ecology

Ornate butterflyfish

Text by Ila France Porcher For many years, I held a weekly feeding session for the resident reef and their visitors in the study area where I observed their behaviour. If I had enough food, I would scatter crumbs into the water for the fish after the sharks had left. The fish knew this, so they had to wait, and while they were waiting, they were excited.

As the session wore on and darkness fell, they gathered. They would creep ever closer as the moment I would feed them approached. The surface glimmered with the continually Seeking Eye Contact circling needlefish, who looked — Fish Gaze Reveals Self-Awareness at me gravely with their big RICKARD ZERPE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC BY 2.0 eyes. Hundreds flashed through the silvery surface lights while while upon the ledges and in groupers whose purple bodies hands, and gesticulate in an Self-awareness focus of attention that they are some circled solemnly upcurrent. little nooks in the coral were rock were covered with stars that agitated cloud in front of my That these would make aware of using, or they would not Below them, , goatfish, cod and stonefish, looking at shone in that dim light. eyes. For a long period, one an effort to attract my attention have understood this. Such insight butterflyfish, angelfish, pennantfish me expectantly. To my left was They became impatient if I butterflyfish spent much of its suggested that they understood is connected with self-awareness. and many others flitted in an a deep grotto where crimson waited too long to start feeding time in front of my mask at each what attention was. They knew Those fish knew the routine and effervescent cloud. Fish hovered squirrelfish hung motionless, them, and intermittently would session while I watched the that while I was watching the the passage of time, and when in front of me, turning to look first gazing with huge black eyes, swim up to my mask to get my sharks—whenever I looked up, it sharks, they did not have my I swam down to pick up a scrap with one eye, then the other, while below them were large attention, flutter around my would be peering in at me. attention. They too must have a for them, they surrounded me.

59 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Sea turtle with school of jack fish (left); Goatfish ecology (below) Fish Gaze Interaction solemn faces, moving languidly in to the sea, where it lay around in Months after I had stopped using midwater. Giant trevally (Caranx the shallows near the beach on that site, those fish were still in the ignobilis) occasionally whipped the property my husband and I vicinity, and remembered. When into the sessions, and there was an owned, in a cloud of fish. When I passed through at odd times, I enormous lone —likely I fed it, the fish ate the tidbits would hold my hands out to them, an elderly individual—who often scattering around us. I counted they swam into them, and I stroked joined me. But as the years passed, about a dozen species of reef them. I had fed birds all my life, but no big fish came any more. fish among them, but the most they never flew down around my Moorea Island was badly mobile and alert were small silver shoulders when I went outside. Yet, overfished, and though there jack fish. that was what these exquisite birds were “fisheries” authorities there, When I went to check on the of the sea would do. they would not interfere with turtle and feed it, the jack fish Initially, the occasional large poachers. Anyone who wished to appeared around me in the fish came through the shark make a lot of money was free to lapping waves as I sat down to sessions. I regularly saw blue jack plunder as they wished. put on my mask, snorkel and fish (Caranx melampygus), titan fins. When I glided out, they triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens), Intelligent awareness surrounded me, swimming in and there was even a pair of Another notable example of formation with the leaders a metre gorgeous spangled emperorfish the intelligent awareness of in front. They escorted me to the (Lethrinus nebulosus) who waited fish developed while I was sea turtle—I never had any trouble at the site each session. They rehabilitating a sea turtle. The finding it as long as it was nearby. were half-metre long, pale fish, marine reptile had recovered While I fed the sea turtle, the with lavish decorations and from illness well enough to return fish formed a cloud around

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Needlefish hung, pointing at me shy sharks that might be cruising spending their time near the at the surface, from my mask all downcurrent. sand and feeding on the scraps, the way across the open circle of For a long period, a among which they favoured the feeding site. yellow trumpetfish stayed the red ones. These were usually So, I would scatter a handful companionably nearby and too big for one fish alone, so a of the scrap meat to the even drifted around the site with group of them would pick one up squirrelfish and cod, pushing me, though it never appeared and carry it into the coral where larger chunks deeper for the to be moving. Vertical in the they could all nibble it in private. groupers; spray a handful on water, and about half a metre Here was a demonstration of the surface for the needlefish; long, it propelled itself subtly with cooperation among them. several handfuls around for the its tiny rippling fins. I learnt what Once, when there were few wrasses, butterflyfish and goatfish; was truly motivating it when it scraps, I took the piece away a handful to my right to the fish suddenly shot vertically in front of from them and put it back on the waiting there; and then, begin my eyes and trapped a rainbow pile. The perch came back and all over again, trying to make in its elongated mouth. took that same piece, carrying sure that each patiently waiting The wrasse’s bright markings were it between them again, in spite creature got some. I alternately visible through the trumpetfish’s of the presence of three dozen fed them and cruised around, transparent, yellow skin as it slowly excited reef sharks. From time to whereon they covered my swallowed it, while its companions time, I noticed groups of perch lookout, searching for crumbs fluttered near, watching. moving off with the red scraps that might have dropped, when the food was first put on and accompanied me in a Cooperation the sand, though usually at the giant, glittering cloud, making it A large school of sea perch beginning, I was too busy with the problematic to sneak up on any attended the shark sessions, sharks to watch the fish. COURTESY PORCHER FRANCE ILA OF

60 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Sea turtle with school of jack fish (right); ecology Trumpetfish (below) Fish Gaze

us, and though they took the These animals together seemed too far. The fish were swirling particles of food drifting away, to form a companionable around my feet as I waited on the there was no greedy rush community, one in which I beach, but when the kayak was forward in spite of the hundreds seemed to be accepted as a still 15 metres away, they all went of individuals present. In deeper participant. Even a stonefish streaming out to meet it! water, the multispecies school joined us. And a whitetip shark, However, the most striking filled the volume of a room. who hunted the drop-off at the incident illustrating the faculties When I returned to the beach, edge of the fringe reef, would of those fish occurred when some of the jack fish always perform a circle into the beach I was walking along on the came with me, a few taking as it passed. large black rocks that lined the the lead, while others swam There was another beach on shore between the beaches, companionably around me. our property, about 50 metres looking for the sea turtle, one When the turtle and I swam away. As the sea turtle extended day when it had strayed. The together, they came too, but its range, sometimes it clambered turtle’s fish came streaming if the sea turtle roamed too far out onto it, and I would go and towards me, and though I was away, they would not follow. carry it back. Its fish friends would high above the water, they saw When looking for the sea turtle, be at our beach waiting for us by me and milled around in the scanning the water from the the time I arrived with the turtle water below. Obviously, they shore, I would often see them on foot. On another occasion, my recognized me from beneath coming back, which told me the husband went to fetch the sea the surface, though they had direction the turtle had taken. turtle in his kayak when it strayed never seen me there before. I

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must have looked very different inner lives. For example, one day and four centimetres apart, and standing on the rocks above, on a dive, my husband and I met their look was serious and intent. than I did when underwater. an enormous school of yellow Fishes’ faces filled my view as Their awareness was surprising. striped snappers, each about they continuously moved towards 30cm long. When they drew me to take, one by one, the Debunking myths near, I became fascinated by position directly in front of my eyes Unfortunately, for centuries, the sight of so many hundreds of and gazed back as I gazed at fishermen’s tales have spread the them so close, blocking my view each one of them. This went on for idea that fish have the sensitivity of anything else, and relaxed in a very long time and would have of wood, and it was not until the water, just looking at them. continued indefinitely, it seemed, recreational diving became Incredibly, they responded to this had my husband not come into widespread that we were able by looking back! the cloud of fish to see what we to see them pursuing their lives were doing. in their own realm. Nevertheless, Fish gaze This experience with the fish the idea that fish lack the brains As I watched, hundreds of fish changed my thoughts of them, to even feel pain is so widely turned towards me, and one for it was the first clue they accepted that it is taking a long after another, they positioned gave me of their inner lives. On time to debunk. So, as a diver, it themselves about 30cm in front other occasions, I found that if is important to share your views of my face, each one taking a I stopped moving and relaxed of fish if you appreciate these deep look into my eyes for a few on the bottom, fish would come enchanting creatures. seconds before moving on. That over to look at me. Then, on Sometimes, circumstances arise precise position was then taken by finding me looking so intently at that allow us a glimpse into their another fish. Their eyes were large them, they would come close COURTESY PORCHER FRANCE ILA OF

61 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO ecology Access your account Mobile App • Unlimited Access anytime, anywhere! • Complete Freedom • Reliable Connection NAUI Worldwide® Mobile App is available as a free download for iPhone and Android.

COURTESY OF ILA FRANCE PORCHER Three stonefish, well-camouflaged in the , joined the community of fish that gathered around the author.

and look into my eyes. I never human superiority and To learn more, read the author’s had an opaque school around consciousness to their knees.” previous articles in X-Ray Mag: me again, but every time I tried, In their way, the fish too, “The Remarkable Intelligence of NAUI Mobile provides NAUI members and NAUI divers (public some fish came. One small, were seeking eye contact, as if Fish” (issue #88), describing fish users) the ability to view their online CORE (Certifications;O nline brown grouper with purple spots the consciousness that joins us intelligence and their surprising training; Resources; and Educational material) profile. Both members was so interested that it kept transcends the barriers between capabilities, and “A Matter of and divers gain access to their certifications and digital c-Cards (if coming to look into my eyes species. Sentience” (issue #87), examining purchased or bundled with original course) as well as various dive even after I was swimming away. the question of why fishermen tools to assist with dive planning. Subjective states of fish have denied fish feel pain, and Eye contact The subjective states of fish how we know that they do. Joe Hutto, an ethologist who was actually form a whole new Members Gain Access to: accepted into a flock of mule dimension of discovery. And Ethologist Ila France Porcher, • Membership Information; deer, wrote about one of the especially now that the oceanic author of The Shark Sessions • Digital Credential Card as membership is active; and alpha males he knew: ecosystems have been so and The True Nature of Sharks, • Membership Resources (e.g. Standards and Policies Manual, Risk “Babe became not just the devastated by overfishing, it is conducted a seven-year study Management Handbook, as well as various regularly utilized forms) biggest deer you ever saw even more important that fish of a four-species reef shark but, more important, the most be given the appreciation they community in Tahiti and has powerful creature who ever deserve, and that fishermen’s studied sharks in Florida with shark- cared to look behind your eyes in tales lose their power. Indeed, it is encounter pioneer Jim Abernethy. a startling effort to make contact daunting how many people are Her observations, which are the with you . . . Babe would meet proud of their efforts to catch a first of their kind, have yielded you straight on, face-to-face— fish. They do not seem to see any valuable details about sharks’ eye-to-eye—and make an effort irony or contradiction in claiming reproductive cycles, social to know not what you were, but that fish are too brainless to even biology, population structure, who you were. By merely wielding feel pain, while being so very daily behaviour patterns, roaming those most powerful but gentle proud that they are intelligent tendencies and cognitive abilities. Questions? eyes, he would knock you and all enough to outwit one.  Visit: ilafranceporcher.wixsite. your preconceived notions about com/author. +1 (813) 628-6284 | [email protected] | www.naui.org

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