There has been an ongoing census of the fish community in Lake Tanganyika for the last twenty years. During this census the Japanese scientists have taken note of some rather drastic changes in the fish populations. These findings were published in the most recent issue of the journal “Ecology of Freshwater Fish”.

The conclusions were reached by Yuichi Takeuchi and team, while surveying the density and number of the different fish in Kasenga Point, at the southern end of Lake Tanganyika between 1988 and 2008.

The investigative team, headed by Yuichi Takeuchi, took note of a total of 54 chichlid and six non-cichlid species of fish, over the period of the survey. The most abundant type of fish recorded were the aufwuchs feeders.

Even though there was an abundance of fish and no lack of number of species present, their research indicates that there was a steep decline in the density of the aufwuchs feeders and invertebrate eaters during the course of the study. In a strange turn of events, there was an increase in the density of detritus feeders during this time.

The researches theorize that the change in the fish community could be due to human activities in the area such as deforestation, and agriculture run offs, which would lead to sediment loading in Lake Tanganyika to increase.

While they could not completely rule out natural variation for these changes in the fish community of Lake Tanganyika, there is no doubt that human activity is also making a large impact on the area as well.

Apparently, and hardly supprising for any one who kept fish for some time, the old belief that a fish only has a three second memory is complete balderdash. In fact scientists have discovered that fish actually do have quite a good memory, and can actually be quite smart. They have also been noted to be capable of working in a team, and even acting quite deviously.

One scientists, Dr. Kevin Warburton, who has been engaged in research on the subject for many years, has discounted the whole three second fish memory idea, as “absolute rubbish”.

Fish have been discovered to be far more clever, than was previously thought.

Dr. Warburton expounded, “’Fish are quite sophisticated. Fish can remember prey types for months. They can learn to avoid predators after being attacked once and they retain this memory for several months. And carp that have been caught by fishers avoid hooks for at least a year. That fish have only a three second memory is just rubbish.”

Dr. Warburton’s research has been focused on the freshwater fish of Australia, and has been taking a look at how Silver Perch actually learn how to handle the varying kinds of prey they come into contact with.

He has also said that the fish seem to exhibit human behavior in some instances. “Some behavioral traits that we think are very human, such as deception, fish have as well,” Dr. Warburton explains,

“Fish can recognize other individuals and modify their own behavior after observing interactions between other individuals. For example Siamese fighting fish will attack other members of the same species more aggressively if they’ve seen them lose contests with other fighters.”

It has been noted that in reef environments that cleaner fish remove and eat parasitic organisms off of larger “client” fish. “But what’s fascinating is that they co-operate more with clients when they are being observed by other potential clients.” Dr. Warburton added. ‘This improves their ‘image’ and their chances of attracting clients. Some cleaners co-operate with small clients to raise their image so as to deceive larger clients, which they then cheat on by biting them rather than removing their parasites.”

The fish even take a second look at potential predators to see how much of a risk they pose. “For added safety, they often do this as co-operating pairs, with the two fish taking the lead alternately. They will approach predators most closely when they have co-operated in previous inspections.” he explained.

Some minnows will even recognize a dangerous environment by associating a certain smell in the water with “alarm” chemicals that are released by other minnows who were felled by a predator.

This just goes to show you, that fish not only are not as affable as we once thought them to be, but actually have an intricate social structure, advanced forms of communication, and can literally swim circles around their prey. This we need to re-evaluate our entire conception of these creatures.

A genetically manipulated salmon, which has been tweaked to grow twice as fast as normal, is set to become the first genetically modified animal which will be approved for us to eat.

Food regulators, such as the FDA in the United States, are still deliberating whether the product, known as AquaAdvantage salmon, is even safe for human consumption, and also safe for the environment. They have managed to sign off on 5 of the 7 criteria needed for the product to hit the shelves.

The salmon contains a special type of growth hormone which would allow it to grow to a sifficient size in only 18 months, rather than 3 years, which is standard for this kind of fish.

AquaBounty, the Massachusetts company which came out with the fish, is insisting that it is safe, both for human consumption, as well as for the environment. They are hoping to be able to get approval for the product to go on sale within a few short months.

Ronald Stotish, the chief executive of the company, has said that it’s not that the fish will come out bigger than normal, it will just grow to full size within half the time. If approved, AquaBounty would sell fish eggs to fish farms.

Concerns are wildly mounting over the presence of Asian carp near Lake Michigan, United States Senator Dick Durbin has bequeathed Obama to elect a Carp Czar, to oversee the efforts to help keep these Asian invaders out of the Great Lakes.

During a news conference at the Shedd Aquarium, Durbin implored.. “We need to have one person who coordinates the efforts of the federal, state and local agencies that are doing everything they can to keep the Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, We believe it’s absolutely essential.”

This was Durbin’s response relating to the amazing discovery of a bighead carp, which is predominantly found in Asia, during the routine sweeps this week at Lake Calumet. The reason this discovery was so alarming is that Lake Calumet is only a stone’s throw away from Lake Michigan.

Durbin is sticking to his guns, lobbying with environmental advocates who have proposed closing Chicago area locks as a way to prevent this carp from getting itself into Lake Michigan. Durbin has called the occurrence “game changing” and has been quoted as saying “we have to take it very seriously.”

Durbin has said that scientists will attempt to find out just exactly where these Asiatic invaders have come from, whether they were dumped into the system, or if it swam its way up the Chicago water system. This will be critical in determining just how many of these Asian carp are making there home in the waters depths.

The male molly fish, found in Mexico, sports a “sexy” moustache, so that it might appear more attractive to females of the species.

Scientists were completely baffled as to why this strange Mexican fish would have a rather elaborate moustache-like structure on their top lip.

Some light has now been shed on the subject, it has been found that this “moustache” is actually sexually attractive to potential mates, and it is likely a key factor in the mating process.

Not only does this frisky molly fish use its moustache for show, but it may also be used in a kind of fish foreplay, exciting females by rubbing their genitals.

The details of this are published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

As the name suggests, Mexican mollies make their home in Mexico, living in a range of locations from creeks, to lakes, and even small rivers.

Mexican mollies have a rather complex mating behavior, with the males fertilizing the females internally, rather than just spraying their sperm over externally laid eggs, like so many other fish species.

Mine is Bigger Than Yours!

Not all male Mexican mollies are created equal however. Some of them have a moustache-looking structure jetting up from the scales on their top lip.

Until quite recently, the function of this moustache has not been known, and no one has bothered to look deeper into the matter.

So a crack team of scientists, which include Professor Ingo Schlupp of the university of Oklahoma, collegues in the US and Germany have decided to delve into it for the first time.

They trapped a wide selection of both male and female Mexican mollies, to measure the length of the moustache on those that had one.

They then proceeded to run a myriad of tests, and females consistently preferred males with moustaches over ones without. Of course, the bigger the moustache the more attention the males received.  This shows once and for all, that the barrier between fish and man.. Is not so great after all.

Hanky Panky in the Tank:

Even though the group has only tested the visual attractiveness of the moustache, there is evidence to suggest that it also plays a more tactile role. Professor Schlupp has told the BBC “This is based on the general observation that males will touch the female’s genital region with their mouth prior to mating,”

This unusual behavior has become known as “nipping” and is being pursued diligently by the group of scientists.

The common consensus is that by rubbing their moustache on the genitalia of the females, they are simply advertising their attractiveness. Some other species of catfish have comparable features, and have unknown functions.

Some scientists have also speculated that this moustache may act to attract more food as well, which is a desirable trait in the fish kingdom.

The group will continue to study the Mexican Molly’s moustache, until then, it will have to be boiled down to sex appeal.



Billy the fish, beloved Fulchester United mascot since 2005, has passed away.

Billy was rescued at Carlisle United’s Brunton park, in a goalmouth of all places, after the flooding which occurred there in 2005.

This lucky little mascot has been privy to the club’s rise from the Conference to League One over the past 5 years. He was discovered swimming around, quite out of place, in the goalmouth over in the Warwick Road End during the January 2005 cleanup after the flooding.

Billy was long considered the goalkeeper for Fulchester United – akin to Roy of the Rovers.

In January of 2005, the massive pumps were just about to kick in to start clearing water off the field, when someone with a keen eye spotted Billy and rescued him. He was then plunked into a tank, and a media campaign was launched to find his master.

Whilst awaiting the owner of this fish to come forward, United came ahead 3-1 over Redditch United, effectively ending a slump they had been in.

Billy’s owner, revealed to be Ashleigh Turk, a four year old Brunton Crescent resident, decided that since Billy had brought such luck, and had made himself a home, that he should stay put.

Andy Hall, media officer for Carlisle United had this to say.. ““It’s fair to say that the good luck tag has been an appropriate one for Billy. From the comfort of a fish tank in the reception at Brunton Park, he has overseen United’s return to the Football League, the League Two title triumph, trips to the Millennium Stadium and the new Wembley Stadium and even a club record run of 14 consecutive home victories in the 2007/2008 season.”

With the passing of Billy, they are now in the market for a new mascot… Also to be a fish.

Sounds weird? If so you haven´t heard about the ”fish mail box” in Inada Park, Kawasaki, Tama River in Japan near Tokyo. The ”fish mail box” is a 7 meter by 4 meter large concrete water tank that have been placed along the river to give people a place to drop unwanted fish. The goal of the fish box is to prevent people from releasing fish into the river, since foreign species can wreck havoc with local ecosystems.

People are encourage to call before they drop off their pets as fish can die from the shock if not acclimatized correctly, but it is is permitted to just drop off fish as well. People are also encouraged to drop off tropical invasive species they catch in the river in the fish box.

The fish left in these fish boxes are cared for by Mitsuaki Yamasaki, 51, the head of a local river fish association, before they are placed in new homes. The box is receiving about 10,000 fish a year ranging from small fish to large gars.

The Tama River has seen a lot of new species released in it in recent years during which the aquarium hobby has become even more popular in Japan than before. This has in no small part to do with the movie “Finding Nemo”, even if the increase in popularity started before the movie was released. More than 200 species of foreign tropical fish have been found in the Tama River ranging from typical aquarium fish such as guppies and angelfish to less frequently kept creatures like piranhas and arowanas, earning it the nick name the Tamazon River. Some of the tropical species have established breeding populations while others haven´t, but most species can survive the winters by staying near water treatment areas along the river.

Mitsuaki Yamasaki and other members of the local river fish association are afraid that breeding populations of gars will establish themselves in the river since more and more gars are sold and they have been found in the river. Gar species are predatory fish that could have a severe negative impact on native fish such as sweetfish . Gars are likely able to establish breeding populations in a river with the conditions of the Tama River.

It can not be denied that with over 10,000 fish received by one of these fish boxes since it opened the initiative could aid the struggle to prevent invasive species from getting a foothold in local waters, and it might be an idea that deserves being tried in other problems areas around the world, such as Florida. The only question is if projects like this could work with out the devotion and support from people like Mitsuaki Yamasaki, people who are really passionate about what they do.

Any one interested in or planning to start a similar project somewhere else is very welcome to contact us here at AquaticCommunity as we would love to document your work getting the project of the ground and running it. Leave a comment in the commentary field or send an e-mail to admin@aquaticcommunity.com.

Photo by: Igor GOLUBENKOV

Thousands of barrels of oil continue to leak into the ocean from British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon each day, and as we have been able to see in countless news reports a lot of it reaches the surface.

Less well known is that a significant portion of the oil never make the full 1 502 meter (4928 feet) journey to the surface. Instead, the stratified waters of the Gulf of Mexico capture the oil or slow down its ascent, and this oil is now threatening numerous life forms far below the surface.

According to Dr Gregor Eberli, Dr Mark Grasmueck and Ph.D. candidate Thiago Correa – all three from the Marine Geology & Geophysics division of the University of Miami (UM), the oil that fails to reach the surface is a serious threat to planktonic and benthic life throughout the region, including many species of cold water coral. Planktonic life is all the tiny living creatures the drift around in the ocean, while benthic life is life confined to the sea floor.

“The deep water communities within the Gulf of Mexico and in the Straits of Florida are well hidden from us, but they include many species of cold-water corals that live in water at depths of 600 — 1500 m. (1969 -4921 ft.) in waters as cold as 3° Celsius (37.4°F),” Eberli explained.  “Unlike their more familiar shallow-water counterparts, these corals do not live in symbiosis with unicellular algae called zooxanthellae, but are animals that feed on organic matter floating through the water column. We know that most of the food consumed by the cold-water corals is produced in the surface waters and eventually sinks down to the corals.”

To make the problem even worse, the large plumes formed as a result of the oil spill has placed themselves between the deep-water corals and their food source. Some of these plumes are several miles long, and organic material – i.e. animals and plants – that sink through the plumes will become contaminated by micron-sized oil droplets. These droplets might not look as dramatic as a sea surface filled with crude oil, but they are equally damaging.

“It is most likely that the delicate cold-water corals are not able to digest these oil-laden food particles and will perish in large numbers,” said Eberli. “We are especially concerned because the migrating oil plumes have the potential to destroy or greatly diminish these deep-sea coral communities as they are carried by the currents. These corals are important because they are the foundation of a diverse ecosystem that at last count includes over 1,300 marine species, according to Dr. Thomas Hourigan at NOAA.”

Severe damages might not be limited to the Gulf of Mexico

The Loop Current transports water from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, passing through numerous significant coral sites on its way from the eastern Gulf of Mexico through the Straits of Florida and northward to the Blake Plateau off North Carolina. The water enters the Straits of Florida to form the Florida Current and further north the Gulf Stream. Tiny droplets of oil suspended in the water could therefore wreck havoc with ecosystems far away from British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon.

While several (albeit not perfect) methods do exist for cleaning crude oil from the surface of the ocean, we know hardly anything about how to rid the water column from oil plumes.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the bludgeoning of dozens of Koi fish at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California.

Surveillance cameras captured two men beating the fish, who was living in a pond on campus, with baseball bats.
13 Koi fish have died so far and several others are injured after the attack.

Massive amounts of dead fish are covering the beaches of Brazil and roughly 80 tonnes (175 000 lbs) have been removed from the iconic Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro.

The mass death, which seems to have occurred at sea right before the weekend, remains unexplained. Over 100 people are currently trying to rid a 4.5 square kilometer area from rotting fish carcases.
Environmental experts in Rio de Janeiro have suggested that the mass death might be caused by marine algae. The deaths are not limited to any specific species of family of fish.