A novel hyperbaric swimming respirometer allows the simulation of varying swimming depths in fish respirometry studies.

The understanding of swimming physiology and knowledge on the metabolic costs of swimming are important for assessing effects of environmental factors on migratory behavior. Swim tunnels are the most common experimental setups for measuring swimming performance and oxygen uptake rates in fishes; however, few can realistically simulate depth and the changes in hydrostatic pressure that many fishes experience, e.g. during diel vertical migrations. Here, we present a new hyperbaric swimming respirometer (HSR) that can simulate depths of up to 80 m. The system consists of three separate, identical swimming tunnels, each with a volume of 205 L, a control board and a storage tank with water treatment. The swimming chamber of each tunnel has a length of 1.40 m and a diameter of 20 cm. The HSR uses the principle of intermittent-flow respirometry and has here been tested with female European eels (Anguilla anguilla). Various pressure, temperature and flow velocity profiles can be programmed, and the effect on metabolic activity and oxygen consumption can be assessed. Thus, the HSR provides opportunities to study the physiology of fish during swimming in a simulated depth range that corresponds to many inland, coastal and shelf waters.

Metabolic costs of spontaneous swimming in Sprattus sprattus L., at different water temperatures.

Oxygen uptake (MO2; mgO2 fish-1h-1) of fish groups was measured at temperatures between 10-19°C in an intermittent-flow respirometer to quantify the metabolic costs of spontaneous swimming patterns in the small clupeid Sprattus sprattus. Movements of individual fish within the school were tracked automatically during respirometry. Oxygen uptake was then related to mean swimming speeds and the number of sharp turns (>90°), which are common behavioural elements of spontaneous swimming in clupeid fish. Different possible model formulations for describing the relationship between respiration and swimming patterns were compared via the AIC. The final model revealed that costs for sharp turns at a frequency of 1 s-1 doubled the metabolic costs compared to those with zero turns but with likewise a moderate swimming speed of 0.28 body length -1. The cost for swimming doubled if the swimming speed was doubled from 0.28 to 0.56 BLs-1 but increased by a factor of 4.5 if tripled to 0.84 BLs-1. Costs for transport were minimal at a speed of 0.4 body lengths s-1 at all temperatures. New basic input parameters to estimate energy losses during spontaneous movements, which occur typically during foraging in this small pelagic fish, are provided.