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Articles on Fish

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Who’s in charge here? Fish adapt to their new roles. Shinnosuke Nakayama

Following fish teach us that leaders are born, not made

Shinnosuke Nakayama, University of Cambridge

In our society, not many people are lucky enough to have an ideal boss who they would want to follow faithfully for the rest of their lives. Many might even find their boss selfish and arrogant or complain…
Metal-resistant trout: first Cornish rivers, then the world. Philthy54

The trout that like heavy metal

Tamsyn Uren Webster, University of Exeter; Eduarda Santos, University of Exeter; Nic Bury, King's College London, and Ronny Van Aerle, University of Exeter

Contaminated during the surrounding area’s history of mining, the River Hayle in Cornwall contains metals including copper, zinc, nickel and cadmium at levels that can kill brown trout, a particularly…
Each Spotted Handfish has its own unique spot pattern. Tess Moriarty

Australian endangered species: Spotted Handfish

Neville Barrett, University of Tasmania

The Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is a small fish that lives on the sea bed in the cool, sheltered waters of south-east Tasmania. It has modified pelvic fins that look like “hands”, hence…
A reconstruction of a ptyctodontid fish, one of the groups of placoderms studied from which well-preserved muscles were found. John A Long

From bone to brawn: ancient fish show off their muscles

Kate Trinajstic, Curtin University

Fossilised soft tissues, such as skin and muscle, are exceptionally hard to come by. When you think the chances of an animal being fossilised is less than one in a million - and these usually have only…
Left: environment of the early tetrapod (Acanthostega) and tetrapodomorph fish (Eusthenopteron). Right: the axolotl and Australian lungfish. Catherine Boisvert

A dip in your hip, a glide in your stride? You have fish to thank

Catherine Boisvert, Monash University

Around 395 million years ago, the first tetrapod (four-legged animal) wandered out of its watery home and stepped onto land. This was made possible by the evolution of weight-bearing hips consisting of…
In the hold, but for how long? Wasting millions of tonnes of seafood is a tragedy. Maurice McDonald/PA Archive

We must stop committing valuable fish to a watery grave

Tim Gray, Newcastle University

In European waters controlled by the EU Common Fisheries Policy, the discarding of fish overboard has long been condemned by environmentalists and regretted by fishers. According to the UN Food and Agriculture…
Medicine residues that we flush down the toilet can affect fish and other wildlife. Chris Ison/PA

Popping pills can harm wildlife via a trip to the loo

Karin Helwig, Glasgow Caledonian University

It’s not a thought that occurs to most of us, but flushing the toilet doesn’t just mean disposing of our bodily waste. We’re also flushing away some of the medicine we take down with it. Our contraceptive…
A tiny male Red-finned Blue-eye, half the size of your little finger. Adam Kereszy

Australian endangered species: Red-finned Blue-eye

Adam Kerezsy, Griffith University

The Red-finned Blue-eye (Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis) grows to a maximum of three centimetres long. As males reach adulthood they develop the vivid colouration suggested by their common name. In contrast…

Invasive fish prove to be resourceful

Purdue University

Invasive species of fish, collectively known as Asian carp, may prove more of a concern to American river systems than previously…
The Murray cod is popular amongst fishers, and also critically endangered - at least according to the IUCN. Flickr/guochai

Australian endangered species: Murray Cod

Paul Humphries, Charles Sturt University

The Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) is the largest native Australian freshwater fish species, and is probably the most iconic. The species’ credentials are impressive: it can live for more than 50 years…
How and why have the colour patterns of coral reef fish changed over time? David Cook

Dazzling or deceptive? The markings of coral reef fish

Jennifer Kelley, The University of Western Australia

Have you ever wondered why coral reef fishes are so brilliantly coloured and bizarrely patterned? A quick flick through any coral reef fish guide will leave you bewildered and awed. To answer this question…
Should you eat this? The new snapshot of Australian fish stocks is unlikely to help you decide. avlxyz/flickr

Do assessments of fish stock sustainability work for consumers?

Colin Hunt, The University of Queensland

The report, Status of Key Australian Fish Stocks 2012 is the first official report combining assessments of major Commonwealth and state-managed fisheries into one document. The report paints a rosy picture…
In order to drag themselves onto land, fish-like creatures needed limbs. Thierrry

They came from the sea: the gene behind limb evolution

Yann Gibert, Deakin University

In the late Devonian period, roughly 365 million years ago, fish-like creatures started venturing from shallow waters onto land. Among the various adaptations associated with the switch to land life was…

Related Topics

  1. Climate change
  2. Conservation
  3. Evolution
  4. Fisheries
  5. Fishing
  6. Marine biology
  7. Marine life
  8. Oceans
  9. Overfishing
  10. Rivers

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