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Burst swimming speeds of mackerel, Scomber scombrus L.
Author(s) -
Wardle C. S.,
He P.
Publication year - 1988
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.1095-8649.1988.tb05382.x
Subject(s) - scomber , mackerel , biology , fishery , drag , zoology , anatomy , fish <actinopterygii> , oceanography , mechanics , physics , geology
Burst swimming speeds were measured in mackerel 0.275–0.380 m long by filming newly caught fish, first released into a large shore‐sited tank, using a high‐speed cine camera and real time TV camera. The highest speed was 5.50 m s −1 or 18 body length per second ( b.l . s −1 ) in a 0.305 m long mackerel at 12° C. The recorded maximum tail beat frequency of 18 Hz agrees well with 19 Hz predicted from the measured contraction time of 0.026 s for the anterior lateral swimming muscle. The stride length was close to 1 B.L.; the power, calculated from the drag, was 4.53 W, and, calculated from the muscle used, was 5.07 W; all suggesting that the mackerel is swimming close to its physiological limit.