Domesticating Fish by Galton's Criteria for Domesication

[peepple]

Galton stated that in order for an animal to be successfully domesticated, they must pass through a list of criteria. They must be hardy, and inborn liking for man, comfort loving, able to breed freely, and need minimal tending. Neither the Atlantic salmon nor the European sea bass can successfully pass the entirety of this test. Atlantic salmon are most hardy in that their life cycle involves survival in both the open ocean and fresh water streams of their birth, they need to be tough so that they can survive. All fish are at best indifferent to man, at least to our understanding, and the Atlantic salmon is no different. Considering that these creatures live in harsh environments, its unclear whether they enjoy a large tank compared to their natural environments, so that’s debatable. They are also very hard to breed freely in captivity, as most fish when captured turn off their reproductivities. It is possible to raise them when they first hatch, mostly because they rely on large, nutritious eggs and have a yolk sac during their first five weeks of life. The sea bass, on the other hand, is a very fragile fish, still has no opinions, hate containment, also shut down their reproductive activity when captured, and require full maintenance at birth. If anything, the Atlantic salmon is a more viable candidate than the sea bass, but its still doesn’t fit the entire lists criteria. Neither fish is suitable for aquaculture by this definition.

[Isabella Erickson]

It is confusing how salmon seem to be the best candidate for aquaculture but they still do not pass the test. I do not think that any fish can really pass Galton’s test, mostly because fish were not taken into consideration when he made the test.

[rmwilliams7]

Yea I agree that neither fish is suitable and Galtons definition and criteria is clearly flawed when trying to fit in the category of marine animals.

[svsanchezbutler]

Your right that neither one of these species can pass this series of tests, the prove to have more issues when domesticated

[bmarshall6]

I agree that Galton’s definition is flawed in terms of marine animals. I also agree that salmon are the best fit for the definition. I think that salmon are a good starting point to begin forming a revised version of the domestication criteria for marine animals.

[Author]

Posts