R. E. Gresswell
D.S. Bateman
2006
<p><span>Little information is available on the effects of implanting 23-mm passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in salmonids less than 90 mm fork length (FL). Using juvenile steelhead </span><i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i><span> (range, 73–97 mm FL), we compared instantaneous growth rates and survival among three experimental groups: control, surgery with no tag, and surgery with tag. Survival rate was lower for tagged fish (86%) than for control and surgery−no tag fish (virtually 100% in each group). Approximately 90% of the mortalities occurred during days 1–3. Growth rate for the tagged group was lower for the first two 10-d measurement intervals; however, during the third 10-d interval, growth rates for tagged fish equaled or exceeded values for the other groups. These results suggest that tagged fish recovered by day 20. Growth rates for the control and surgery−no tag groups did not differ from one another during any measurement interval. Tag retention rate was 97% over the 30-d period of the study. It appears that the combination of fish length and tag size in this study resulted in short-term negative effects on growth rate and survival; however, 23-mm PIT tags may still be useful for studies of salmonids 80–90 mm FL when survival is not the parameter of interest.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1577/M05-111.1
en
Taylor and Francis
Survival and growth of age-0 steelhead after surgical implantation of 23-mm passive integrated transponders
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