Tide-induced changes in marine fish cage-shape cause changes in swimming behavior of cultured chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Abstract

We performed field measurements of the behavioral changes in cultured chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) caused by tide-induced changes in the shapes of their small-sized tetragonal fish cages. The field measurements were conducted in two separate periods: neap tide, a period in which the shape of the fish cages was stable; and spring tide, a period in which the fish cages are significantly deformed, which was expected to have significant influences on fish behavior. In the spring tide, the cages were deformed greatly by the moving water, with different water velocities affecting the cages to different degrees; the volume loss was estimated at 4.9% and 7.3% for v = 0.114 m/s and v = 0.221 m/s, respectively. The fish exhibited significantly different behaviors between the neap tide and spring tide. During the neap tide, the fish remained in the lower part of the cage, but during the spring tide they made frequent upward and downward movements, and their horizontal distribution changed significantly due to the changes in the shape of the cage. The cage deformation during the spring tide greatly influenced the swimming behavior of fish.