Animal-mounted gyroscope/accelerometer/magnetometer: In situ measurement of the movement performance of fast-start behaviour in fish

A novel data logger incorporating a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis magnetometer was developed and externally attached to Japanese amberjacks, Seriola quinqueradiata, to investigate the possibility of using this device for monitoring the movement performance of the fast-start behaviour of fish in the field. Triggered escape behaviours were measured simultaneously by the data logger (500 Hz) and a high-speed camera (200 Hz) in a tank. By using a gyroscope, the data logger accurately reconstructed the gravity-based acceleration, 3-dimensional attitude, dynamic acceleration, and angular velocity of fish during the fast-start movement, which was impossible by previous methods using only an accelerometer and a magnetometer; these variables can therefore be used to assess the distance-related performance and manoeuverability of fish. The escape movements can be categorised into two mechanical types (single- and double-bend) using the obtained locomotor variables, which showed significant differences between movement types. These results indicate the possibility of using this animal-mounted data logger to quantify the movement performance of the fast-start behaviour of fish in nature.