Episode 4 of Series 16: The Captivity Conversation Transcript

Dr. Culum Brown's insights challenge our assumptions about agency underwater and ask us to reconsider what captivity means for animals whose intelligence we’ve long underestimated.

Guest Bios: Dr. Culum Brown is a behavioural ecologist and Professor at Macquarie University, known for his pioneering research on fish cognition, learning, and welfare. He has published extensively on how fishes navigate their environments, form memories, solve problems, and experience stress, and his work has helped reshape scientific and public understanding of intelligence underwater. Culum is the long‑time Editor of the Journal of Fish Biology and a leading voice in global discussions about fish sentience and the ethical implications of keeping fishes in captivity.

Book Recommendations: On the Origin of Species: Or; The Preservation of the Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin

48: Underwater Bioacoustics with Dr. Michelle Fournet (S6)

123. Are We Turning Marine Mammals into Breeding Machines? with Dr. Lori Marino (S13)

The Fish Lab

TDWA Blog

Guest Book Recommendations List