Citation

Author Website

https://www.thefishlab.com/PI.html

Commentary Type

Invited Commentary

Thread

Ronald G. Oldfield and Patrick Bonano, Psychological and social well-being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums

Abstract

This commentary examines the potential of tests of judgment bias to assess fish welfare in aquariums and zoos. Judgment bias offers a non-invasive approach to interpreting affective states in animals, using cognitive responses to ambiguous stimuli as indicators of mental wellbeing. Despite the constraints of captive environments—such as limited handling and species diversity in exhibits—recent adaptations of judgment-bias protocols make them suitable across taxa, including fishes. Collaborations with progressive zoos and aquariums could facilitate this research, based on the shared goal of enhancing animal welfare and promoting public education.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Culum Brown, Professor of vertebrate evolution at Macquarie University, is Co-Editor of Fish Cognition and Behavior and Editor of the Journal of Fish Biology. He studies behavioural ecology of fishes with a special interest in cognition, personality and laterality. Website

DOI

10.51291/2377-7478.1855