Farmed salmon are deaf – and now we know why

The odds are that every second farmed salmon we eat has lost much of its ability to hear.

餐桌上大约一半的大马哈鱼基本是聋子。

Scientists have discovered why fast-growing farmed salmon are three times more likely to be partially deaf than their wild relatives.

科学家发现，过快生长的养殖大马哈鱼耳聋的概率是野生大马哈鱼的三倍，还找出了原因。

Although fish senses aren’t usually a consideration when they’re on aplate, researchers now know that deafness in farmed salmon is due to a deformity in the ear, caused by accelerated growth in aquaculture. Fastergrowing salmon in farms are three times more likely to have the deformity.

虽然我们享受美食时不用理会它们是不是聋子，研究人员还是找到了原因，被催化生长的大马哈鱼耳朵长成畸形了。长得更快的大马哈鱼耳朵畸形的概率可要高三倍。

The findings,published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, raise significant welfare issues and may also explain the poor survival of farmed hatchlings in conservation programs.

这个科学发现发表在《实验生物学杂志》，引发了备受关注的民生问题，还可能解释了养殖人工孵化鱼苗难存活的现象呢。

下次买鱼时对着它吼两句，看看聋了没？