Thesis subject
Quantifying burial capacity of wild flatfish
Burying is a typical withdrawal response exhibited by flatfish as a form of startle response due to a threatening stimulus such as a predator. For the flatfish, sole and plaice, their maximum burial capabilities have been relatively unexplored. Therefore this study aims to provide insight into the burial capacity of these flatfish by examining their behaviour and quantifying their burial depth under conditions of varying sediment types.
Burrowing is the typical behaviour of most commercially targeted flatfish, however once dug into the seabed sediment, they become difficult to access with conventional fishing gear. This burrowing ability serves several functions, particularly avoidance of visual predators, and partial burial can also facilitate prey capture for piscivorous species. However, burrowing does involve a physiological cost, as the surrounding sediment reduces respiratory currents and access to appropriate levels of dissolved oxygen. So far, insight into flatfish burial depth has remained relatively unexplored, possibly due to the difficulty of observing buried fish.
In this thesis project, you will investigate various parameters used to estimate the burial capacity of sole (Solea solea) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). To our knowledge, this will be the first study to quantify the burial depth of these species. Furthermore, this project will entail conducting various burial trials under varying sediment types representing the benthic conditions of the North Sea.
Skills you will be using/learning are:
- Constructing/ modifying experimental equipment
- Filming of fish behaviour
- Handling of live fish
- Thinking outside of the “published literature” box
- Statistics
Are you interested? Please contact via ezo.thesis@wur.nl.