Thursday, August 8, 2013

08/08/13: Fish use smell of determine size; geoduck aquaculture in Washington, USA; Tassel gets BAP certification

Fish can find similar sized shoal mates using smell.

Research published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology claims that fish use chemical cues to find other fish of the same size as themselves.

Strength in numbers helps animals protect themselves against predators so it makes sense for fish to swim together.

However, until now, it was not known how fish selected shoal mates of similar size to themselves.

The researchers exposed fish from two freshwater shoaling fish species (three-spined stickleback and banded killfish) to chemical cues emitted by fish of varying sizes from the same species.

They found that fish preferred the chemical cues of same-sized fish over those of larger or smaller fish from their own species.

Commercial geoduck aquaculture could be coming to state-owned beaches in Washington after the Department of Natural Resources gave the go ahead for a pilot programme.

The scheme will measure the positives and negatives of growing the saltwater clams on state aquatic land.
 
Tassal Group Ltd's Dover, Tasmania, salmon processing plant is Australia's first processing plant to attain Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification and the country's first company approved to offer two-star salmon, the Global Aquaculture Alliance has announced.
Tassal was Australia's first company to earn BAP certification in December 2012, with the certification of its first two salmon farm sites. Since then, 13 of the company's farm sites have received BAP certification, bringing the total to 15 farm sites across six regions in the state of Tasmania.  


Ostensibly record-setting geoduck clam (Panope...
Ostensibly record-setting geoduck clam (Panopea abrupta or Panopea generosa), Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Seattle, Washington. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



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