Assessing possible effects of fish-culture systems on fish swimming: the role of stability in turbulent flows

Fish are cultured in ponds, recirculating systems, raceways, and cages. Turbulence is associated with one or more of mechanisms to facilitate food accessibility, maintain adequate levels of oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, urinary and fecal wastes, as well as from locomotion of fishes themselves. Turbulence has been shown to have positive and negative effects on fish swimming, feeding, and energetics, usually with negative impacts at very low and at high levels, and least effects and sometimes positive effects at intermediate levels. Differences in responses of fishes with varying levels of turbulence are related to the size of eddies relative to the size of a fish (larvae, juveniles, and adults). Impacts on locomotor functions are associated with eddy diameters of the order of 0.5-1L, where L is the total length of a fish. Negative locomotor impacts of turbulence are associated with eddies challenging stability, while positive effects promote drafting and station holding with reduced locomotor motions. Deployment of control surfaces increases with the level of turbulence up to a threshold where control is overwhelmed. The design of culture facilities is expected to affect levels of turbulence and may be engineered to provide optimal levels facilitating high growth.