Mohamed Salem and his team spend their days looking for invisible signs of stress in subjects who can’t tell them something is wrong. They can’t talk, because they’re fish, but the researchers are keen to understand their inner lives, because stressed-out fish don’t grow well and are more susceptible to disease.
But it’s about more than just good animal husbandry for Salem. Globally, more than 3.3 billion people get at least 20% of their daily animal protein from fish, and with rising water temperatures threatening commercial fish stocks and increasing demands on modern fish farming, understanding and preventing fish stress is critical for both conservation and the world’s food supply.
That’s why Salem, a professor of animal and avian sciences, and his team of student researchers set out to find a more practical way to measure the effects of fish stressors like heat, low oxygen, overcrowding and improper diet. It turns out the fish have been talking all along through the language of genetics.
“We are essentially developing a translator for the fish’s biological experience,” Salem said, “By decoding these genetic signals, we can hear what the fish are telling us about their environment long before they show outward signs of distress, allowing us to intervene and ensure their well-being.”
