143. The Captivity of Fishes with Dr. Culum Brown
Episode 4 of Series 16: The Captivity Conversation Transcript
Dr. Culum Brown's insights challenge our assumptions about agency underwater and ask us to reconsider what captivity means for animals whose intelligence we’ve long underestimated.
Guest Bios: Dr. Culum Brown is a behavioural ecologist and Professor at Macquarie University, known for his pioneering research on fish cognition, learning, and welfare. He has published extensively on how fishes navigate their environments, form memories, solve problems, and experience stress, and his work has helped reshape scientific and public understanding of intelligence underwater. Culum is the long‑time Editor of the Journal of Fish Biology and a leading voice in global discussions about fish sentience and the ethical implications of keeping fishes in captivity.
Book Recommendations: On the Origin of Species: Or; The Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin
Related Links:
121. Is the Joy of Sex Common Across Species? with Dr. Jonathan Balcombe (S13)
48: Underwater Bioacoustics with Dr. Michelle Fournet (S6)
123. Are We Turning Marine Mammals into Breeding Machines? with Dr. Lori Marino (S13)
