Societies

Across Waters
A Comprehensive Analysis of
Social Interactions in Fishes

Amna Sajjad
2019-ag-6973
ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management
M. Phill Zoology 1st (Morning)
Community College PARS

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, FAISALABAD

Societies across Waters: A Comprehensive Analysis of Social Interactions in fishes

CONTENTS

1. Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 3
2. Different Types of Social Interactions of Fish ............................................................... 3
3. Communication during Social Interaction of Fishes ..................................................... 4
4. Environmental Factors affecting Social Interactions of Fishes...................................... 5
5. Role of Social Interactions in Fishes’ Life Cycle ........................................................... 5
6. References: .................................................................................................................. 6

ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management

Societies across Waters: A Comprehensive Analysis of Social Interactions in fishes

1. Abstract
Social interaction in fishes is a fascinating topic that has been studied extensively. Fish
express their social behavior by enhancing their locomotor activity, and the synchronization
in locomotor activity reflects their social behavior.
Social aggregation is a widespread and important phenomenon among fishes, and
understanding the questions of why and how aggregations form and are subsequently
maintained is a crucial area of research. Fish are known to bias their behavior in favor of kin
and familiar individuals, requiring a more specific form of social recognition. As individuals
spend more time in close association, and as the complexity of social interactions increase,
there is the potential for ever greater specificity to discriminate between animals, including
the ability to recognize individuals.
Fish can combine individual and social information to achieve near-optimal foraging
efficiency and promote income equality in groups. Most species of fish must engage in
social relationships for at least a portion of their life, for example during mating and
shoaling for predator avoidance. To increase fitness, many species socialize to establish
hierarchies, exchange information, and avoid predators. Finally, social networks can play a
crucial role in the conservation of fish, as most fish species depend on social cues to make
important life-history decisions such as finding a mate, initiating migration, evading
predation, acquiring resources, or optimizing foraging strategies.

2. Different Types of Social Interactions of Fish

i. Mating and Courtship Behavior
Fish engage in various social interactions,
including mating and courtship behavior. These
interactions can be complex and involve a
range of behaviors, such as color changes,
body language, and fin movements, to attract
mates and establish social bonds.

Fig.2.1: Mating and Courtship Behavior

ii. Cooperative Interactions
Cooperative interactions in fish involve
working together to achieve a common goal,
such as foraging for food or protecting
territory. These interactions can be seen in
group-living species, where fish may
coordinate their movements and share
information to optimize their foraging
efficiency.
Fig.2.2: Cooperative Interactions in fishes

ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management

Societies across Waters: A Comprehensive Analysis of Social Interactions in fishes
iii. Shoaling
Shoaling is a social behavior in which fish swim
and move in groups, often to reduce predation risk
and improve foraging efficiency. Fish may adjust
their swimming speed, direction, and behavior
based on the presence of conspecifics, and group
dynamics can play a significant role in shoaling
behavior.
Fig.2.3: Shoaling in fishes
iv. Social Hierarchy
Social hierarchy in fish is characterized by aggressive interactions to advance in social
rank and protect territory. Fish may engage in aggressive behaviors, such as displays,
threats, and physical confrontations, to establish and maintain their position in the
social hierarchy.
v. Resource-Related Activity
Resource-related activity in fish includes behaviors such as foraging, feeding, and
sharing food. Social interactions can play a crucial role in resource distribution and
access, as fish may cooperate or compete for access to valuable resources.
vi. Social Recognition and Attraction
Social recognition in fish refers to the ability to distinguish between kin and familiar
individuals, as well as the ability to recognize individual conspecifics. Social attraction
is the process by which fish become attracted to each other and form social bonds. This
can involve various cues, such as olfactory (pheromone) and phenotypic traits,
including body type, color, and gender.
vii. Social Learning
Social learning in fish refers to the ability to learn from the behavior of others, such as
observing escape routes, inferring social hierarchies, and recognizing individual
conspecifics. This ability is crucial for understanding how fish adapt their behavior in
response to social cues and environmental changes.
3. Communication during Social Interaction of Fishes
Fish communicate during social interactions using various methods, including visual cues,
chemical signals, acoustic sounds, and mechanical stimuli. Some of the common ways fish
communicate during social interactions are:
a) Visual Cues: Fish use visual cues, such as color changes, body language, and fin
movements, to convey messages like mating readiness, aggression, or submission. For
example, male fish may "dance" to attract females for mating.
b) Chemical Signals: Fish secrete pheromones to signal sexual receptivity, defend against
rivals, or mark territory. Cichlids, for instance, use urine to boost their defensive or
aggressive posturing against rivals or threats.
c) Acoustic Sounds: Fish communicate through sounds or acoustics, which can help others
locate habitats and navigate their environment. Some fish produce sounds to attract
mates or defend territory.
d) Mechanosensory Signals: Mechanosensory signaling is a potential mode of
communication during social interactions in fish, as it can convey crucial information
about the sender's identity, quality, reproductive state, and social status.
e) Motion and Gestures: Fish communicate through motion or other visual stimuli, such as
schooling behavior, where fish move in synchrony to protect each other from predators
and confuse them.

ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management

Societies across Waters: A Comprehensive Analysis of Social Interactions in fishes

These communication methods help fish navigate social relationships, establish hierarchies,
exchange information, and avoid predators.
4. Environmental Factors affecting Social Interactions of Fishes
Environmental factors can significantly affect the social behavior of fish in various ways.
Some of these factors include:
a) Temperature: Temperature can influence social behavior in fish, with fish from warm
habitats being less social than those from colder environments. High temperatures in the
lab also result in less social behavior.
b) Habitat Conditions: Habitat conditions, such as water flow, light, and water quality, can
influence fish behavior, including their boldness and sociability. For example, fish in
habitats with abundant food resources usually have high boldness and sociability scores,
possibly due to good body conditions and lower levels of interindividual competition.
c) Resource Availability: The availability of resources, such as food and shelter, can
influence fish behavior and social interactions. Fish in habitats with scarce resources
may exhibit different social behaviors compared to those in habitats with abundant
resources.
d) Predation Risk: Fish may adjust their social behavior in response to predation risk, such
as by staying close to the group to minimize the risk of predation.
e) Group Size and Composition: The size and composition of fish groups can influence
social interactions, with larger groups exhibiting different social behaviors than smaller
groups.

Understanding the effects of environmental factors on fish social interactions can help
researchers predict how human-induced changes in habitat conditions, such as pollution or
habitat modification, may impact fish behavior and population dynamics.

5. Role of Social Interactions in Fishes’ Life Cycle

Different modes of social interaction in fish play important roles in their survival,
reproduction, and overall fitness. Mating and courtship behavior, cooperative interactions,
shoaling, social hierarchy, and resource-related activity are some of the different types of
social interactions in fish. Fish also exhibit social recognition, social attraction, and social
learning, which allow them to recognize kin and familiar individuals, form social bonds, and
learn from the behavior of others. These social interactions can help fish optimize their
foraging efficiency, establish hierarchies, exchange information, avoid predators, and make
important life-history decisions such as finding a mate, initiating migration, evading
predation, acquiring resources, or optimizing foraging strategies. Understanding the
different modes of social interaction in fish is crucial for conservation efforts and
management strategies.

ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management

Societies across Waters: A Comprehensive Analysis of Social Interactions in fishes

6. References:
• Social Interaction in Fish: A Brief Review
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281236397_Social_Interaction_in_Fish_A_Bri
ef_Review
• Social Recognition and Social Attraction in Group-Living Fishes
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00015
• Social interactions drive efficient foraging and income equality in groups of fish
https://elifesciences.org/articles/56196
• Rhythm of relationships in a social fish over the course of a full year in the wild
https://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40462-023-
00410-4
• Social networks and the conservation of fish
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03138-w
• Social interactions in fishes and rodents test
https://www.noldus.com/blog/social-interaction-in-fish-and-rodents
• Mechanosensory signaling as a potential mode of communication
• during social interactions in fishes
https://faculty.lsu.edu/maruskalab/files/publications/55_mechanosensory_signaling_as_a
_potential_mode_of_communication_during_social_interactions_in_fishes.pdf
• Dirty Waterways May Alter Fish Behavior
https://undark.org/2023/01/16/dirty-waterways-may-alter-fish-behavior/
• Christos C. Ioannou et al. ,High-predation habitats affect the social dynamics of
collective exploration in a shoaling fish.Sci.
Adv.3,e1602682(2017).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.1602682
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1602682

ZOOL-703: Fisheries Management