The personality of fish can determine how they are caught by fishermen, according to a study by the Queen's University Biological Station in Australia. Those who fish near rocky areas or in areas of water with underwater vegetation will catch more timid fish, while fishermen who go out to sea will catch the most daring.
" An individual's tendency to take risks is a personality trait of interest to behavioral biologists ," explains Alexander Wilson, a co-author of the study. "Ours is the first study that relates the technique of capture with individual daring in a population of wild fish," he adds. Specifically, the researchers examined the personality of the bluegill sunfish ( Lepomis macrochirus ) caught using two techniques: pole line and net fishing on the beach. The former turned out to be more shy than those caught with nets. The study has been published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science .
