Contribute to ShoalBase

ShoalBase is a community-driven resource that brings together knowledge of fish social behaviour from both published science and lived experience. Whether you’ve watched fish in the wild, in experiments, in aquaria or home tanks, or are aware of published descriptions of social systems, your contributions help build a global dataset for comparative analyses, teaching, and open science.

We do not only want rare, unusual, or highly controlled observations. In fact, routine everyday behaviour is often the most valuable, because it rarely appears in the scientific literature. Meanwhile, the records that do exist in publications are often scattered, inconsistent, or not readily accessible — and centralising these is equally important. Both literature-based records and informal observations help us understand what fish typically do.

Importantly, your past experiences count too. If you’ve seen particular social behaviours once or twice, repeatedly over years, or noticed a pattern in a species you work with, those impressions remain valuable — even if you weren’t recording them formally at the time.

We welcome contributions of any size — from a quick note from a dive or snorkel, observations from shore or a boat while fishing, or something seen in a home aquarium, to references to published papers, long-term field impressions, or formal experimental data. Submitted information is used only for research and education. You choose how you are acknowledged, and you may update or withdraw your contribution at any time.

If you’d like to contribute an observation, simply complete the submission form – it usually takes just a minute or two. Thank you for helping strengthen a resource that benefits the entire fish behaviour community.

Observations from today, yesterday, or years ago — all are welcome in ShoalBase. If you’ve ever seen fish interacting, you can contribute.

Before submitting data, please see the Contributor Guide for definitions and examples of each category.