Emily Chan
“It includes introducing more complex habitats, other species, and conditions that they’re likely to encounter in the wild. It’s really an acclimation period that provides an opportunity for fish to learn natural behaviors such as finding food, seeking shelter, interacting with conspecific species, and navigating in the sea. The purpose is to increase their chances of survival upon release,” said Dr. Andrew Totter and Dr. Jemina Stuart-Smith, another handfish expert at the University of Tasmania.
It was only recently that scientists have been able to improve their knowledge of red handfish biology, but there’s still a lot we don’t understand about them. What we do know is that they are a relatively social species.
They are often found in groups and ambush their prey while sitting on the sea floor and waiting for them to emerge. Red handfish also communicate by waving their fins around.
Helping the red handfish population recover is no easy task, especially since the reefs and seaweed that make up their natural habitat have diminished every year.
However, the breeding program is a step in the right direction. Without it, the red handfish situation would be even direr.
