Oxygen uptake rates of Pagothenia borchgrevinki fish affected with x-cell at rest and in strenuous exercise and morphological examination of x-cell affected gills

Resting fish were placed in a sealed box and the rate of oxygen consumption was determined by monitoring oxygen tension in the water with an oxygen meter and electrode. The fish remained in the respirometer until it showed distinct signs of distress. The oxygen remaining was deemed to be the critical PO2 at which the fish could no longer efficiently extract oxygen from the water.

To exercise the fish, they were placed in a closed box tunnel respirometer and exercised with a flow of water for 30 minutes at a high swimming speed. The maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) was determined. Fish were then transferred to the closed box respirometer and oxygen consumption over the next one and a half hours was monitored.