What is the purpose of the barb on a fishing hook?
AnswerTo stop the fish slipping off the hook
The backward-pointing barb makes the hook harder to pull out; barbless hooks are easier to remove.
Outdoors · Facts & stats
Fishing facts & stats
7 fact-checked facts about fishing, each with the reason behind it. 5 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
What do fish mainly use to take oxygen from water?
AnswerGills
Water passes over thin gill filaments, where oxygen moves into the blood.
Going deeper
In fly fishing, what mainly carries the nearly weightless fly out when casting?
AnswerThe weight of the fly line
Fly casting uses a thick, weighted line; the line's momentum carries the light artificial fly to the target.
What does a fish's lateral line help it sense?
AnswerVibrations and water movement
The lateral line is a row of sensory organs along each side that detects pressure changes and movement in the water.
What does a swim bladder help many fish control?
AnswerBuoyancy
By adjusting gas in the swim bladder, many bony fish can hover at a depth without constant swimming.
Expert level
What is an anadromous fish, such as salmon?
AnswerOne born in fresh water that lives at sea and returns to spawn
Anadromous fish hatch in rivers, grow in the ocean and migrate back up rivers to spawn.
Scientists can estimate a fish's age by counting growth rings in which ear bones?
AnswerOtoliths
Otoliths, or ear stones, lay down yearly growth rings, much like the rings of a tree.
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