A zoologist from Stuttgart has apparently demonstrated that fish can be affected by seasickness.

Dr Reinhold Hilbig studied the effects of weightlessness in water as part of research into how humans are affected in space.

An aquarium containing forty-nine fish was sent up in a plane that went into a steep dive, simulating the loss of gravity astronauts encounter in space flight. Eight of the fish began swimming in circles.

“They completely lost their sense of balance, behaving like humans who get seasick,” said Dr. Hilbig.

“They looked as if they were about to vomit. In the wild such a ‘seasick’ fish would become prey”. The study concluded that vibrations and the loss of eye contact with water movement played a large part in their disorientation.