Comparisons of herring behaviour in the light and dark: changes in activity and responses to sound

Abstract

Comparisons of the behaviour of herring (Clupea harengusL.) were made in the light and dark by means of an infra-red sensitive TV system and video recording. Herring which were schooling in the light became less active in the dark, their swimming speed decreased, they tended to disperse and the proportion of gliding compared with swimming fish increased. Herring which were not schooling in the light increased their swimming speed in the dark.When subjected to transient sound stimuli herring made fast-startle responses. The proportion of fish responding was lower in the dark. The directionality of the response (the proportion turning away from the sound source) was the same in the light and dark suggesting there was no visual component in the response.The proportion of swimming and gliding fish affected both response rate and directionality. Gliding fish tended to have a higher response rate and better directionality than swimming fish, although this depended on the conditions of the experiment. The configuration of the body of swimming fish at the onset of a transient sound stimulus was important. Of the swimming fish, over 80% of the responders turned away from the direction in which the tip of the caudal fin was pointing at the onset of the stimulus. Gliding fish are in a better ‘neutral’ posture to initiate a startle response and to turn away from the sound source.Comparisons of awareness (sensory thresholds) in the light and dark using startle responses are complicated by differences in the numbers of gliding and swimming fish.