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Story
November 25, 1925
The Tri County News
Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio
What is this article about?
Scientists Drs. V. E. Shelford and E. B. Powers explain how saltwater and freshwater fish navigate using sensitivity to temperature, acids, alkalis, and chemical conditions in water, allowing salmon and herring to find rivers and specific locations without relying on instinct.
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EXPLAIN TRAITS OF FISH.
Experts Say Fresh Water is Known by Chemical Conditions.
How salt-water fishes determine where they are, and why fresh-water fishes can always find their way into rivers is made clear by Drs. V. E. Shelford and E. B. Powers. Their studies on the resistance of salt-water fishes to the decayed and decomposed things, lead to an explanation of their habits.
It appears that herring can sense difference in heat and cold as small as a quarter of a degree or less. They appreciate the fact that only a trace of an acid or alkali is present in water. So sensitive are herring to acids and alkalis that the scientists propose that these and other fish be used to detect the chemicals instead of the litmus paper, which chemists use, and in the same manner that canary birds are used to discover traces of poison coal gas in mines and elsewhere.
In connection with the entrance of salmon into rivers and other bodies of water, Drs. Shelford and Powers say it is evident that they find their way by virtue of the presence or absence of acids and alkali.
Fish determine the direction they must go to fresh water even when hundreds of miles out at sea and find their way to bays, harbors and inlets when their mating season demands it, by the chemical conditions of the water.
It is not necessary to appeal to "instinct" to explain the return of certain salmon to certain rivers or the running of herrings in certain localities. These new chemical discoveries make it all clear that smell and touch are the senses most concerned, and these are highly developed in certain species.—Popular Science Monthly.
Experts Say Fresh Water is Known by Chemical Conditions.
How salt-water fishes determine where they are, and why fresh-water fishes can always find their way into rivers is made clear by Drs. V. E. Shelford and E. B. Powers. Their studies on the resistance of salt-water fishes to the decayed and decomposed things, lead to an explanation of their habits.
It appears that herring can sense difference in heat and cold as small as a quarter of a degree or less. They appreciate the fact that only a trace of an acid or alkali is present in water. So sensitive are herring to acids and alkalis that the scientists propose that these and other fish be used to detect the chemicals instead of the litmus paper, which chemists use, and in the same manner that canary birds are used to discover traces of poison coal gas in mines and elsewhere.
In connection with the entrance of salmon into rivers and other bodies of water, Drs. Shelford and Powers say it is evident that they find their way by virtue of the presence or absence of acids and alkali.
Fish determine the direction they must go to fresh water even when hundreds of miles out at sea and find their way to bays, harbors and inlets when their mating season demands it, by the chemical conditions of the water.
It is not necessary to appeal to "instinct" to explain the return of certain salmon to certain rivers or the running of herrings in certain localities. These new chemical discoveries make it all clear that smell and touch are the senses most concerned, and these are highly developed in certain species.—Popular Science Monthly.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Nature
What keywords are associated?
Fish Navigation
Chemical Sensitivity
Salmon Migration
Herring Senses
Acids Alkalis
Water Conditions
What entities or persons were involved?
Drs. V. E. Shelford
E. B. Powers
Story Details
Key Persons
Drs. V. E. Shelford
E. B. Powers
Story Details
Drs. Shelford and Powers explain fish navigation via sensitivity to temperature differences as small as a quarter degree, traces of acids and alkalis in water; propose using fish to detect chemicals like litmus paper or canaries for gas; salmon and herring use chemical conditions to find rivers, bays from sea without instinct, relying on smell and touch.