JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Anglers take note. Fish get a bit more fearless when the weather warms up.
It turns out some fish will risk getting eaten more often as the temperature of the water rises.
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Hungry fish must leave the safety of their home to find food in areas where predators lurk. In cool water fish eat less, but since a fish's metabolic rate is influenced by temperature, when water temperatures rise fish forage more frequently to satisfy hunger.
Experiments show that fathead minnows will avoid eating close to a predator if it was visibly present. However, with a temperature increase more minnows took chances eating closer to predators like yellow perch.
Warm water makes fish less concerned with predation since the focus turns to food consumption.
These individuals are not likely to incorporate risk as fully into decision making as individuals inhabiting cooler temperatures, and the increased activity observed at high temperatures probably makes individuals more easily detected by predators.
Canadian researchers Melissa Pink and Mark Abrahams set up controlled experiments in a tank to understand how environmental factors, such as temperature influence an ecosystem which may help predicting responses to future environmental changes.
Anglers who want to reel in more catch may find these new discoveries advantageous the next time the water warms up.