THE EFFECT OF SOLID AND POROUS CHANNEL WALLS ON STEADY SWIMMING OF STEELHEAD TROUT ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS

1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Webb

Kinematics and steady swimming performance were recorded for steelhead trout (approximately 12.2 cm in total length) swimming in channels 4.5, 3 and 1.6 cm wide in the centre of a flume 15 cm wide. Channel walls were solid or porous. Tail-beat depth and the length of the propulsive wave were not affected by spacing of either solid or porous walls. The product of tail-beat frequency, F, and amplitude, H, was related to swimming speed, u, and to harmonic mean distance of the tail from the wall, z. For solid walls: FH = 1.01(+/−0.31)u0.67(+/−0.09)z(0.12+/−0.02) and for grid walls: FH = 0.873(+/−0.302)u0.74(+/−0.08)z0.064(+/−0.024), where +/−2 s.e. are shown for regression coefficients. Thus, rates of working were smaller for fish swimming between solid walls, but the reduction due to wall effects decreased with increasing swimming speed. Porous grid walls had less effect on kinematics, except at low swimming speeds. Spacing of solid walls did not affect maximum tail-beat frequency, but maximum tail-beat amplitude decreased with smaller wall widths. Maximum tail-beat amplitude similarly decreased with spacing between grid walls, but maximum tail-beat frequency increased. Walls also reduced maximum swimming speed. Wall effects have not been adequately taken into account in most studies of fish swimming in flumes and fish wheels.

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Deslauriers ◽  
J.D. Kieffer

Swimming performance and behaviour in fish has been shown to vary depending on the investigation method. In this study, an endurance swimming curve was generated for young-of-the-year shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur, 1818) (~7 cm total length, ~2 g) and compared with values determined in a separate incremental swimming (critical swimming, Ucrit) test. Using video, tail-beat frequency (TBF) was quantified and compared for fish swimming under both swimming tests. From the endurance-curve analysis, it was found that sturgeon did not display a statistically significant burst swimming phase. Maximum sustainable swimming speed (calculated to be 18.00 cm·s–1) from the endurance curve occurred at ~80% of Ucrit (22.30 cm·s–1). TBF was similar at all speeds for both swimming tests, except at speeds approaching Ucrit, where fish displayed TBFs of 4.29 Hz for the endurance protocol and 2.26 Hz for the Ucrit protocol. TBF was more variable between individuals swimming at the same speed within the Ucrit compared with the endurance protocol. Finally, a significant negative correlation was found between TBF and Ucrit in individual fish, suggesting that station-holding may be an important energy saving strategy during swimming in this size class of sturgeon.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1430
Author(s):  
Feifei He ◽  
Xiaogang Wang ◽  
Yun Li ◽  
Yiqun Hou ◽  
Qiubao Zou ◽  
...  

Anaerobic metabolism begins before fish reach their critical swimming speed. Anaerobic metabolism affects the swimming ability of fish, which is not conducive to their upward tracking. The initiation of anaerobic metabolism therefore provides a better predictor of flow barriers than critical swimming speed. To estimate the anaerobic element of metabolism for swimming fish, the respiratory metabolism and swimming performance of adult crucian carp (Carassius auratus, mass = 260.10 ± 7.93, body length = 19.32 ± 0.24) were tested in a closed tank at 20 ± 1 °C. The swimming behavior and rate of oxygen consumption of these carp were recorded at various swimming speeds. Results indicate (1) The critical swimming speed of the crucian carp was 0.85 ± 0.032 m/s (4.40 ± 0.16 BL/s). (2) When a power function was fitted to the data, oxygen consumption, as a function of swimming speed, was determined to be AMR = 131.24 + 461.26Us1.27 (R2 = 0.948, p < 0.001) and the power value (1.27) of Us indicated high swimming efficiency. (3) Increased swimming speed led to increases in the tail beat frequency. (4) Swimming costs were calculated via rate of oxygen consumption and hydrodynamic modeling. Then, the drag coefficient of the crucian carp during swimming was calibrated (0.126–0.140), and the velocity at which anaerobic metabolism was initiated was estimated (0.52 m/s), via the new method described herein. This study adds to our understanding of the metabolic patterns of fish at different swimming speeds.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 71-77
Author(s):  
L Cai ◽  
J Chen ◽  
D Johnson ◽  
Z Tu ◽  
Y Huang

Fin clipping is a common practice in fisheries management, and hatchery fish are often marked this way. In the wild, the tail (caudal) fin may be damaged or lost to predation or disease. Because the tail fin is important to fish swimming behavior and ability, this study was designed to examine the effects of partial and complete loss of the tail fin on the swimming ability of juvenile black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus. Swimming speed and tail beat frequency were measured for 3 groups (intact tail fin, partial tail fin, no tail fin) using a stepped velocity test conducted in a fish respirometer. We found that critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and burst speed (Uburst) decreased slightly in the partial fin group and significantly in the no fin group. In the group with no tail fin, Uburst decreased more than Ucrit, clearly reducing the ability to avoid predators. Moreover, mean tail beat frequency (TBFmean), Ucrit and Uburst all decreased slightly in the partial fin group and significantly in the no fin group. A decrease in tail beat force and TBF both reduce swimming capability. These findings contribute to developing our understanding of the relationship between fish tail fins and swimming.


1986 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARIN VON SECKENDORFF HOFF ◽  
RICHARD JOEL WASSERSUG

The kinematics of swimming in larval Xenopus laevis has been studied using computer-assisted analysis of high-speed (200 frames s−1) ciné records. The major findings are as follows. 1. At speeds below 6 body lengths (L) per second, tail beat frequency is approximately 10 Hz and, unlike for most aquatic vertebrates, is not correlated with specific swimming speed. At higher speeds, tail beat frequency and speed are positively correlated. 2. Xenopus tadpoles show an increase in the maximum amplitude of the tail beat with increasing velocity up to approximately 6Ls−1. Above that speed amplitude approaches an asymptote at 20 % of body length. 3. Anterior yaw is absent at velocities below 6Ls−1, unlike for other anuran larvae, but is present at higher speeds. 4. At speeds below 6Ls−1 there is a positive linear relationship between length of the propulsive wave (λ) and specific swimming speed. At higher speeds wavelength is constant at approximately 0.8L. 5. There is a shift in the modulation of wavelength and tail beat frequency with swimming speed around 5.6Ls−1, suggesting two different swimming modes. The slower mode is used during open water cruising and suspension feeding. The faster, sprinting mode may be used to avoid predators. 6. Froude efficiencies are similar to those reported for fishes and other anuran larvae. 7. Unlike Rana and Bufo larvae, the axial muscle mass of Xenopus increases dramatically with size from less than 10% of total mass for the smallest animals to more than 45% of total mass for the largest animals. This increase is consistent with maintaining high locomotor performance throughout development.


2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Syme ◽  
Robert E. Shadwick

SUMMARY The mechanical power output of deep, red muscle from skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) was studied to investigate (i) whether this muscle generates maximum power during cruise swimming, (ii) how the differences in strain experienced by red muscle at different axial body locations affect its performance and (iii) how swimming speed affects muscle work and power output. Red muscle was isolated from approximately mid-way through the deep wedge that lies next to the backbone; anterior (0.44 fork lengths, ANT) and posterior (0.70 fork lengths, POST) samples were studied. Work and power were measured at 25°C using the work loop technique. Stimulus phases and durations and muscle strains (±5.5 % in ANT and ±8 % in POST locations) experienced during cruise swimming at different speeds were obtained from previous studies and used during work loop recordings. In addition, stimulus conditions that maximized work were determined. The stimulus durations and phases yielding maximum work decreased with increasing cycle frequency (analogous to tail-beat frequency), were the same at both axial locations and were almost identical to those used by the fish during swimming, indicating that the muscle produces near-maximal work under most conditions in swimming fish. While muscle in the posterior region undergoes larger strain and thus produces more mass-specific power than muscle in the anterior region, when the longitudinal distribution of red muscle mass is considered, the anterior muscles appear to contribute approximately 40 % more total power. Mechanical work per length cycle was maximal at a cycle frequency of 2–3 Hz, dropping to near zero at 15 Hz and by 20–50 % at 1 Hz. Mechanical power was maximal at a cycle frequency of 5 Hz, dropping to near zero at 15 Hz. These fish typically cruise with tail-beat frequencies of 2.8–5.2 Hz, frequencies at which power from cyclic contractions of deep red muscles was 75–100 % maximal. At any given frequency over this range, power using stimulation conditions recorded from swimming fish averaged 93.4±1.65 % at ANT locations and 88.6±2.08 % at POST locations (means ± s.e.m., N=3–6) of the maximum using optimized conditions. When cycle frequency was held constant (4 Hz) and strain amplitude was increased, work and power increased similarly in muscles from both sample sites; work and power increased 2.5-fold when strain was elevated from ±2 to ±5.5 %, but increased by only approximately 12 % when strain was raised further from ±5.5 to ±8 %. Taken together, these data suggest that red muscle fibres along the entire body are used in a similar fashion to produce near-maximal mechanical power for propulsion during normal cruise swimming. Modelling suggests that the tail-beat frequency at which power is maximal (5 Hz) is very close to that used at the predicted maximum aerobic swimming speed (5.8 Hz) in these fish.


1992 ◽  
Vol 167 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-178
Author(s):  
B. L. Roberts ◽  
A. van Rossem ◽  
S. de Jager

The influence of partial cerebellar ablation on the performance of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, swimming in a water tunnel was studied. Before surgery, all fish maintained a steady position in the water tunnel at all speeds tested. A linear relationship was found between the specific velocity (body length s-1) and the tail-beat frequency. After partial cerebellectomy, the fish swam well in the tunnel at low speeds, retaining the relationship between tail-beat frequency and specific velocity, but they were unable to maintain a steady position at water speeds requiring tail-beat frequencies above 3.5 s-1 and were swept backwards. Two sham-operated fish swam at all water speeds tested. Post mortem histological investigation showed that the lesions were restricted to the cerebellar corpus. We conclude that the cerebellum plays no role in the generation of motor programmes but may be essential for their selection and implementation.


1973 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

1. The kinematics of pectoral-fin propulsion have been measured for Cymatogaster aggregata, 14·3 cm in length, during an increasing-velocity performance test. Acclimation and test temperature was 15 °C, similar to the fishes' normal environmental temperature for the time of year of the tests. 2. Locomotion was in the labriform mode. Within this mode two pectoral-fin patterns were observed, differing only in the details of fin kinematics. These differences resulted from the length of the propagated wave passed over the fin. At low swimming speeds, up to about 2 L/sec, the wavelength was relatively short, approximately twice the length of the trailing edge of the fin. At higher speeds, a wave of very much longer wavelength was passed over the fin. 3. The pectoral fin-beat cycle was divisible into abduction, adduction and refractory phases. Abduction and adduction phases were of equal duration, and the proportion of time occupied by these phases increased with swimming speed. The duration of the refractory phase decreased with increasing speed. 4. The kinematics indicated that thrust was generated throughout abduction and adduction phases, together with lift forces that cancelled out over a complete cycle. As a result of lift forces and the refractory phase the body moved in a figure-8 motion relative to the flow. 5. Pectoral fin-beat frequency and amplitude increased with swimming speed, and the product of frequencyxamplitude was linearly related to swimming speed. 6. Interactions between pectoral fin-beat frequency, amplitude, refractory phase and kinematic patterns were interpreted as a mechanism to permit the propulsive muscles to operate at optimum efficiency and power output over a wider range of swimming speeds than would otherwise be possible. 7. Pectoral-fin propulsion was augmented by caudal-fin propulsion only at swimming speeds greater than 3·4 L/sec. 8. The mean 45 min critical swimming speed was 3·94 L/sec, and compares favourably with similar levels of activity for fish swimming by means of body and caudal-fin movements.


1973 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD C. L. HUDSON

1. The swimming performance of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, and the electrical activities, recorded extracellularly, of its red and mosaic muscles have been studied at different swimming speeds. 2. A linear relationship was found between the specific velocity (body lengths/sec) and the frequency of tail beating at frequencies up to 5/sec. 3. The red muscles are active at all swimming speeds at which the fish swim by tail oscillations. Discharges from this muscle decrease in duration with frequency up to 3.5-5.0 beats/sec and then increase while the interburst interval decreases linearly with tail-beat frequency. 4. Mosaic muscle becomes active at 3.05-3.60 tail beats/sec and increases slightly with increasing frequency of tail oscillations. Greatly increased activity was recorded in response to struggling and rapid accelerations. 5. The white (mosaic) muscle mass of teleosts is concluded to be involved at intermediate swimming speeds and to be active at the higher range of cruising speeds.


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