Take that Mr Smarty Pants

[DTro]

Fish intelligence is difficult to measure, but catfish certainly do not have second-rate brains. In fact, in one test of catfish learning ability, in a master's thesis by Gordon Farabee, catfish rated higher than other fish in learning ability. Farabee rated fish in three catagories of learning ability.

The slowest and poorest performers were famous sportfish: rainbow trout and pike. The middle catagory (fish of average ability to learn) included bass, fish famous for learning to avoid anglers. Catfish, bigmouth buffalo and carp learned the quickest and achieved the highest overall scores. And what fish ranked at the top? The channel cat! Below is a brief summary of the tests performed by Gordon Farabee, fishery biologist.

Farabee performed a study on the learning abilty of each fish in the table. Fish in tanks were trained to avoid a light source by administering a mild shock to them. After a training period, groups of fish of each species were scored for correct responses. Farabee grouped the species into high, intermediate, and low catagories according to their average scores.

Channel Catfish 90%

Bigmouth Buffalo 78%

Carp 67%

Spotted Bass 51%

Smallmouth Bass 44%

Bullhead 42%

Largemouth Bass 41%

Northern Pike 30%

Rainbow Trout 30%

Bluegill 26%

To this very day, the Walleye hasn't learned yet and is still being shocked.

[Gordie]

I watched a simalar test with food and the carp was the most intelegent when it came to that test and the largemouth bass was last. it was a maz and they timed the fish on how fast it would get there and the carp would take the same trail time after time like it remembered the way there. I think it was mostly due to their sense of smell but thats Me.

as for the walleye he's still getting shocked and the chain follows cause the muskie is biteing on to the walleye... kinda like the eletric fence trick first guy grabs on and make a chain and the last guy NAILED. with eletricity

[bobbymalone]

Not that fish intelligence has anything to do with it, but it is a shame that the catfish gets the bad wrap they do in the US, particularly outside of the south where they are more commonly eaten.

[Big Cat Dad]

DTRO,

Do you have a link for that study or a way that I could get ahold of it? I would like to reference it for an article I'm going to write.

Thanks

[harvey lee]

The walleye is still king.

[bobbymalone]

You might have to go to the library at the University of Missouri to pull up a Master's thesis from 1970.

I can't even get it and I have special access to academic literature. Universities are not gonna scan old theses for online publication. New ones are usually accessible though.

[DTro]

Yep, it's referenced all over the net, but I cannot find the actual thesis.

Gordon Farabee used to be the Big Rivers program coodinator for the State of Missouri.

[DTro]

The walleye is still king.

Click Me

[mplspug]

Playing Devil's advocate, I'd hope that they would use more than one method to test intelligence. It should be a combination of tests, after all, IQs aren't just measured - by grammer tests.

That being said, I don't doubt the rankings one bit. People think carp are dumb, but last year or the year before I saw first hand how smart they were. I found a bunch of them in a shallow area that was fairly clear where a little run off was coming in. First of all I had to be pretty stealthy with them all gathered at the inflow. It only took a couple of casts to get one to take my Gulp. After I caught that one, they all came back and not one showed even a hint of interest, even though they all seemed interested before that first one was caught.

Now don't be posting a link to the carp forum for me Darren

Fish like bass and pike are more tenacious than cunning and that is why they are still around today. If they weren't aggressive, they'd have died off along time ago not having smarts to fall back on.

I almost want to stick my neck out and say that is my the majority of cats are caught using livebait or cutbait. They just don't fall for every shiny, wobbly thing that passes by them.

Oh that new auto ad feature in the text is rich. :coffee:

[bobbymalone]

It should be a combination of tests, after all, IQs aren't just measured - by grammer tests.

or spelling?

[wooduck26]

This is exactly why asked the question last year, or the year before....how does fishing pressure effect Flatheads.....IMO it does greatly....bullhead on the bottom with a big silver hook in it.....after a few stings to the mouth I bet they avoid them.....MN river sees ALOT of pressure! and I bet the fish adapt!

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I really wouldn't go as far as saying that the Minnesota River sees ALOT of pressure. Lots of stretch of river where there aren't really any people fishing unless you have a boat. I would say there are some areas hit harder than the rest, and those could be affected but the river as a whole seems like it's under fished.

But that's just my opinion.

[DARK30]

But Bass can sing...

[Sherpa]

That's messed up Dark. Now this song will be stuck in my head forever!!

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I was hoping that song would die by now! Dangit Dark!

[Gordie]

In my book no matter how smart or dumb catfish are the flathead is the TOP of the foodchain 2nd to none as for the eyes all I can say is I'd rather be cattin

[simple1]

Only because I am that guy.... I wonder how they controlled for the way fish act naturally, and the way they find food. For example, a catfish has whiskers that are helpful in finding food, so are these more sensitive to the shock, thus reinforcing the lesson? Also, I would like to know how each fish would conduct electricity through their body... do different skins help lesson the pain of shock if only slightly?

[goblueM]

yep i'd be curious as well - catfish don't have scales, whiskers, etc. might be more sensitive to shocks? who knows

i ahve seen several studies that put rough fish up there with the best of fish intelligence

i don't doubt that rainbows and northerns are the "jocks" of the fish world though