ERDC/TN ANSRP-16-2 "Estimating Burst Swim Speeds and Jumping Characteristics of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Using Video Analyses and Principles of Projectile Physics"

Hydraulic and vertical barriers to Silver Carp dispersal can be developed if maximum burst speeds and jump characteristics are quantified. Using videography of jumping fish (N = 27), representing four populations of Silver Carp, burst speeds were estimated using direct time-lapse technique as 5.30-8.39 m/s, equivalent to 8.16-11.30 body lengths per sec (BLS). Applying principles of projectile physics to a subset of those fish (N=4), burst speeds were estimated as 7.789.74 m/s, angle of leap as 44-70o, and height of leap as 1.81-2.24 m. Mean burst speed for this subset (8.56 m/s) approximated that of direct measurement (8.16 m/s) suggesting that principles of projectile physics provide useful estimates of empirical burst speeds. Data suggest that dispersal of comparably performing Silver Carp would be restricted by water velocities > 10 m/s and vertical drops > 3 m. Effective barriers to dispersal of the species, however, require data on variation in swimming and jumping performance and how those data relate to size and morphology of individual fish.