The movements of skipjack schools during purse seine operations were observed by scanning sonar in the Southwest Pacific Ocean in April 2004. Swimming speed and directional changes were analyzed in relation to heading of the purse seine during shooting, speed of the purse seiner and distance to the net. Escaped schools turned clockwise (relative to the heading of the purse seiner during shooting) significantly more frequently than captured schools, who primarily turned counter-clockwise. The swimmingspeed of a fish school, whether it was caught or escaped, was somewhat related to the ship's speed, but swimming speed did not differ between captured and escaped schools. The behavior of skipjack schools during purse seining consists of very complex movements with changes in swimming speed and direction in relation to the nets or purse seiner. Therefore, these responses of skipjack schools to purse seining can be useful for modeling the capture process of purse seining in relation to fishing conditions.
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