Three-dimensional Experimental Investigations in Extreme Fish Performance

The study of fish swimming hydrodynamics has evolved over the past decades to include fully three-dimensional investigations of the hydrodynamics involved in extreme fish maneuvers, both for individual and multiple organisms. The biomechanics and hydrodynamics of the fin and body motions for propelling, steering, and stabilizing the fish is quite three-dimensional in nature. Add in a few more fish and the fish-fish hydrodynamic interactions become more complex, yet helpful to understand when designing systems such as offshore aquaculture pens. This talk will draw on previous work that looks at how complex jumping maneuvers in Archer Fish use fin-fin coordination and body positioning to enhance jumping performance and extend to ongoing work on biological interactions between individuals in aquaculture systems. Why aquaculture? Increased demands for protein, and especially fish, are driven by population growth and increased urbanization. Fish are widely considered a "healthy" protein choice, rich in highly bioavailable animal protein, essential fats, minerals, vitamins and other micronutrients. Fish schools in aquaculture pens are quite dense and aggressive during stock feeding and feed waste is costly both financially and environmentally. Next-generation marine aquaculture systems must include active measures to manage the health of the environment, through monitoring and measuring the environmental impact of such aquaculture systems and careful resource and waste management. The applications of 3D particle and light field imaging will be discussed in the context of understanding stock feeding behaviors and hydrodynamics.