Smart fish, smarter angler?

There's a report showing that researchers have successfully trained certain fish to differentiate shapes and colours. This simply confirms what we have known for a long time -  that fish can be smart!

Photo from www.nytimes.com



It is not uncommon for anglers who visit catch and release ponds to complain, after a certain period of time, that their lures are no longer as effective. The fish have already learnt from experience that these baitfish look-alikes do not taste good at all. What you get for your pains is not a delicious meal, but an encounter with silly humans who play a game of tug-of-war with you, pull you out of the water, take a photo of you and then throw you back.

Sheesh...

Who can blame them for getting smarter? So we better make sure we are ahead of them in this game, yah?  :p