Fig. 2. Time required for relaxation of force of muscle fibres isolated from different locations along the length of the fish. We calculated relaxation times as multiples of the relaxation time for the muscle from the rostral end of the fish. ¹Time from twitch stimulus to 90% relaxation of white muscle from saithe Pollachius virens (Altringham et al., 1993); ²time from last stimulus to 50% relaxation after a brief tetanus of fast fibres from short-horned sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius (Johnston et al., 1993); ³time from twitch stimulus to 90% relaxation of slow fibres from trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Hammond et al., 1998); ⁴time for relaxation from 90% to 10% of force after a brief tetanus of red muscle from scup Stenotomus chrysops (Rome et al., 1993); ⁵time for relaxation from 90% to 10% of force after a brief tetanus of red muscle from scup Stenotomus chrysops (Swank et al., 1997); ⁶time from twitch stimulus to 90% relaxation of red muscle from scup Stenotomus chrysops (Swank et al., 1997); ⁷time from last stimulus to 50% relaxation after a tetanus of red fibres from eel (Anguilla anguilla, this study). Values are means ± S.E.M., N=3–6. See Fig.5A and text. ⁸Time from twitch stimulus to 50% relaxation of white fibres from eel (Anguilla anguilla, this study). Values are means ± S.E.M., N=6–15. See Fig.5B and text.