By Ron McDonald
(Edited from original article)
The Webster’s New World Dictionary defines sleep “as a natural recurring condition as rest for the body and mind during which the eyes are usually closed and there is little or no conscious thought or voluntary movement.” That definition makes answering that mysterious question difficult.
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So, to address a tidy answer, a presentation of some facts is in order.
Webster most likely did not have fish in mind when writing the aforementioned definition of sleep. First of all, elasmobranches (fish with cartilaginous skeletons such as sharks and rays), fish do not have eyelids. So, they can’t very well close them to sleep. No fish have opaque eyelids that block out vision but some have a transparent membrane that protects their eyes from irritants, (fishermen not included).
Pelagic fish (fish that live in the open sea, as opposed to coasts) such as tuna, bluefish, and marlin, never stop swimming. Even coastal fish, that take a wink or two, do not fall asleep as humans do.
Gerry Carr, Species Research for the International Game Fish Foundation, wrote about some ingenious ways fish try to catch a few winks even if forty winks is an elusive dream—
“Some reef fishes simply become inactive and hover around like they are sleeping but they are acutely aware of danger approaching. Others like some parrot fish and wrasses, exude a mucus membrane at night that completely covers their body as though they have been placed in baggies. They wedge themselves into a crevice in the reef, bag themselves, and remain there semi-comatose through the night. Their eyes remain open and divers can approach them all, and if careful, can pick them up at night. But, a sudden flurry of movement will send them scurrying off. They are not totality unaware of danger.”
In many ways, a fish sees the same way we do as we plod through our everyday lives when we are awake. Our eyes are open but we choose, unconsciously, to not register in our brain sensory data we see. A fish “sleeping” is in a state similar to us watching a slideshow. We stare at the screen with our eyes open but our minds turn to mush. But, if a crazed assassin bursts into the room we could rouse ourselves to attention. On the other hand, if someone asked us to describe a fabulous tourist attraction we were watching we could not say if it was Stonehenge or the Blarney Stone.
If you accept that a fish blanking out is sleeping, then the answer to the second part of the mystery is that fish sleep at night, presumably because of the darkness. Anyone with an aquarium that fish can float effortlessly while “sleeping.” But put your hand in the tank and see what happens.
To answer the question, “Do bass sleep”—well maybe and maybe not, depending on your definition of sleep. So, the answer to the question rages on.
Source—When Do Fish Sleep, by David Feldman
Contribution to the original article by Karole Rathouz of Mehlville, MO.
The author thanked Cindy and Sandor Keri of Woodstock GA, and Heather Bowser of Tulsa OK.
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