| The feeding cycle of some fish is directly | | | | tidal flow confuse the fish. This is not so, if the |
| influenced by tidal movements. In most parts of | | | | food rides in with the tide, so will the fish. |
| the world fish that cling to coastal areas feed | | | | Uncertain tides may not fool the fish, but they |
| mainly on the flood tide when smaller organisms | | | | certainly fool the angler. A truly tidal feeding |
| are washed in with warmer water in winter and | | | | species will feed at irregular intervals, due to the |
| with colder water in summer. There are times | | | | variance of tides and indeed, many fish can go for |
| when fish feed on the tail end of the ebb tide and | | | | long periods of time without feeding at all. |
| the start of the flood tide. This would account for | | | | An estuary with a rising tide is good news for |
| the variation in a fish species' diet from one area | | | | fish, with organisms washing in from outside the |
| to another at different times. What may seem | | | | estuary. So just after high tide, many fish move |
| indicative of a certain species' feeding habits in | | | | in from the ocean and from the upstream areas |
| one location, may not be the same at another | | | | to feed in the estuaries on all the fresh organisms. |
| location just a short distance away. | | | | Currents within the ocean are just as important, |
| When smaller organisms and small fish are | | | | especially the vertical and inclined currents which |
| washed in with a rising tide, bigger fish will follow | | | | firstly carry cooler water up from the depths to |
| and feed on them, leaving again when the food | | | | the surface and divert warmer water to the |
| source runs out. Dusk and dawn are another of | | | | cooler levels and secondly, they bring vast |
| the variables. Large numbers of marine organisms, | | | | numbers of organisms to the continental shelf |
| which the surface fish feed on, move up from | | | | where fish can feed on them. |
| the depths at night when the surface water cools. | | | | Surface currents are affected by wind and |
| They migrate back to the depths as the sun | | | | surges, whereas vertical currents react to |
| rises, away from the warmer upper layers and | | | | temperature and salinity. Fish use these vertical |
| the sun's rays. | | | | currents as birds do the wind currents, rising and |
| Locality also dictates behaviour, not all places in | | | | navigating to different depths during their |
| the world have two tides, such as New Guinea. | | | | migrations. Without these currents which carry |
| There are places that have one tide higher than | | | | plankton and other organisms, fish may not be so |
| the other and other places with mixed tides, | | | | abundant around our coastal areas. |
| sometimes several a day. With the moon exactly | | | | The importance of the upwelling currents bringing |
| over the equator, these places have two tides of | | | | cooler water to the top and moving warmer |
| equal height and as the angle of the moon to the | | | | water away also negates the need for |
| equator increases, the second tide disappears. | | | | temperature sensitive fish to remain within their |
| The feeding behaviour and habits of fish which | | | | temperature tolerance by following the water |
| depend on tides vary as much as the tides vary. | | | | away from the coast and away from their natural |
| There is some thought that the variations of the | | | | feeding grounds. |