A new study published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research offers more evidence that fish are highly intelligent animals and masters of learning complex tasks—in this case, even driving a vehicle.
For the study, six goldfish took turns in the tank of a fish-operated vehicle (FOV) for 30 minutes. The animals’ movements in the tank steered the FOV as they “drove” around on land to explore multiple environments, both indoors and outdoors. The fish learned that when they’d reach a brightly colored target, they would receive a food reward. After a few days of training, they were able to successfully navigate to the targets in several land environments and from various starting points. They also learned to ignore decoy targets set up by researchers.
The study was meant to determine whether fish could overcome environmental manipulation and whether animals’ navigational abilities are limited to their natural environments. But the findings also add to the mountain of evidence showing how fascinating and intelligent these special animals are. Like all animals, fish deserve to live free of exploitation and abuse. They don’t deserve to be killed for food or used in experiments like this one.
Why Avoid Eating Fish?
The fishing industry kills trillions of animals every year and wreaks havoc on the environment. Fish are ripped from their aquatic homes and left to slowly suffocate. Some larger fish, such as tuna, are corralled and yanked from the water before being beaten with hooked clubs and stabbed. However they are caught, fish often suffer prolonged, agonizing deaths.
Fish farming isn’t any better. At fish farms, animals are forced to live in extremely crowded underwater pens. This causes psychological trauma and a range of physical ailments stemming from filthy water and parasites, such as sea lice. Fish farming also leads to more fishing in the wild, as many farmed species are carnivorous and are fed smaller, wild-caught fish.
Despite the mounting scientific data showing that fish can suffer and feel pain like other animals, there are no federal legal protections for fish regarding how they’re captured or killed. Take action to help these amazing animals by choosing more plant-based foods.
Ready to get started? Visit ChooseVeg.com to get tips and tricks for plant-based eating!
