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Green fish in front of bottom of boat
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’s Hidden Impacts on Mahi-Mahi      
Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’s Hidden Impacts on Mahi-Mahi      
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’s Hidden Impacts on Mahi-Mahi      

Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.

Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.

fish behavior

Chinook salmon swimming in the water
Probable Chlorine Exposure Kills 21,000 Fish at UC Davis
Catherine Offord | Aug 16, 2022 | 2 min read
Threatened and endangered species were among the dead, likely poisoned overnight by a chlorination system used to decontaminate the animals’ tank water.
Archerfish in the deep transparent water.
Archerfish Defy Notion that Complex Vision Requires a Cortex
Amanda Heidt | Jun 1, 2022 | 5 min read
The fish species is separated from mammals by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, yet its seemingly primitive brain can handle many of the same elaborate visual tasks.
A school of juvenile spiny chromis (Acanthochromis polycanthus)
Human-Made Noise Disrupts Fish Parenting
Christie Wilcox, PhD | May 23, 2022 | 3 min read
The roar of nearby boat engines alters how fish care for and protect their young, resulting in fewer successful nests and smaller offspring, a study finds.
Photo of fish in the Haemulidae family
Fish Are Chattier Than Previously Thought
Connor Lynch | May 2, 2022 | 5 min read
Once thought to be silent, fish turn out to produce a range of vocalizations—so polluting the oceans with noise could pose a danger to them.
goldfish in tank
Researchers Train Goldfish to “Drive”
Chloe Tenn | Jan 12, 2022 | 6 min read
The Scientist spoke with cognitive neuroscientist Ronen Segev about how he taught goldfish to maneuver a moveable tank over land toward a visual target.
school of fish
Making Waves and Avoiding Beaks
Chloe Tenn | Dec 23, 2021 | 5 min read
Moving collectively on the water surface could help protect schools of fish from being eaten by predatory birds.
view from below of hundreds of silver sardines swimming in the same direction
Famous South African Sardine Run Doesn’t Benefit Sardines: Study
Alex Billow | Oct 19, 2021 | 5 min read
An analysis suggests that a commercially important mass migration of fish may have no real adaptive value.
ABOVE: A pair of Labroides dimidiatus cleaner fish cleaning a puffer fish
Cleaner Fish Alter Behavior if Partners Can See Them “Cheating”
Chloe Tenn | Oct 7, 2021 | 4 min read
A study of feeding behavior suggests the fish feed differently in front of their partners—a behavioral feature also found in primates.
Five morphs of Poecilia parae—from top: melanzona yellow, melanzona blue, melanzona red, parae, immaculata—and a female (bottom) of the same species
Fish Species’ Y Chromosomes Diverged Even Without Recombination
Catherine Offord | Sep 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Researchers discover surprisingly high levels of genetic diversity among the colorful male morphs of a freshwater fish.
a purple betta with white fins in a tank
My Daughter’s First Pet—the Next Big Model Organism?
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jul 15, 2021 | 10+ min read
Bettas were likely the first fish welcomed into human homes. Now, scientists are welcoming them into the lab to learn how genes dictate their appearance and behavior.
a brown trout in the hands of a person wearing a green jacket
Trout Appear to Get Hooked on Meth
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jul 6, 2021 | 5 min read
After eight weeks of exposure to ecologically plausible levels of methamphetamines, the fish tended to prefer meth-laced water over water without the drug.
chromis coral reef ocean acidification global warming climate change
Study Refutes Findings that Acidification Affects Fish Behavior
Emma Yasinski | Jan 8, 2020 | 4 min read
The new experiments use standardized methods and video recordings, but some researchers stand by earlier evidence that ocean pH influences coral reef fish’s response to predator cues.
Fish Biologist Victoria Braithwaite Dies
Catherine Offord | Oct 30, 2019 | 2 min read
The Penn State University scientist was known for her work on fish’s perception of pain.
Flashlight fish
Image of the Day: Flashlight Fish
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 21, 2019 | 1 min read
The bioluminescent Anomalops katoptron can coordinate its schooling behavior after dark. 
fossil fossilized fish school coordinated collective behavior movement motion
Image of the Day: Fossilized Motion
Chia-Yi Hou | May 29, 2019 | 1 min read
A fossil of a school of fish from the Eocene appears to represent coordinated collective movement.
munk's devil ray fisheries ocean conservation funny wildlife video gif
Image of the Day: Belly Flop
Chia-Yi Hou | May 23, 2019 | 1 min read
Watch a Munk’s devil ray breach.
The Mirror Test Peers Into the Workings of Animal Minds
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 21, 2019 | 5 min read
Nearly 50 years after its development, only a handful of creatures have passed the self-awareness exam. A new attempt with fish highlights a debate over the test’s use and meaning.
The Scientist’s Most Stunning Infographics of 2018
Jef Akst | Dec 21, 2018 | 2 min read
From cellular self-digestion to the effects of exercise on the brain, our features editor picks her favorite art custom-made for the magazine.
Satiated Fish Swim at the Back of the Pack
Ashley Yeager | Jul 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Digesting a big meal takes energy, forcing some minnows to swim in spots at the rear of a school.
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