Post‐exercise metabolic rate in Atlantic cod and its dependence upon the method of exhaustion

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Reidy, S. P., Nelson, J. A., Tang, Y., Kerr, S. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1995
• Subjects: atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01907.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.1995.tb01907.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01907.x

This study tests whether or not post‐exercise oxygen consumption rates ( M o 2 ) in fish are dependent upon how exhaustion is induced. A group of eight Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) were each exercised using (1) a critical swimming speed ( U crit ) protocol, (2) an exercise protocol designed to measure anaerobic capacity of fish ( U burst ), and (3) a protocol in which the fish were chased to exhaustion manually. M o 2 was measured for a 2‐h period following exhaustion induced by all three exercise regimes ( U crit , U burst and chase). Post‐exercise M o 2 following exhaustion from the U burst and chase protocols were significantly higher than post‐exercise M o 2 following the U crit protocol. Each fish during the U crit protocol exhibited maximal M o 2 during exercise rather than during recovery, yet 75% of the fish during U brust recovery and 100% during chase recovery exhibited M o 2 higher than that measured during U crit exercise. These results, as well as the large interindividual variations in M o 2 among the eight fish, show that post‐exhaustion M o 2 is specific to the exercise regime employed, thus, investigators must exercise caution when combining results from different exercise protocols and/or individuals.