BE warned. The technology that brought you "robocop" and even roboback" now threatens to bring you "robofish". A Norwegian scientist is developing an aquatic animal with Pied Piper capabilities to get shoals of fish to follow in its wake.
The half fish, half machine could be programmed to lure others into stationary nets by use of an electronic steering device, according to Prof Jens Balchen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Steering signals will be transmitted to a receptor placed inside the fish - if it is large enough - or strapped to its body.
The receptor will register all course deviations, and transmit electrical impulses which will stimulate the fish to turn to port or starboard.
Like sheep, shoals tend to follow their leader if swimming in a "straightforward and unambiguous" fashion, according to the professor. "Using this technology, fishermen of the future will not have to risk their lives at sea," he said. "Instead, they will be able to make the fish come to them."
Prof Balchen is convinced that a seven to eight g cod has great potential.
Apart from shepherding other fish towards grounds, or coastal nets, this "Pied Pisces" could carry a video camera to a set location.
Or it could be trained to sniff out gas leakages in marine installations. As he observed recently, a fish is not only waterproof; it is also "cheap, doesn't rust and can descend to a depth of 300 metres without fuel".
Without resorting to technology, Russian marine scientists, have trained dolphins to chase herring shoals out of pack ice.
More controversially, the US has used dolphins for military intelligence work. The Norwegian professor has used Japanese koi, a type of pet fish, to test his "remotely operated fish" (ROF).
Given the potential for "poaching" fish stocks, the experiment has aroused some criticism. Britain - which, with Ireland, shares the migratory mackerel stock with Norway - has taken more than a passing interest.
Mr John Thomson, vice president of the British Fishermen's Association, has called for a ban on the "cyberfish" until its full implications can be assessed.
"If this new technology were to be retained by one country, then it would be able to herd all the stocks into its own waters," he said.
