Early development of shoaling behaviour in larval capelin(mallotus villosus)

Abstract

The ontogeny of shoaling behaviour in early‐stage larval capelin was examined for larvae raised under different conditions of prey concentration and disturbance. Shoals were evident from the first day of observation (day 2 post‐hatch) and time spent shoaling increased as the larvae got older. Both the number of follows and avoids decreased with age as the larvae spent more time in shoals. Disturbance appreared to have little affect on the development of shoaling. As they got older, larvae in high prey concentrations had some tendency to spend more time in shoals than fish in low prey concentrations.