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Treatment 2

Stimulation of foraging behaviour by flushing live and dead fish through a hose that "curls" in the water via water jet effect, occasionally shooting out fish in different directions for the seals to chase. All seals were present and had access to the hose at the time of the enrichments.

The same pump as used in treatment 1 was also used in treatment 2. The artificial kelp was removed and a new, lighter, hose was attached to the pump and then hanging freely in the water. An additional pump, similar to the one already used, with a regular garden-hose connected to it, which was taped to the larger hose. This, along with a floater attached to the middle of the hoses, created the desired ”curling” behaviour of the hoses. The "curling" was regulated by manually opening and closing the T-connection, letting air into the hose, thereby increasing its buoyancy.

 

The seals were tested two times a day, once in the mornings between 9:30 and 12:00 and once in the afternoons between 1:00 and 3:00, three to seven days a week for a total of ten sessions with live fish and ten sessions with dead fish, equally spread over mornings and afternoons.

 

The sessions were recorded by a camera placed on a tripod at one of the top windows. The camera was started and continued to record for the entire session. The pump was started and fish could be inserted through the T-connection and ejected along with a continuous stream of water. The water jet effect made the hose move in a curling manner in the water, shooting out fish in different directions. The pumps were not shut off during the session as in enrichment 1, and each session was ten minutes long, starting when the pumps were turned on. Each session contained the same category of fish, i.e. either live or dead and 6 fish were flushed in each session.


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Last updated: 05/18/14