Science Advisory Report  2016/001

Assessment of fish swimming performance curves

Summary

• An extensive database on fish swimming performance representing 132 freshwater and diadromous species was generated from the literature, based on a variety of fish swimming performance tests, which produced a mix of mean and individual swimming data.
• Combining high speed (sprint or burst) data collected in volitional swim tests in open channel flumes with the moderate (prolonged) speed data collected from tunnels (swim chambers), made it possible to define fatigue curves over a larger time range and helped to eliminate some bias.
• Fatigue curves were derived using three methods: swim time (or endurance) versus speed as a function of body length, swim time versus speed as a function of the square root of body length and dimensionless analysis using a dimensionless speed formulated by including the gravitational acceleration constant in the square root of body length.
• Fatigue curves generated using dimensionless variables produced more accurate estimates of performance for a range of fish sizes, swim times and swimming speeds compared to traditional methods.
• Although large variability in swimming performance exists between species and individuals, the data analyses indicated broad similarities in relative performance for groups of species. Significant speed-time regressions were developed for both weak and strong swim performers.
• Data were of sufficient quality for some species to permit the development of individual fatigue curves. Where insufficient data are available, dimensionless fatigue curves for groups of species with similar swimming characteristics may provide reasonable estimates for such species in cases where the quality of the available data is good.
• Speed-time regressions were used to provide estimates of swim distance-water velocity relationships for different confidence levels. Swim distance estimates from fatigue curves compared well with available direct measurements.
• The results of these analyses may represent the best information currently available to address fish passage questions given limitations of the database and analyses. They should not be used to assess situations where fish need to be excluded (e.g., invasive species).

This Science Advisory Report is from the February 9, 2011 Advice on Fish Swimming Performance Curves. Additional publications from this meeting will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available.

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