Weird Question From My Year 6 Science Class

[stoneagedinosaur]

What colour do fish see in? There seems to be a lot of blue in fish colours so we were wondering which spectrum of light do fish see in?

Ta

 

[5teady_2012]

This not my words just something i found...

here is someting i found last year when this subject came up on another site:

there is research that suggest that fish are colour blind and they only see a small selection of the colour spectrum and they mostly see shades of gray,and their eye's are only capable of seeing short distances clearly after this everything becomes shades and the fish only perceive this as movement of dark item against a lighter background (silhouettes)the colours that they do see have a higher light refraction level like silvers ,golds,yellows and red in various hue's and situations other colours seem to be neutral and possibly appear as shades of gray colours like brown ,green and blues & purples ect,game fish Salmonidae (Salmonids) do however seem to have hightened vision and are able to distinguish more colours than their coarse counterparts

now in nature the colour red normally signifies danger but with
fish(and sharks)it stimulates feeding.after all it's the colour
of blood and as fish are cannibalistic by nature it tends to get
them going.

camouflage therefore is useless as at most what fish will see through surface water is silhouettes against a lighter sky ect
which is why fishing on a dull overcast day is better than days
when it's bright and sunny and any shadows(pole)falling on the water will spook the fish and sky lining is detrimental to our sport.

(sourced from an american site ,i've made it easier to understand by simplifing technicle gargon and correcting their
yanky spellings)

another view on fish seeing colours:

Once upon a time some scientists believed that fish were colour blind. However modern research has shown that nearly all our coarse fish have excellent colour vision.

However, it does differ from our own, and even differs from sea fish. For instance, our eyes can disriminate shades of green best, which isn't surprising when you consider we evolved in the treetops.

Sea fish are most adapted to blue light, this being the colour that penetrates deepest in the ocean.

Freshwater fish tend to live in shallow water that is often stained by suspended mud and rotting vegetation, the latter being coloured by yellowish-red pigments. Additionally this suspended matter scatters the light and creates a murky effect. Photographers have long known that a red filter will cut through such haze.

As a result coarse fish tend to be more sensitive to colours towards the red end of the spectrum (i.e. the opposite to sea fish).

This is especially marked in perch, which can see more into the infra-red than other species. Indeed, perch eyes contain a chemical called porphyropsin that absorbs further into the infra-red than any other known pigment.

Additionally, the cornea of a perch's eye prevents any blue light from reaching the retina, and moreover they have no blue-sensitive cones here, only green and red ones.

Note that perch may still be able to distinguish blue by the difference in stimulation on their green and red cones. This is similar to the human eye's ability to distinguish red, even though we have only yellow, green and blue-sensitive cones. Indeed, this is almost certain as perch have a blue patch under their chin, that often goes unnoticed by the angler, but presumably not by the perch.

What does all this mean in practice?

Well, firstly, perch see red very well. Whether they see red best in a given situation though depends on a number of other factors, including the background. However, I always make sure when maggot fishing for perch that I have some red ones as well as white. Additionally, I like my perch lures to have at least some red on them.

It also means that perch see particular well in murky waters - contrary to what a lot of authors, including some modern ones, write! In fact, of our coarse fish only zander have better eyesight in these conditions.

This gives perch a big advantage in dim light over their poorer-sighted prey, especially in the reddened light of dawn and dusk or in coloured water. Hence this is when they feed best. Indeed, perch rely so much on their vision rather than their other senses that it's extremely rare for them to hunt after dark.

i hope this helps clarify things a little

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

That's cool - makes sense to in an evolutionary kind of way. Thanks

 

[drobbyb]

Usually creatures that are brightly colored can see most colors of the spectrum of visible light like birds for example. That article has some very good points. It would be interesting to be able to see like fish do.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Usually creatures that are brightly colored can see most colors of the spectrum of visible light like birds for example. That article has some very good points. It would be interesting to be able to see like fish do.

I think it would go - food, food, not food, something that might eat my food, not food, food, big thing that will eat my food, swim away... food, not food etc

 

[OohFeeshy]

Generally most fish have colour vision, I think many can see into the ultraviolet end of the spectrum which quite a few other animals can do. If they couldn't, what would be the point of the breeding colours that many fish have?

 

[ChrisCook]

I have been a keen fly fisherman for the last 16 years and I've read a lot about the colour spectrum which fish see in.

In water you lose colours as you get deeper. Red is the first colour that disappears underwater and it works through the spectrum until only UV colours are visible.
For fish such as trout, young fish see red much better than the older fish - I'm not sure why that is though!

 

[drobbyb]

If they couldn't, what would be the point of the breeding colours that many fish have?

Exactly.

 

[didz04]

Not sure about other fish but have read that with the 'dora catfish', you can put on a red light when in the dark and it won't bother them at all. I have a Dora catfish and normally only comes out to eat and once lights turned off so will try it soon and tell you if it works. Not sure if it is a certain type of light?

 

[fatheadminnow]

They have to see in color, or else my female Krib would not "color up" when she is about to spawn to attract the male.

-FHM

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Obviously they see in colour but I was wondering which spectrum of colour they use. Red seems the most obvious, but we were wondering if it shifts into as high a frequency as infra red aor even ultra violet? It would appear pointless to evolve an eye that can see the full spectrum of light when much of light is filtered in water, but there would be benefit in evolving to see in different spectrums.

 

[ChrisCook]

A lot of ultra violet is used in flies in fly fishing with great success, especially at depth. So yes, I believe some fish do see in a UV spectrum.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I remember last year in Psychology class here at the University, that people have done studies with fish, and something about the color red made the fish react in a much more active way then if other colors were present.

EDIT: Ha, look what I just found... "Red is a common color in fish," says the National Aquarium in Baltimore. So that must be the color they prefer.

-FHM

 

[OohFeeshy]

I'd imagine the red aspect is partly to do with red not being a colour you tend to find in the environment- hence fish exhibiting red colour are drawing attention to themselves.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I red it is something that fish are attracted to because red signifies food. Blood = red. If that is the case, then the article I read explains how fish have evolved over time to accommodate the color red; by becoming more attracted to it.

-FHM