Page 4 - Kind News, May/June 2022

As an eight-year-old camper in plopping back in. He’s found that fish solve
Ontario, Canada, Jonathan problems, like the archerfish and tuskfish of
Balcombe was excited when he Australia who use water and rocks to catch prey.
first felt the tug on his fishing line. He’s found that some fish live in family groups,
That changed when he saw a fish caring for young and helping close relatives.
Sadly, Balcombe has also found that fish feel
hanging on the hook. “I knew a fish pain and stress from common activities like fishing
dies out of water,” he says. “I felt and the aquarium trade. He’s worried about
great relief when [the instructor] tropical fish being caught and shipped in plastic
put the fish back in.” bags across long distances in the United States to
be sold to pet stores and other sellers. He doesn’t
Now, fish are the subject of Balcombe’s work. He’s recommend keeping pet fish, but shared advice on
an ethologist, a scientist who studies animal making their lives better (see the next page).
behavior. He’s found that fish play. He’s seen small What does Balcombe think about fishing now?
fish in Florida jumping over a stick in the water and “There is no nice way of catching a fish on a

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