Effect of coronary artery ablation on exercise performance in Salmo gairdneri

Ablation of the coronary artery of the rainbow trout does not affect the level of exercise performance attained in a Brett-type water tunnel, when compared with intact or sham-operated fish. Arterial blood supply to the myocardium is maintained, following artery ablation, by small patent vessels in the adventitia of the bulbus–ventral aorta. The significance of the arterial vascular pattern of trout hearts is discussed.