Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 79 (6), 960-967 (2013)

Laboratory study on the behavioral patterns of Japanese common squid Todarodes pacificus under light and dark conditions

GO TAKAYAMA,1,2 SEIZO HASEGAWA,1a YASUNORI SAKURAI,3
HIROSHI INADA4* AND TAKAFUMI ARIMOTO4

1National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering, Fisheries Research Agency, Kamisu, Ibaraki 314-0408, 2Graduate Course of Applied Marine Bioscience, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Tokyo 108-8477, 3Division of Marine Bioresource and Environmental Science, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, 4Department of Marine Biosciences, Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan

The behavior of Japanese common squid Todarodes pacificus in the laboratory tank was observed with an acoustic camera (DIDSON) under light and dark conditions to understand their behavioral response to light. To examine the effect of switching the light on and off, observations were conducted under four different lighting patterns consisting of combinations of light and dark conditions. The acoustic images of squid are useful for identifying their moving patterns with position and direction. Under the light condition, the squid tended to swim in the tank, away from the bottom and the walls. While in the dark condition, the squid rested mostly on the bottom, occasionally bumped their fins and arms against the walls with dashing movements, due to loss of visual perception. These behavioral patterns of squid under the light and dark conditions changed immediately upon switching the lighting condition, and were scarcely affected by the previous lighting condition.


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