scholarly journals Swimming Performance of Four Carps on the Yangtze River for Fish Passage Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1575
Author(s):  
Junjun Tan ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Wentao Guo ◽  
Honglin Tan ◽  
Senfan Ke ◽  
...  

Anthropogenic engineered structures alter the local ecological connectivity of river and survival habitat of native fishes. The swimming performance is critical for establishing fish passage or fish habitat. This study evaluated the swimming performance of four carps (black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp) with smaller body lengths (1.0–9.0 cm) in a swimming flume. The results showed that the critical and burst swimming speed (m/s) of the four carps increased with the increased body length, and the relative (critical and burst) swimming speed (the critical and burst swimming speed divided by the body length, BL/s) decreases with body length. The critical and burst swimming speed of each species at two individual length groups (1.0–5.0 cm, 5.1–9.0 cm) was significantly different (p < 0.05), and the water velocities in fish passage should be less than the fish burst swimming speed. The results further provided the swimming performance data of juvenile carps and provided technical reference for the construction of fish passage and the restoration of ecological habitat.

<em>Abstract</em>.—There are four species collectively known as the Asian carps: grass carp <em>Ctenopharyngodon idella</em>, bighead carp <em>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis</em>, silver carp <em>H. molitrix</em>, and black carp <em>Mylopharyngodon piceus</em>. These species have been introduced worldwide for aquaculture purposes. Subsequent to introduction into the southern United States, three species have become well-established in the wild (grass, bighead, and silver carps). Two of these species, bighead and silver carps, have been dispersing rapidly up the Mississippi River basin, wreaking ecological havoc along the way. As there are numerous connections between the Mississippi basin and Canadian watersheds, including the Great Lakes, there is considerable concern about their potential ecological impacts if introduced and established in Canada. In addition to natural dispersal, these species may also be introduced into the Canadian wild through the live food fish trade. In 2004, the Canadian federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a risk assessment to determine the ecological risk of Asian carps to Canada. This assessment included evaluating the risk of survival, reproduction and spread of these species, as well as their pathogens, parasites, or fellow travelers (e.g. other invasive species), should they be introduced into Canada. These components were assessed in an expert workshop using best available information on their biology, potential vectors of introduction, and impacts in both native and introduced ranges. The assessment concluded that the risk of impact was high in, at least, some parts of Canada, including the southern Great Lakes basin by all four Asian carp species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (06) ◽  
pp. 732-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Xin ◽  
Chuijie Wu

AbstractBased on the boundary vorticity-flux theory, topology optimization of the caudal fin of the three-dimensional self-propelled swimming fish is investigated by combining unsteady computational fluid dynamics with moving boundary and topology optimization algorithms in this study. The objective functional of topology optimization is the function of swimming efficiency, swimming speed and motion direction control. The optimal caudal fin, whose topology is different from that of the natural fish caudal fin, make the 3D bionic fish achieve higher swimming efficiency, faster swimming speed and better maneuverability. The boundary vorticity-flux on the body surface of the 3D fish before and after optimization reveals the mechanism of high performance swimming of the topology optimization bionic fish. The comparative analysis between the swimming performance of the 3D topology optimization bionic fish and the 3D lunate tail bionic fish is also carried out, and the wake structures of two types of bionic fish show the physical nature that the swimming performance of the 3D topology optimization bionic fish is significantly better than the 3D lunate tail bionic fish.


<em>Abstract</em>.—In the 1970s, commercial fishers reported sightings of grass carp <em>Ctenopharyngodon idella </em>in large rivers and associated backwaters of Louisiana; the first specimen in Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ fishery independent sampling was recorded in 1976. Beginning in the early 1980s, commercial fishers noted increasing populations of bighead carp <em>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis </em>and silver carp <em>H. molitrix </em>(together, the bigheaded carps). Populations of bigheaded carps appear to be increasing at a much slower rate than in the Midwest¸ possibly due to limited suitability of and access to backwater habitat for juvenile fish. In 2002, harvester reports of sporadic captures of “different-looking” grass carp indicated the possible presence of black carp <em>Mylopharyngodon piceus</em>. Because both normal diploid and triploid (in which triploidy has been induced to cause sterility) black carp have been stocked in the Mississippi basin, determination of the ploidy (number of chromosome sets) of these fishes is important. Since 2002, postmortem ploidy determinations using cells from eyeballs removed from six wild black carp captured in Louisiana showed each to be a normal diploid, indicative of breeding capability and potential reproducing populations. Although reported commercial landings of grass and bigheaded carps have been as high as 34,830 kg/year, limited market demand in past years resulted in many captures being discarded. A protocol for obtaining samples for easily determining ploidy is reported here. Accurate data on Asian carp distributions and their reproductive potential provides information to fisheries researchers that will be constructive in documenting the spread of these invasive species and in the assessment of risk to habitats.


1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (7) ◽  
pp. 1567-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Aigeldinger ◽  
F Fish

Rapid escape behavior by mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings is restricted to burst swimming at the water surface. Maximum speed may be limited because of the pattern of waves created as the duckling's body moves through the water (hull speed). Burst speeds for 9-day-old ducklings were compared with predicted hull speeds, based on the waterline length of ducklings either resting in water or actively swimming. Kinematic analysis of video tapes showed a mean maximum burst speed of 1.73 m s-1, which was four times greater than the predicted hull speed. At burst velocities, stroke frequency was 1.9 times higher than the stroke frequency measured during steady low-speed paddling. Transition to burst speeds from steady paddling occurred near predicted hull speed. The paddling motions of the webbed feet were used to generate both thrust and lift. By using lift to raise the body above the water surface, the influence of waves in restricting maximum swimming speed is negated. The duckling's body becomes a planing type of hull and skims on the water surface.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

1. The oxygen consumption of rainbow trout was measured at a variety of subfatigue swimming speeds, at a temperature of 15 %C. Five groups of fish were used, a control group and four groups with extra drag loads attached to the body. 2. The logarithm of oxygen consumption was linearly related to swimming speed in all five groups, the slope of the relationship increasing with the size of the extra drag load. The mean standard rate of oxygen consumption was 72.5 mg O2/kg wet weight/h. The active rate of oxygen consumption was highest for the control group (628 mg O2/kg/h) and fell with increasing size of the attached drag load. The active rate for the control group was high in comparison with other salmonid fish, and in comparison with the value expected for the fish. This was not a result of the extra drag loads in the other groups. No explanation for this high value can be found. 3. The critical swimming speed for a 60 min test period was 58.1 cm/sec (2.0 body lengths/sec) for the control group. The values for the critical swimming speeds were slightly higher than those measured for the same species in a previous paper (Webb, 1971). The difference between the two sets of critical swimming speeds is attributed to seasonal changes in swimming performance. 4. The aerobic efficiency was found to reach values of 14.5-15.5% based on the energy released by aerobic metabolism in comparison with the calculated required thrust. 5. The anaerobic contribution to the total energy budget in increasing-velocity tests is considered to be small, and can be neglected. 6. It is concluded that the efficiency of the muscle system in cruising will be approximately 17-20% over the upper 80% of the cruising-speed range, while the caudal propeller efficiency will increase from about 15-75 % over the same range. 7. Consideration of the efficiency values for the caudal propeller calculated here, and those predicted by Lighthill's (1969) model of fish propulsion, suggest that the efficiency of the propeller system will reach an optimum value at the maximum cruising speeds of most fish, and will remain close to this value at spring speeds.


1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Lu ◽  
S Li ◽  
L Bernatchez

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon piceus), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), and black carp(Mylopharyngodon piceus) rank first, second, fourth, and seventh in world fish production. In China, the Yangtze River harbours the most important natural populations of these species. We performed a polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length poymorphism analysis on 365 juvenile fish representing three nursery grounds to provide a first assessment of the mitochondrial DNA diversity in these species and test the hypothesis that they are composed of more than one genetic stock. The mitochondrial DNA diversity was high in silver, bighead, and black carp, and much less in grass carp. Analysis of heterogeneity of genotype frequency, fixation indices, intersite molecular variance, and localization indices indicated that juvenile silver, bighead, and black carp from different nursery areas belong to genetically distinct populations. These results suggest that their population structure may be determined by the number of environmental settings that permit closure of their life cycle. They also imply that carp from the Yangtze River cannot be managed as a single unit and that human disturbance through exploitation and habitat modifications, in particular the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, will have differential impacts on fish abundance for different parts of the river.


<em>Abstract</em>.—The Asian black carp <em>Mylopharyngodon piceus </em>is of interest to the aquaculture industry in the United States as a biological control for snails and mollusks. However, past experience in North America with other Asian carps has raised concern that black carp will establish wild populations and negatively affect native populations of fish and invertebrates, especially mollusks. The demand for black carp has led biologists to seek ways to allow their use while at the same time maintaining control over their distribution and reproduction. Physical containment and restrictions on importation, release, and stocking have mostly failed. Control of reproduction holds more promise. The induction of triploidy (having three sets of chromosomes), which can render an individual biologically sterile, is of particular interest. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of proposed testing procedures used to assure genetic triploidy in black carp prior to distribution by the state of Missouri, using black carp and grass carp <em>Ctenopharyngodon idella</em>. Our objectives were to (1) verify if the ploidy determination methodology (nuclear size) employed was 100% accurate, (2) determine growth and survival of juvenile black carp over extended periods of time under laboratory and pond conditions, and (3) histologically examine development and gametogenesis in gonads collected from triploid and diploid black and grass carps of different ages and stages of maturation. Comparison of erythrocyte nuclear size using the Coulter counter method versus the more accurate method of flow cytometry that measures DNA content indicated an error rate of 0.25% by the former method. Black carp grew and survived well in mid-Missouri ponds. Triploid grass carp males appeared to produce functional gametes, and some triploid black carp male testes had apparently normal spermatocytes within cysts. A few normally developing oocytes at previtellogenic and vitellogenic stages were observed in triploid grass carp females, and a few normal perinuclear oocytes could be identified in triploid black carp females. Currently, the standards of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s triploid grass carp voluntary inspection program are being followed by some states to manage triploid black carp. Our results indicate that although the percentage of diploid black carp that could pass through the currently proposed screening program is small, overall numbers of diploid black carp distributed in a state could be substantial depending on the number of triploids distributed. Furthermore, despite indications that triploid male black carp can be expected to be functionally sterile, reproductive studies may be warranted given the large wild populations of diploid grass carp, bighead carp <em>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis</em>, and silver carp <em>H. molitrix </em>in the Mississippi River basin system.


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