Fishing can become a frustrating series of near misses and lost chances for the recreational sportsman. But John Caprio, PhD, George C. Kent professor in the department of biological sciences at Louisiana State University, has developed and licensed technology that takes the mystery out of reeling in the big one. Caprio, a specialist in aquatic vertebrate taste and smell systems, studies the chemosensory systems of common fresh and saltwater fish species. He has spent much of the last three decades researching and perfecting technology based on the natural impulses of a fish’s sensory systems, using the fish’s biology to increase the odds of making a catch. Caprio discovered the specific natural stimuli that activate taste sensors, resulting in nerve reflexes that cause the fish to ingest food or an appropriate fishing lure.<\/p>\n
“If you look at how chemosensory input occurs in both our brain and that of a fish, you’ll see that smell input is to the forebrain whereas taste input is to the back — the highly reflexive part of the brain,” Caprio explains. “The take-home message from this is simple: fish learn and associate particular scents as food, but taste is an actual reflex for them. The taste of particular natural chemicals triggers a feeding response.” In other words, if a fish is exposed to certain taste stimuli, it cannot control its urge to bite. Obviously, this has huge implications for the fishing industry, but the technology doesn’t stop there. LSU’s Office of Intellectual Property worked closely with Caprio to forge a licensing agreement with Mystic (CT) Tackleworks, a company that develops scientific fishing lure systems. After licensing Caprio’s technology, Mystic brought in other fish sensory specialists to complete its Biopulse Lure System, which relies on decades of scientific studies on fish sensory systems. While other companies have developed lures that appeal primarily to a single sensory system of a fish, BioPulse is the only one based on providing the appropriate stimuli for each of the critical sensory systems used by the fish naturally in the capture of prey. “We are literally light years ahead of what’s out there right now,” says Greg Mitchell, the company’s founder, chair, and chief science officer.<\/p>\n