Fishing by the Barometer

So, this is one of those fish tales that the old timers swear by, but that I've always been skeptical about.

Basically the idea is that as the atmospheric pressure decreases / barometer falls, fish feeding activity tends to pick up, therefore the best time to go fishing is when the barometer is falling. Typically this occurs when clear weather is disrupted by some kind of front.

It goes further than just what the old timers say though. In fact while in college (I studied fisheries in college) I would ask my professors about this, and they would typically give some vague, non-committal unsatisfying response.

My googling turned up this article, which states:

Quote:

Effects on fish All this is very interesting, of course, but how does barometric pressure affect fish? To find out, I consulted Spud Woodward, Assistant Director for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division and an avid king mackerel and red drum fisherman. While Woodward admits that there's no definitive answer for how a rising or falling barometer affects fish behavior, he has some thoughts based on his decades of marine research and some 15 years of tournament fishing. According to Woodward, a fish senses pressure changes through its air bladder, and well in advance of humans. "Fish that have small air bladders, such as kings, Spanish mackerel, wahoo and dolphin, aren't as affected by barometric changes as those with large bladders, such as trout, redfish, tarpon, grouper and snapper," he says. Check the Fishing Forecast "That's because fish with small bladders have a body density that's closer to that of the surrounding water. They don't sense the pressure changes as dramatically, so their comfort levels aren't drastically altered. However, many things they eat have air bladders, and that alone could have a big impact on where you might find them and how they'll behave. "Fish with large bladders quickly sense when the air pressure is dropping, because there's less pressure on their bladder. And when there's less pressure squeezing their bladders, the bladders expand a bit. When their bladders expand, fish become uncomfortable. They relieve their discomfort by moving lower in the water column or by absorbing extra gas in their bladders. Because of the anatomical and physiological stresses exerted on them, they're not worried about eating. They're more concerned with trying to find a depth where they can stabilize their bladder pressure and feel good. Some species will settle to the bottom and ride out the change near structure. Fortunately for the fish - and fishermen - low pressure doesn't usually last long."

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But I'm not buying it. I guess the crux of my question is, from a physics standpoint, is there any way an organism living under the water can sense changes in atmospheric pressure above the surface of the water?

Because our gaseous atmosphere is less dense than liquid water, how can the atmosphere compress the water to the extent a fish could notice it? A gas cannot compress a liquid, correct? If that is the case, then this would seem to settle an age old debate.


Apologies if this has been discussed before, but my forum search turned up nothing.

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