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News 2017

European sea bass: the fish that is a home bird

7 Apr 2017

Study of species in Cork harbour finds species is both ‘charismatic’ and ‘parochial’

European sea bass may look like fish and swim like fish, but they are also home birds. A new study to track the movement of the species has found that they are extraordinarily faithful to their home coastal patch. The fish are also “as charismatic as salmon”, according to lead scientist Dr Tom Doyle of NUI Galway (NUIG), but far less adventurous.

A group of fish tagged in Cork harbour for the study, published in Scientific Reports, found that they were so parochial that even the east and west siders wouldn’t mix.

Co-authors were Damien Haberlin and Dr Mark Jessopp from UCC’s MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, and Jim Clohessy from Cork Angling Hub. The study was funded by the ESB and Science Foundation Ireland. Mr Clohessy said it represented a “phenomenal” marriage between science and angling.

School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences

An Scoil Eolaíochtaí Bitheolaíocha, Domhaneolaíocha agus Comhshaoil

Distillery Fields, North Mall, University College Cork, Ireland , T23 N73K.

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