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An ultrasonic biotelemetry system for the continuous monitoring of tail‐beat rate from free‐swimming fish
Author(s) -
Ross L. G.,
Watts W.,
Young A. H.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1981.tb03789.x
Subject(s) - telemetry , biotelemetry , beat (acoustics) , salmo , transponder (aeronautics) , transmitter , biology , fishery , acoustics , ultrasonic sensor , brown trout , fish <actinopterygii> , physics , telecommunications , meteorology , engineering , channel (broadcasting)
A telemetry system for the continuous monitoring of tail beats, and hence swimming activity, from loch‐dwelling brown trout, Salmo trutta L., is described. Tail beats are detected by electromyography and are transmitted using a specially‐developed miniature ultrasonic transmitter. The output from the transmitter is relayed to a remote recording station using a radio‐transponder buoy. Data analysed to date show that on average fish are active for only 9% of the time. Tail beat rates rarely exceeded 2.5 tail‐beats per second (TB/s) corresponding to a velocity of 1 body length per second. The fish showed a ‘preferred’ tail‐beat rate of 1.0–2.0 TB/s and consequently they rarely swam at speeds which would incur oxygen debt.