Fish Vision: "People Don't Eat Stop Signs"

There’s some pretty interesting work being done on fish vision by Andrij Horodysky, a PhD. candidate at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Horodysky is studying not only the affects of different light conditions on fish’s ability to see potential prey, but on how various combinations of color stimulate feeding behavior. For example, striped bass see and respond differently during bright daylight hours than they do at night. “His studies of striped bass found that during the day they need light and shallow, clear water. They can see blue, chartreuse (green-yellow) and even some red. At night, striped bass become 100 times more light sensitive and adjust their eyes to diminish the amount of red colors absorbed, which means they focus more on the blues and greens.” Horodsky also happens to be a contract fly tier for Umpqua. Norm Wood in the Hampton Roads, Virginia Daily Press.