Net Avoidance Behavior of Carp and Other Species of Fish

Abstract

The net avoidance behavior of carp, Cyprinis carpio Linnaeus, was studied in the laboratory. The effect of the size of the tank, temperature, light, social behavior, and air bubbles was evaluated and the behavior of carp was compared to that of nine other species of freshwater fishes.Carp tended to escape a net in the same relative position in tanks of different lengths. Fish in cold water used a bottom escape route while those in warm water used an escape route located at the top of the net. Groups were more successful in avoiding a net than were isolates. In warm water there was an immediate difference between the performance of groups and isolated fish; in cold water differences appeared after training. Blind carp and carp tested in turbid water were less successful in avoiding a net than were fish with unimpaired vision. Groups of carp avoided portions of an escape route which were occluded by air bubbles.