7126

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7126
• Author: Balayev, L. A.
• Title: Behavior of Ecologically Different Fish in Electric Fields II. Threshold of Anode Reaction and Tetanus
• USFW Year: 1981
• USFW - Doc Type: Journal of Ichthyology
• Copyright Material: YES

strong one, when muscle spasms do not allow the fish to perform a compensating
contraction on tbe opposite side. In the flounder, depending On the orientation
in the field, protonus or opisthotonus is observed in the direction of the anode.
Some authors call this flexure the "anode reaction."

The ambiguous behavior of the intermediate group of fish can also be explained
by their different mobility. T!lUs in the black Sea there are 2 ecological forms
of SUrmullet, a resident and migratory form (Danilevskiy, 1939; Shul'man, 1972).
The first lives off the Caucasian cOast (Batumi, Supsa, Novy Afon) and performs
migrations to a depth of 10 - 20 m for spawning and foraging; .in autumn to a
depth of 50- 80 m. The second form migrates in spring along the coast of Cau-
casia and the Crimea .to the north, as far as the Sea of Azov where it spawns and
feeds. In autumn reverse migrations OCcur along the Caucasian and Crimeancoast
in a southerly direction. Naturally these 2 forms differs as regards activity
and mobility.

The Baltic Sea flounde~ has 2 similar ecological forms, the open sea and the
coastal form (Betesheva and Kulikova,195.4; Zheltenkova, 1954). The coastal form
spawns near the coast. The open sea form completes long spawning migrations and
at great depths (Gotland trough, Gulf of Gdan' sk and Bornholm trough). The rate
of growth of the coastal flounder is slower and in general it is smaller than the
open sea flounder. Here, too. we see that mobility and activity differ indiffer-
ent fol1llS. The grea.ter weever also manifests different activity in different
seasons of the year. In summer it is frequently caught near the surface, in
winter it moves to greater depths and remains solitary (Krotov, 1949). In the
same article Krotov points to the occurrence -- repeatedly observed by him __ of
the "Black Sea turbot" in the pelagic zone. It "is not out of the question that
in our investigations we were..dealinll' with 2 forms of fish of one species, and
their ambiguous behavior may well be. connected with the presence of specimens of
greater or lesser mobility and activity.

The difference in the behavior of the fish with different activity can be con-
nected w:ith the peculiarities of their. metabolism. Halsband (1959) showed in the
case of the trout, Salmo trutta, amdthe carp, Cyp:rinus cappio, that active fish
with a high metabolic.intensity.are more easily stimulated by an electric,current
but that their resistance to narcosis is greater than that of fish with a lesser
intensive metabolism. Halsband calls this phenomenon. the "narcosis band. ".

If we conside,r the data in our Table from this point of view. we shall see
that fisb with an anode reaction (the exception being the dab) have. the widest
narcosis band, fish without an anode.reaction having a nariowerband (the beam
and the sole being the exception). It would evidently .be more correct to call
...~s "tetanus band" because, as we have seen. electronarcosis always appears
during protracted action of the current below the tetanus threshold. Electronar~
~sis always appears during descending flow, however. the point here is not the
i1i.1:ection of the current, but the.strengtb of field intensity. At any field in-
tensity below -the tetanus thresholdk.the fish will turn towards the anode, Ire,-
quentIy going .rightiJpto.,the anode. and only afterwards it will enter a .~tate .of
electronarcosis. But,i.f t.he strength ,of .thevoltage ,in a descending flow;i.s suf-
ficient to immobilize ,the fish instantly. then a typical tetanus reaction. con-.
vulsi17e contraction ofal).,the body muscles is observed whatever the direction of
tbe flow. Scheminsky (1936) also drew attention to this difference between '
electronarcosis and tetanus"

ThetJpe of current applied.also greatly influences.the.nature.of.the response
reaction of the .fish. Thus in Our experiments we did not. succeed in obtaining an
anode reaction intbe.dab in.a field of, tension from a generator. of the SAM-300
velding.tmit (this current has such a low pulsation that.it canbl;', considered,.,
practically direct). while in a field of rectified current with _ as already
-.utioned - a pulsation of 100 ceycles Per second, theano.de reaction is distinctly
lIl8Difestedin the dab both in the horizontal and the, .vertical, fields. We have
already reported .on the different physiological effect of these type" of current
(Balayev. 1.967). __

140

The dependence of the behavior of fish and the distinctness ?f the manifesta=
tion of the anode reaction on the type of current used (alter~at1ng, direct, pul
i ) i widely known. Th.is applies particularly to pulsat1ng current, where
sat ng s f / ff time ratio form of
the different parameters may vary widely: requency, on 0 h b ' fi h
lsation ete However. in all cases it is possible to distinguis etw~en s
~~th 'or withou~ anode reaction (Scheminsky, 1924; Scheminsky, F. and Fr. Schemin-
sky, 1931; Halsband, 1959; Nusenbaum and Faleyeva, 1961; Danyulite, 1961. etc.).

It h ldalso be noted that all the authors studied the anode reaction, aimed
at sOlv~n~Uthe "mechanism of current action on fish." without explaining what the

word "mechanism" is intended to imply.

On the basis of data obtained by us and other authors, it can be stated that
all species of fish distinguish the polarity of an electric current and prefer _
e cathode In our opinion, this is the very first stage of mani
~::t:~~:~ ~~ ~~e anode r~action and should be called the "mechanis~ of current
action ". The.actual movement towards the anode or the absence of 1t :oeshnot d
enter into the concept "mechanism of current action. n Movement towar s. t e ano e
or concealment depends on the ecological behavioral stereotype of the f1sh, on

its activity and mobility.

d - t' . fish depends not so much
Thus the presence or absence of an ano e rea~ 10n 1n. k (1957) _ as on
On morphology as some authors believe - in part1cular Sp1ec er,

their mobilit;.and on t~eecolo~iC:~v~~:~e~~~~e20:t~:::~iO~i) ~~: :~~~:;g~~~~~:g
rence of the anode react10n can e d th node ob
by the fish of the polarity of the current and the turning towar s. e adth -
served in all the species investigated by us. and (2) the movem~n~ toware~uge~
anode (anode reaction) or the absence oft~(concealment, searc or a r
depending on the ecological stereotype of behavior and the activity of the fish

at a given IDoment.

CONCLUSIONS

to their behavior in an electric field of tectified, current,
groups: those. with an anode reaction (pelagic and some
without (demersal and bottom fishes) and these in the

1. According
fish are divided into 3
demersal fishes), those
intermediate group.

absence of the anode reaction depends on'the ecological
2. The. presence or
stereotype of behavior.

3. Irrespective of the presence or.absence
fish distinguish the anode from the cathode and
descending flow.

4 The anode reaction occurs in 2 stages:. (1) distinction by the fi~hOf
the p~larity of the current; (2) IDovement towards t~e anode or absence 0 move-
ment depending on the ecological stereotype of behav10r of the fish.

of anode reaction all species of
prefer the anode, i.e., the

The of electronarcosis or tetanus depends not on the orienta-
appearance
the fish in sn electric field, but on field intensity.

described by uS applies in the case of an electric

Submitted. August 14, 1978

141