Role partitioning of swimming musculature of striped Bass Morone saxatilis Walbaum and Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix L.

Electromyography was used to determine the functional roles of the axial musculature in striped bass and bluefish at imposed swimming velocities. The lateral red muscle powers propulsive movements at all sustainable swimming speeds in both species. The amplitude and frequency of EMG's from the red muscle grade with increasing swimming velocity. The white muscle, forming the main mass of the myotome, is reserved for high‐speed burst swimming above maximum sustainable speeds. The proportion of the myotome occupied by the red muscle at the level of the caudal peduncle is 10.9% and 18.6% for the striped bass and the bluefish respectively.