For fish, especially those living in the sea, there are reefs and dangerous shoals under the sea surface, and the reason why fish can travel through them without hitting these things is their lateral line. When the current hits the reef, the vibration will be sensed by the lateral line, so that the fish can know the surrounding terrain and swim out better.
In addition to fish can rely on their own sense of smell to find bait, lateral line can also play a helpful role. The slight movement of small fish and shrimps around them will make the fish feel through the lateral line, so that it can easily find the location of food. And compared with vision and smell, using lateral line to judge the location of bait is often more accurate.
Some fish will swim in groups, they also need to communicate with each other, and understand the movement of the companions around, and the lateral line can play a contact effect. Especially when caught, if the fish find a hole in the net, they quickly seem to swim towards the hole, which is the role of the lateral line.
Fish's visual ability is not strong, especially for fish living in the deep sea, the light itself is relatively small, the eyes can play an even smaller role, it is necessary to rely on the lateral line to judge the surrounding situation, whether it is bait or the location of natural enemies, can be clearly understood.
