Fish taught to play sports

[Neo]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06024/643104.stm

"This Isaac is a genius!" Dean Pomerleau says as he works with his newest student, a betta, or Siamese fighting fish, whose full name is Isaac Newton. Just one day after Mr. Pomerleau acquired him (to replace a fish by the same name who expired), Isaac is swimming through a hoop to get to a bit of food his trainer is offering via a homemade feeding wand.

This "positive reinforcement" technique, as used to train other animals, is what Mr. Pomerleau, 41, and his 9-year-old son, Kyle, began experimenting with about a year ago when Kyle came home with two goldfish he'd won at a school fair.