“Ugly” fish are less studied and more threatened than others

They are in some way the Quasimodos of the seas. They are the fish called “ugly”as if human beauty criteria could be applied to sea dwellers…

A very small part of biodiversity

But this subjective view that we have of them is not without consequences either: because of their supposed ugliness, it turns out that they are much less often the object of studies by scientists. Enough to put them on the front line of biodiversity in dangersometimes… Indeed, as one study points out published on July 17 in the journal Science Advances Not only the general public, but also researchers prefer to be fascinated by the magnificent reef fish.

“To achieve these results, the scientists relied on big data, explains the CNRS. Scientific databases, social networks and statistics of Wikipedia page views of different fish…. For example, the 2408 species studied have accumulated more than 17 million views on Wikipedia, but 50% of these views concern only 7% of the species considered here, and 20% of the views only 1% of these species. Even more: 1% of the species studied have accumulated almost 50% of the scientific publications. Those considered to be the most beautiful of the depths, of course… This study thus informs « a strong polarization of human interest on a very small part of reef fish biodiversity. »

Biases in species preservation

Yet, as they point out, these so-called ugly fish have “a fundamental role in the functioning of the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet, notably coral reefs.” Which is to emphasize that “Human interest in biodiversity is essential for effective conservation action”these scientists recall.

“These results thus highlight the biases which directly harm the preservation of marine species,” insists the CNRS. These researchers propose to initiate awareness campaigns in order to draw the public’s attention to endangered and neglected species. Finally, they suggest “set up research programs that take into account all the components of ecosystems, for a global preservation strategy that is no longer guided by commercial imperatives. » Indeed, very often, research is largely funded by commercial interests, both private and public.

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