Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Swimming Performance in Large Yellow Croaker: Effects of Group Size, Test Protocol, and Recovery Time On Critical Swimming Speed

  • Research
  • Published:
Marine Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Swimming is critical for fish survival, and little attention has been paid to the swimming performance of large yellow croaker, the largest farmed marine fish in China. To address this gap, we conducted a study to measure the critical swimming speed (Ucrit) of 1050 croaker in a designed swim test flume. Our findings shed light on the effects of group size, Ucrit test protocol, and recovery time on swimming performance. The water flow in the swim flume increased steadily and linearly. The linear fit equation was y = 2.89x + 1.79 with an R2 of 0.99. With the help of the swim flume, we found that group size, and the Ucrit test protocol had a significant effect on the Ucrit values, except for the recovery time: The Ucrit values obtained in the ramp-Ucrit test averaged 28.32 ± 6.11 cm.s−1, which was significantly lower than that obtained in the traditional Ucrit test of 32.75 ± 7.60 cm.s−1; The Ucrit value of a group size of 50 fish was 33.51 ± 5.96 cm.s−1, which was significantly higher than that of a group of 200 fish (28.49 ± 6.37 cm.s−1). These results provide insights into the swimming performance of large yellow croaker and can be used to standardize the swimming test protocols.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data used to support to the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  • Brett JR (1964) The Respiratory Metabolism and Swimming Performance of Young Sockeye Salmon. Journal De L’office Des Recherches Sur Les Pêcheries Du Canada 21:1183–1226

    Google Scholar 

  • Cai L, Zhang P, Johnson D, Zhao P, Hou Y, Chen X (2019) Effects of prolonged and burst swimming on subsequent burst swimming performance of Gymnocypris potanini firmispinatus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae). Hydrobiologia 843:201–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castro V, Grisdale-Helland B, Jørgensen SM, Helgerud J, Claireaux G, Farrell AP, Krasnov A, Helland SJ, Takle H (2013) Disease resistance is related to inherent swimming performance in Atlantic salmon. BMC Physiol 13:1

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Deslauriers D, Kieffer JD (2011) The influence of flume length and group size on swimming performance in shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum. J Fish Biol 79:1146–1155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Downie AT, Illing B, Faria AM, Rummer JL (2020) Swimming performance of marine fish larvae: review of a universal trait under ecological and environmental pressure. Rev Fish Biol Fish 30:93–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downie AT, Kieffer JD (2017) Swimming performance in juvenile shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum): the influence of time interval and velocity increments on critical swimming tests. Conserv Physiol 5. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cox038

  • Farrell AP (2008) Comparisons of swimming performance in rainbow trout using constant acceleration and critical swimming speed tests. J Fish Biol 72:693–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher R, Leis JM, Clark DL, Wilson SK (2005) Critical swimming speeds of late-stage coral reef fish larvae: variation within species, among species and between locations. Marine Biol 147:1201–1212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu SJ, Fu C, Yan GJ, Cao ZD, Zhang AJ, Pang X (2014) Interspecific variation in hypoxia tolerance, swimming performance and plasticity in cyprinids that prefer different habitats. J Exp Biol 217:590–597

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer C (1995) Fatigue and exercise tests with fish. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 112:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hove JR, Gordon MS, Webb PW, Weihs D (2000) A modified Bläzka–type respirometer for the study of swimming metabolism in fishes having deep, laterally compressed bodies or unusual locomotor modes. J Fish Biol 56:1017–1022

    Google Scholar 

  • Jain KE, Hamilton JC, Farrell AP (1997) Use of a ramp velocity test to measure critical swimming speed in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 117:441–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufmann R (1990) Respiratory Cost of Swimming in Larval and Juvenile Cyprinids. J Exp Biol 150:343–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kern P, Cramp RL, Gordos MA, Watson JR, Franklin CE (2018) Measuring U-crit and endurance: equipment choice influences estimates of fish swimming performance. J Fish Biol 92:237–247

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kolok AS (1991) Photoperiod Alters the Critical Swimming Speed of Juvenile Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides, Acclimated to Cold Water. Copeia 1085–1090. https://doi.org/10.2307/1446103

  • Lee CG, Farrell AP, Lotto A, Macnutt MJ, Hinch SG, Healey MC (2003) The effect of temperature on swimming performance and oxygen consumption in adult sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon stocks. J Exp Biol 206:3239–3251

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Liu X, Lin T, Feng G, Wang X, Zhang D (2023). Muscle fiber plasticity, stress physiology, and muscle transcriptome determine the inter-individual difference of swimming performance in the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Aquaculture 739247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.739247

  • Majoris JE, Catalano KA, Scolaro D, Atema J, Buston PM (2019) Ontogeny of larval swimming abilities in three species of coral reef fishes and a hypothesis for their impact on the spatial scale of dispersal. Marine Biol 166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3605-2

  • Marras S, Killen SS, Lindstrom J, Mckenzie DJ, Steffensen JF, Domenici P (2015) Fish swimming in schools save energy regardless of their spatial position. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 69:219–226

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palstra AP, Kals J, Bohm T, Bastiaansen JWM, Komen H (2020) Swimming Performance and Oxygen Consumption as Non-lethal Indicators of Production Traits in Atlantic Salmon and Gilthead Seabream. Front Physiol 11:759

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Palstra AP, Mes, D, Kusters K, Roques JaC, Flik G, Kloet K, Blonk RJW (2015) Forced sustained swimming exercise at optimal speed enhances growth of juvenile yellowtail kingfish (Serbia lalandi). Front Physiol 5

  • Peake S, Barth C, Mckinley RS (1997) Effect of recovery parameters on critical swimming speed of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Can J Zool 75:1724–1727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plaut I (2001) Critical swimming speed: its ecological relevance. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 131:41–50

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Remen M, Solstorm F, Bui S, Klebert P, Vagseth T, Solstorm D, Hvas M, Oppedal F (2016) Critical swimming speed in groups of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Aquac Environ Interact 8:659–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sinha AK, Liew HJ, Diricx M, Blust R, De Boeck G (2012) The interactive effects of ammonia exposure, nutritional status and exercise on metabolic and physiological responses in gold fish (Carassius auratus L.). Aquat Toxicol 109:33–46

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stobutzki IC, Bellwood DR (1997) Sustained swimming abilities of the late pelagic stages of coral reef fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 149:35–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson C, Baxa DV, Young PS, Cech JJ, Hedrick RP (2002) Reduced swimming performance in delta smelt infected with Mycobacterium spp. J Fish Biol 61:1012–1020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandeputte M, Porte JD, Auperin B, Dupont-Nivet M, Vergnet A, Valotaire C, Claireaux G, Prunet P, Chatain B (2016) Quantitative genetic variation for post-stress cortisol and swimming performance in growth-selected and control populations of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Aquaculture 455:1–7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner GN, Hinch SG, Kuchel LJ, Lotto A, Jones SRM, Patterson DA, Macdonald JS, Van Der Kraak G, Shrimpton M, English KK, Larsson S, Cooke SJ, Healey MC, Farrell AP (2005) Metabolic rates and swimming performance of adult Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) after a controlled infection with Parvicapsula minibicornis. Can J Fish Aquat 62:2124–2133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng J, Long F, Wang J, Zhao J, Ke Q, Gong J, Bai Y, Deng Y, Jiang P, Qu A, Tong B (2022) GWAS reveals heritable individual variations in the inherent swimming performance of juvenile large yellow croaker. Aquaculture 559:738419

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ningde Fufa Fisheries Co., Ltd. (Fujian, China) for their help.

Funding

We acknowledge grant support from The National Sciences Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (32225049), National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2401002), the Seed Industry Innovation and Industrialization Project of Fujian Province (2021FJSCZY01), Open Research Fund Project of Fujian Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of Marine Organisms Breeding (MGB2021RS02), Project “Development of measuring device and screening technology for swimming performance of large yellow croaker” supported by XMU Training Program of Innovation and Enterpreneurship for Undergraduates (S202210384469), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2072022).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Junjia Zeng, Wei Liu, Yacheng Deng, Pengxin Jiang, Zhijun Wang, Yanhong Ou, Hongtao Lu, Yuanjingxi Hui, Hongli Xu & Peng Xu

  2. Fujian Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of Marine Organisms, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Junjia Zeng & Peng Xu

Authors
  1. Junjia Zeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wei Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yacheng Deng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Pengxin Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zhijun Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yanhong Ou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Hongtao Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Yuanjingxi Hui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Hongli Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Peng Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Peng Xu: Conceived and designed the study, revised the manuscript; Junjia Zeng: Analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript; Phenotype collection; Wei Liu, Yacheng Deng, Pengxin Jiang, Zhijun Wang, Yanhong Ou, Hongtao Lu, Yuanjingxi Hui and Hongli Xu performed phenotype collection.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peng Xu.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

This study was approved by the Animal Care and Use committee at College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University. All the methods used in this study were carried out in accordance with approved guidelines.

Competing Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zeng, J., Liu, W., Deng, Y. et al. Swimming Performance in Large Yellow Croaker: Effects of Group Size, Test Protocol, and Recovery Time On Critical Swimming Speed. Mar Biotechnol 26, 380–388 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-024-10303-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-024-10303-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation