The way fish react to stress is strongly connected to their personality, and remains unchanged no matter the situation, according to new research done by scientists from the University of Stirling.
The research was conducted by aquaculture specialists who analyzed the way juvenile and mature Senegalese sole fish faced stressful challenges.
According to the team, the results will help farmers in the process of screening fish more easily from a young age in order for the animals to be encouraged to reproduce in captivity. This way, the aquaculture production will be improved, addressing the decrease in the species' population.
Senegalese Sole Fish Have Steady Personality Traits
The research suggests very similar behaviors within various situations in fish with the same personality. As it turns out, their behavior is consistent regardless of the restraint and confinement they are faced with or the type of environment they find themselves in. This means that fish that have a particular trait - being proactive and curious, for instance - display the same exploratory behavior across different personality tests.
The behavioral activity in the Senegalese sole fish can be grouped in similar patterns depending on the animals' natural wiring. Furthermore, according to the research, the behaviors remain consistent when fish of different age groups are compared.
Senegalese Sole Fish Face Reproduction Problems
Research fellow Sonia Rey Planellas of the Institute of Aquaculture explained that despite the fact that the species is farmed across the entire European continent, the males find it difficult to reproduce. This incapacity has slowly and steadily affected the populations of Senegalese sole fish.
However, the findings of the study suggest that fish who are more outgoing will keep their tendency to reproduce, whether in captivity or not. This means identifying which fish can better cope with stress early on can lead to better species farming and therefore a larger Senegalese sole population.
For the study published in Royal Society Open Science, the researchers conducted three separate tests simulating life in captivity on around 120 fish. The fish underwent grouping tests as well as individual behavioral tests, after which their stress responses were observed by measuring the amount of lactate, cortisol and glucose in their blood samples.
The researchers said that their Operational Behavioral Screening Tests do not require any special equipment and may also be used in studying the behavior of other fish that fail to reproduce normally.
"We hope this can be replicated by fish farmers, large and small, to help establish selection-based breeding programs and easily identify fish that deal best with stress and will be able to reproduce more successfully in a variety of environments," Planellas said.
