Contribute to ShoalBase

ShoalBase is a community-driven resource that brings together all kinds of observations of fish social behaviour. Whether you’ve watched fish in the wild, in an experiment, in an aquarium, or in your own home tank, your notes 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. These observations help us understand what fish typically do.

Importantly, your past experiences count too. If you’ve seen particular social behaviours in the past once or a few times, many times over months or years, or if you’ve noticed a pattern in a species you work with, those prior observations are extremely valuable — even if you did not record them at the time or weren’t observing with research in mind.

We welcome contributions of any size: a quick note from a dive or snorkel, observations from shore or a boat, something you’ve noticed in your home aquarium, a class practical, long-term impressions from fieldwork or fish-keeping, or a formal study. Submitted information is used only for research and educational purposes; you can choose how your work is acknowledged, and you’re free to 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.