The increased efficiency of fish swimming in a school
C.K. Hemelrijk, D.A.P. Reid, H. Hildenbrandt, J.T. Padding

TL;DR
This study uses a computer model to demonstrate that fish swimming in various school configurations generally achieve higher efficiency than solitary swimming, due to hydrodynamic interactions, even without intentional wake exploitation.
Contribution
The paper introduces a detailed hydrodynamic computer model that incorporates viscosity and wake interactions, revealing increased swimming efficiency in fish schools across multiple configurations.
Findings
Fish swim more efficiently in schools than alone.
Efficiency gains occur in various configurations, except in dense phalanx.
Hydrodynamic interactions alone can explain efficiency without wake exploitation.
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that fish gain energetic benefits when they swim in a school. The most recent indications of such benefits are a lower tail (or fin) beat at the back of a school and reduced oxygen consumption in schooling fish versus solitary ones. How such advantages may arise is poorly understood. Current hydrodynamic theories concern either fish swimming side by side or in a diamond configuration and they largely ignore effects of viscosity and interactions among wakes and individuals. In reality, however, hydrodynamic effects are complex and fish swim in many configurations. Since these hydrodynamic effects are difficult to study empirically, we investigate them in a computer model by incorporating viscosity and interactions among wakes and with individuals. We compare swimming efficiency of mullets of 12.6 cm travelling solitarily and in schools of four different…
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Taxonomy
TopicsBiomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms · Fish Ecology and Management Studies · Physiological and biochemical adaptations
