The effect of progressive hypoxia on swimming activity and schooling in Atlantic herring

Schools of herring exposed to progressive hypoxia show a peak in velocity d uring severe hypoxia, at 15-34% oxygen saturation, followed by a decrease i n swimming speed until school disruption occurred. The observed increase in swimming speed during severe hypoxia reveals a graded response, since the lower the fish's swimming speed prior to severe hypoxia (U95-50, the speed at oxygen saturations between 95 and 50%), the greater the relative increas e in swimming speed. The oxygen saturations at which both peak velocity and school disruption occurred were lower for fish with lowest U95-50, suggest ing that the fish with the slowest speed U95-50, reach their critical P-O2 (at which there is respiratory distress) last, i.e. at lower oxygen saturat ion. At a functional level, it is suggested that herring encountering hypox ia increase their speed in order to find more favourable conditions, and th e magnitude of this increase is modulated by their respiratory distress. It is also hypothesised that the observed increase in speed may be related to an increase in the rate of position shifting within the school. Since the oxygen saturation at which the response to hypoxia occurs and the magnitude of the response are related to the fish's preferred speed prior to severe hypoxia, it is suggested that such a preferred speed should be measured in experiments testing the effect of hypoxia on fish behaviour. (C) 2000 The F isheries Society of the British Isles.