

[Billo]

If she wants to help the fish....she can come row my boat ::).


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

AND get your drinks....bait the hooks ...mulch the burley ... ;D ;D

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

Wouldn't you think if the engine noise startled the fish you wouldn't get showings on the sounder????????

Cheers
Dave

[Panda]

You mean,-- you still believe your sounder? ;D

[Rainbowrunner]

I know that pros reckon the tuna are excited out at sea by the engine noise or wash sometimes.
I reckon some fish would,some wouldnt just depending on their own temperement.
I know Id get a bit nervous just cruising along a few feet under the water and something comes out of nowhere doing 40knots 2 feet above my head,
Ive been diving a few times and had boats go quickly overhead and the fish seemed to show no interest at all.

[juicyfruit]

Juicy
Mayyyyyybe Lidia Wysocki and her colleagues stressed the fish out coz they were fuglies or mayyyybe the fish stressed out over them measuring the amount of cortisol.

Maybe if they are so concern for fish they should stop subjecting the fish to lab tests, and go book themselves on a relaxing cruise of the Nile or something (yes that was laden with sarcasm).

*where’s my chocolate*

Juicy

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

Seems strange to me that we can catch fish on the troll behind an outboard!!!!

Dave

[noodlemantra]

i heard cobia are a species who love certain types of outboards....i've seen it, so i believe it. looked over the boat and thought bugger me if where going to pull something decent up here....sure enough first drop, im on for best fight I've ever had on a handline and cobia it was.

but elevated cortisols levels would suppress appetitie? this is the case for humans no?

[insideout]

just think if you were a fish, and the stuff you had to put up with on a daily basis, like trying not to be eaten, by man or fish,stressed out constantly, i really think that a loud outboard would not rate that high on a stress level. but who am i to argue against scientific studies?

man it would suck to be a fish [smiley=behead.gif]