7123 ‎(3)‎

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7123
• Author: Klima, E. F.
• Title: Voltage and pulse rates for inducing electrotaxis in twelve coastal pelagic and bottom fishes
• USFW Year: 1972
• USFW - Doc Type: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Copyright Material: YES

Voltage and Pulse Rates for Inducing Electrotaxis in Twelve
Coastal Pelagic and Bottom Fishest
EDWARD F. KLIMA
National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Fisheries Center, Pascagoula Laboratory, Pascagoula, Miss. 39567, USA
KLIMA, E. F. 1972. Voltage and pulse rates for inducing electrotaxis in twelve coastal
pelagic and bottom fishes. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada 29: 1605-1614.
Laboratory observations on fish reactions to different voltages and direct current pulse
rates provided information on the electrical characteristics needed for inducing electrotaxis
for use in a proposed automated harvesting system. Optimal electrical combinations for 12
species of coastal pelagic and bottom fishes varied according to species and length; and ranged
from 1.5 to 3.0 v/10 cm at 15-45 pulses/sec with a pulse duration of 1.0 msec.
1GLIMA, E. F. 1972. Voltage and pulse rates for inducing electrotaxis in twelve coastal
pelagic and bottom fishes. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada 29: 1605-1614.
Des observations en laboratoire sur la ruction des poissons ~ differents voltages et ~
differents taux d'impulsion de cd nous ont renseigne sur les caractcristiques de courant ne-
cessaires ~. une recolte efficace. Les caractcristiques optimales de courant requises pour dc-
clancher la galvanotaxie chez 12 especes de poissons pelagiques cotiers et benthiques varient
selon 1'espi;ce et la longueur, et s'echclonnent de 1.5 ~ 3.0 volts/10 cm ~ une fre-
quence de 15 ~ 45 impulsions/sec et une duree d'impulsion de 1.0 msec.
Received May 27, 1971
TIC National Marine Fisheries Service Harvesting
Technology Program at Pascagoula, Mississippi,
has been engaged in the design and development of
a harvesting system capable of economically ex-
ploiting herring-like fishes in many parts of the
world but specifically in the Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic where these resources are presently un-
available to conventional fishing techniques (Bullis
and Carpenter 1968; Klima 1970a). This research
has been centered on the development of a mobile
automated fishing platform using lights, electrical
fields, and underwater rafts to attract fish; and
pumps to capture them (Klima 1970a; Klima and
Wickham 1971).
This report concerns a laboratory study con-
ducted on the combinations of electrical voltage
and pulse rate needed to control and lead coastal
pelagic and bottom fishes found in the eastern
Gulf of Mexico and tropical Atlantic.
Materials and Methods
Schooling coastal pelagic species tested wcrc chub
mackerel (Scomber japorricus), scaled sardine (/Yarcngrrla
pertsacolae), Spanish sardine (Sardine/la anchovra),
tContribution No. 235.
Printed in Canada (J2181)
round scad (Decapterus punctatus), bumper (Clrloro-
scombrras chrysurrrs), rough scad (Ti~achurus laNrami),
Atlantic thread herring (Opislhonema oglinum), round
herring (Elrumeus tcres), silver anchovy (E~rraulis
curystole), and butterfish (Peprilns triacantlrus). Bottom
fishes tested were Atlantic croaker (Micropogan undrr-
latus), spot (Leinslomus xanthurus), and longspinc porgy
(Slenolomus caprinus).
Bottomfish and the coastal pelagic butterfish were
caught with trawls off the Mississippi Coast. The other
coastal pelagic fishes were caught at night with lights and
a 5-m lift net in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Wickham
1970). The fish were held in tanks of circulating sea
water before being transported to the Laboratory. Only
fish in good physical condition were used. Electrical
studies were conducted on 2885 fish, each subjected to
only one test and then discarded.
The studies were done in an insulated tank 4.5 x 1.2
m and 1 m high with 2700 liters of water rangins in
salinity from 20.0 to 29.O~,o and at a temperature of
15-22 C.
General Electric and NMFS staff engineers modified
our electric shrimp pulse generator (Klima et al. 1969)
for this study. The modified generator converts alter-
nating current to pulsed direct current is the form of
capacitor discharge pulses at a rate of 5-75/sec as mea-
sured with an electronic counter. Pulses wcrc applied to
two moncl metal electrodes, 1.08 m square X 3 mm
thick, mounted at opposite ends of a tank. The system
provides a relatively uniform field throughout the cxpcr-
imental tank except at the side edges of the electrode.
Pulse characteristics were measured by means of a pair
1605