Review of fish swimming modes for aquatic locomotion

Abstract

Several physico-mechanical designs evolved in fish are currently inspiring robotic devices for propulsion and maneuvering purposes in underwater vehicles. Considering the potential benefits involved, this paper presents an overview of the swimming mechanisms employed by fish. The motivation is to provide a relevant and useful introduction to the existing literature for engineers with an interest in the emerging area of aquatic biomechanisms. The fish swimming types are presented, following the well-established classification scheme and nomenclature originally proposed by Breder. Fish swim either by body and/or caudal fin (BCF) movements or using median and/or paired fin (MPF) propulsion. The latter is generally employed at slow speeds, offering greater maneuverability and better propulsive efficiency, while BCF movements can achieve greater thrust and accelerations. For both BCF and MPF locomotion, specific swimming modes are identified, based on the propulsor and the type of movements (oscillatory or undulatory) employed for thrust generation. Along with general descriptions and kinematic data, the analytical approaches developed to study each swimming mode are also introduced. Particular reference is made to lunate tail propulsion, undulating fins, and labriform (oscillatory pectoral fin) swimming mechanisms, identified as having the greatest potential for exploitation in artificial systems.

From behavioural analyses to models of collective motion in fish schools

“…This noise corresponds to the intrinsic errors made when acquiring information on neighbours, changes in the motivational state of the fish or local (uncorrelated among individuals) sources of environmental noise. In the same spirit, swimming rules have to be supplemented by a stochastic component accounting for the variations in swimming abilities of the individuals as well as the fine scale or complex interactions with the water we will not take into account (wake turbulence [34], induced flows [57]) as long as the retroaction between medium and individual is estimated negligible [58].…”

Diversification of the pectoral fin shape in damselfishes (Perciformes, Pomacentridae) of the Eastern Pacific

“…BCF swimming, the ancestral condition in vertebrates and the most common swimming style in fishes (Sfakiotakis et al 1999;Lauder 2000), involves undulation of the body and caudal fin to create thrust. Conversely, some more derived groups of fishes (e.g., order Perciformes, suborder Labroidei) are specialized MPF swimmers for which gaits are powered by one or more median or paired fins, while the body is held rigid (Webb 1982;Sfakiotakis et al 1999;Lauder and Liem 1983). MPF swimming is generally considered to provide greater maneuverability, stability at slow swimming speeds and is presumably advantageous for movements through structurally complex habitats, such as coral and rocky reefs (Webb 1982).…”

Using echo ultrasound from schooling fish to detect and classify fish types

“…Although some noise interfered in echo signals, the experiment results show that the proposed sensor device achieved 100% fish detection and 94% classification of two types of fish. Furthermore, apart from providing information about the existence and the type of fish, the device can also reveal the fish behavior in group by statistical interpretations such as hovering passion and sparse swimming mode [12] .…”