The swim bladder of fishes is primarily a hydrostatic organ and with rare exceptions contains or tends to contain the exact quantity of gas which is necessary to make the specific gravity of the whole fish equal to that of the water in which it is swimming, so that it can rest in mid-water tending neither to rise nor sink: this normal condition is called neutral buoyancy. Since gas is compressible and water is not, any increase of external or atmospheric pressure by acting through the non-rigid body walls will reduce the volume of gas in the swim bladder and cause the fish to sink in the water (condition of negative buoyancy). This condition can also be produced by aspirating some of the gas from the swim bladder or by attaching a small weight to the fish.