Abstract: To understand the underlying eco-toxicological effects of water copper pollution on the swimming performances of juvenile qingbo (Spinibarbus sinensis), this paper measured the relative critical swimming speed (rU_crit), relative burst swimming speed (rU_burst), and maximum metabolic rate (M_O2) of juvenile S. sinensis as well as the copper content in the tissues (liver, gill, and muscle) of juvenile S. sinensis under different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 03, and 0.4 mg·L^-1) of  copper exposed for 96 h. The results showed that acute copper exposure had significant effects on the rU_crit, rU_burst, and M_O2 (P<0.05). The rU_crit at 0.3 mg·L^-1 of  copper exposure was 85% of that of the control, and the rU_burst and M_O2 at 0.1 mg·L^-1 of acute copper exposure was 79% and 57% of that of the control, respectively. However, copper exposure had little effects on the copper contents in the tissues (P>0.05). The results indicated that acute copper exposure would have significant effects on the capabilities of aerobic and anaerobic exercises and the maximum metabolic rate of juvenile S. sinensis, and the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) of acute copper exposure for juvenile S. sinensis was 0.1 mg·L^-1.