Applied sensory physiology and behavior

Abstract

All fish behaviors have their basis in the receipt and processing of sensory information. Finely tuned receptors for and responses to sensory stimuli evolved over millennia, but since the Industrial Revolution, the cuescape of stimuli available to fishes is now changing at a pace faster than the evolution of sensory systems. We therefore posit that sustainable fisheries management requires understanding and predicting the effects of anthropogenic changes on fish populations via: knowing which stimuli are available to fish sensory systems, how the stimuli interact with the morphological structures of relevant neurosensory organs, how physiological performance of a specific neurosensory system transduces the stimuli into actionable information, and most importantly, how all of this is changing in the Anthropocene. Conservation physiologists have successfully applied sensory information and a host of technologies to alternately attract and deter fishes as needed, reduce bycatch, control invasive species, and improve aquaculture. This chapter briefly summarizes the biotic and abiotic stimuli available to fishes, elucidates how fish sensory systems transduce relevant cues from the environment into actionable information, and demonstrates how sensory knowledge has been and can be used to address applied issues in fisheries management. Lastly, this chapter closes with a synthesis of available information to identify a framework for successful applications of sensory-based strategies and to suggest promising new directions for future research that optimize the utility of fish sensory systems as a management tool.