Effect of temperature on swimming performance of juvenile Schizothorax prenanti

The migration of Schizothorax prenanti, an ecologically important and commercially valuable species, is impeded by dams. Effective fishways would contribute to conservation of wild populations, and swimming performance data are necessary for fishway design. The swimming performance of S. prenanti was investigated at four temperatures (15, 19, 23, 27 °C), and numerical models were used to characterize the effect of temperature on swimming performance. As temperature increases, critical swimming speed (U crit) increases from 15 to 23 °C and then decreases significantly. The highest U crit (7.71 BL/s) occurs at 24 °C, as estimated by interpolation. Swimming efficiency was similar from 19 to 23 °C, but decreases significantly at 27 °C. The temperature range 15-23 °C is suitable for S. prenanti. However, the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption values of Q 10 for the four temperature increments indicate that 19-23 °C is the optimal range for swimming performance. Maximum tail beat amplitude increased >25 % (0.35-0.45 BL) over the temperature range considered, but variation of tail beat frequency was erratic. White muscle fiber begins to contribute to swimming at swimming speeds ~40 % U crit at the lower three temperatures, but increases to almost 60 % at 27 °C, and the contribution is relatively small. The results of this investigation advance the knowledge of fish metabolism while swimming provides data critical for fishway design.