Abstract
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 carpMylopharyngodon 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, Uburstdecreased more than Ucrit, clearly reducing the ability to avoid predators. Moreover, mean tail beat frequency (TBFmean), Ucritand Uburstall 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.
Highlights
Body shape in fishes evolved with their adaptations to different environmental conditions (Langerhans et al 2004) and, because natural flow velocities vary widely, fish adapted to different flow regimes
Based on comparison of means (Tukey test), Ucrit, Uburst and TBFmean were significantly lower in the no fin groups than in the intact fin groups, but Ucrit, Uburst and TBFmean in the partial fin groups were not significantly lower than in the intact fin groups
Complete loss of the tail fin had considerably more effect on swimming performance than partial loss, and the effect of tail fin loss was significant on Ucrit, Uburst and TBFmean, but not on Uind and TBFmax
Summary
Body shape in fishes evolved with their adaptations to different environmental conditions (Langerhans et al 2004) and, because natural flow velocities vary widely, fish adapted to different flow regimes. Fish that have adapted to high flow velocities are strong swimmers and have a streamlined body shape (Langerhans et al 2007, Yan et al 2013). In the laboratory, swimming capability is frequently measured using a stepped velocity test (Brett 1964). Among the stepped velocity tests, the critical swimming speed (Ucrit) protocol is used to evaluate pro-. The tail (caudal) fin is important, both for locomotion and changing direction (Ohlberger et al 2007, Handegard et al 2009), and the sizes and shapes of tail fins vary across species. Fish species differ in tail fin type (size and hardness), which affects swimming capability (Plaut 2001). The tail fin may be damaged or lost to predation or disease, and it would be useful to investigate the effect of such damage or loss on swimming performance
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