Printable View
I have no reason for asking this question other than to satisfy my curiousity.
What effects would, say a 5.0 magnitude have on fish. I'd imagine the effects would be different in stillwater and a river, but I don't know. Maybe they don't notice it at all, but if you have a big bowl of water and you shake it, the water moves. Wouldn't that happen to fish too?
if they can feel and get spooked from the vibrations of you walking on the bank or stream bed, they must feel the vibrations of an earthquake. just a guess.
I lived in the Queen Charlotte Islands 160 miles from Alaska when the Juneau quake hit. There was speculation that the quake might put the fish off. ( It was quite a shaker ) The fishing in the Hecate strait during that time was fantastic like it always is . We did not notice any difference in the bite before or after the quake. fishing in the copper river also was unchanged. I suspect that like us humans the fish were startled during the shake and a short time later forgot about it.
Unless of course your house fell down then you probably would remember it a bit longer. :lol:
I was in the seventh grade in Issaquah when the 6.5 quake hit in April of 1965. It was about 8:30 in the morning if I recall. We were herded out of the three story Jr. High School (the building was subsequently condemned and demolished) and onto school buses for home. The Cougar Mt. Gang, of course, went fishing! I know we caught fish and had a great time, as we always did when we were stomping through the woods. Unfortunately, they had us back in school by Monday, sharing the High School. School started at Noon and ended around 5:30 or 6PM.
The fish didn't seem to mind a bit!
Jeff
I'm not to sure.
It probably does though.
What normand said made sence to me.
Earthquakes are generally caused by the sudden slipping of rock masses along a fracture or fault. The energy transmitted from the focus of an earthquake is transmitted in the form of waves. The waves, known as seismic waves spread out in all directions from the focus of the earthquake, similar to sound waves. There are 2 kinds of seismic waves, P Waves and S Waves. P Waves, or compressional waves travel at over 6 km/s (13,500 mph). When P Waves pass through a substance, they compress or push the atoms closer together. After the wave passes, the atoms respond elastically and return to their normal spacing. P Waves are similar to sound waves. It has been suggested that some animals here or detect P Waves. Humans generally feel a bump when the wave passes.
S Waves or Shear Waves can change the shape of materials, as such, they case the majority of the destruction attributed to earthquakes. S Waves travel up and down or from side to side. They only move through solids, S Waves do not travel through liquids.
At best, when an earthquake occurs, there might be a slight change in water pressure due to the P Waves. More than likely, the fish will detect the vibrations of the P Waves. The P Waves will propagate through the entire water body just like sound. However, it will not have a physical effect on the fish.
Some of you will be asking, "Well what about tsunamis?". Tsunamis are the result of the movement of the sea floor. The can be the result of an underwater landslide or seismic activity associated with oceanic crust. The resulting physical movement of the sea floor causes the propagation of waves within the water. The waves disperse from the point of disturbance. When the wave begins to reach shallow water, a "tidal" wave is formed, which ultimately crashes upon the land surface. Sure the fish will sense the movement of the water, they may even move with the current, but is has no physical effect on the fish.
Hope this answers the question.
PS - - - The PG in PG Flyfisher stands for Professional Geologist.
Thanks PG Flyfisher. I did not know that about S waves. I thought both P and S waves could travel through solids and liquids. Like they say, you learn something new everyday. 8)
I have a different take. In the event of a 5.0 mag quake, you'd hear ( in fish talk) "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" :)
I know it's very unscientific but ...............
Mark
That's what I was looking for, thanks guys, especially PG!
Marco, I tend to think like you.... :lol:
The way I see it is this. YOu're swimming around and basically all your life is one big search for food and an occasional spawn. YOu feel a little shudder in the water. ........................then you resume your search for food.
Now unless there is a rockslide or something that destroys your home(like mentioned above) why would there be a reason to stop looking for food?