ShoalBase is an open global database that catalogues the social behaviour of fish species. Its purpose is to bring together information from scientific literature, field observations, aquaria, and personal experience in a structured format. By organising these observations in a consistent way, ShoalBase makes behavioural information easier to explore, compare, and use in research, conservation, education, and fishkeeping.

For most of the roughly 35,000 fish species on Earth, there is no centralised record of their social behaviour. Information about whether species are solitary, shoaling, schooling, territorial, or context-dependent exists in scattered papers, books, field notes, dive logs, and personal experience. Because this knowledge is not organised in a consistent way, it is extremely difficult to use at larger scales. ShoalBase aims to bring these observations together so that patterns in fish social behaviour can be explored across species, habitats, and regions.

ShoalBase focuses on social organisation and related behaviours. Observations categorise whether individuals are solitary, shoaling, schooling, territorial, engaged in spawning aggregations, involved in courtship displays, participating in cleaning interactions, forming colonies, or providing parental care. Additional contextual information such as life stage or environmental setting may also be included when available.

Anyone who observes fish can contribute to ShoalBase. This includes divers, aquarists, naturalists, researchers, students, fishers, photographers, and other wildlife observers. You do not need to be a scientist to submit an observation. Many valuable behavioural observations come from people who regularly spend time watching fish in natural environments or aquaria.

Observations can be very simple. Submitting an observation involves selecting a few categories that describe the behaviour observed. Additional notes or context can be added if available, but they are optional. Even a basic classification of a species’ social behaviour can provide useful information.

Yes. Observations can come from a variety of settings, including natural environments, human-altered habitats, aquaria, aquaculture facilities, and research systems. Each observation is tagged with its setting so that behavioural patterns can be explored across different contexts.

Not always. Behaviour can vary depending on environment, population, life stage, and many other factors. ShoalBase records the context of each observation so that differences between wild and captive settings can be examined transparently rather than assumed to be identical.

Platforms such as iNaturalist are designed primarily to document species occurrences, recording where and when a species was observed. ShoalBase focuses on social behaviour, documenting how individuals of a species organise and interact. Behavioural information sometimes appears in observation platforms, but it is rarely structured in a way that allows systematic comparison across species. ShoalBase is designed specifically to fill that gap.

Most submissions take approximately one to two minutes. The form is designed to be quick and simple so that observations can be recorded without requiring lengthy written descriptions.

Location information can be provided but is optional. This information is not displayed publicly. When available, location data can help identify geographic variation in behaviour.

Contributors can choose whether their name is associated with an observation or whether they prefer to remain anonymous. Each observation is assigned a unique identifier and can be cited individually.

Yes. ShoalBase welcomes observations of both typical and unusual behaviour. Behavioural variation can provide important insight into how species respond to different environments, life stages, or ecological conditions.

Yes. Observations from published literature can be entered provided the source is clearly referenced. Including literature observations helps ensure that existing knowledge is incorporated alongside new field or aquarium observations.

Aggregating behavioural observations across many species and locations can reveal patterns that are difficult to detect in individual studies. Such data can help researchers examine how social systems vary across taxa, environments, and life stages, and how behaviour may influence responses to environmental change, fishing pressure, or habitat alteration. Structured behavioural information can also improve species descriptions used in conservation assessments and support teaching and public understanding of fish behaviour.

ShoalBase records observations transparently and preserves information about their context. Each record includes information about its source and setting, allowing users to interpret observations appropriately. Because observations remain traceable and comparable, patterns can be examined as multiple independent records accumulate. The goal is not to eliminate variation or uncertainty, but to organise behavioural information in a structured way that allows it to be examined critically and used in research.

At present ShoalBase focuses specifically on fishes because the behavioural categories in the database are designed around fish social systems. If the project grows and there is sufficient interest, expansion to other groups may be considered in the future.

ShoalBase is an academic initiative developed by researchers interested in fish behaviour and ecology. The project began as an effort to organise scattered knowledge about fish social systems into a format that can be explored, analysed, and shared.

You can help by submitting observations, sharing the project with others who regularly observe fish, and providing feedback that improves the platform. Even small contributions can help build a larger picture of how fish behave across the world.