Sophia Marie Bonjour Jacob N. Griffin Robert Bratcher Tyler Hessler Dustin Broaddus Andrew T. Mueller Jacob Faulkner Josey Lee Ridgway Michael G. Iacchetta Suzanne Colyer Robin D. Calfee Matthew Ross Acre 2025 <div class=" sec"><div class="title">Objective</div><p class="chapter-para">Internal tagging for telemetry studies requires invasive surgery procedures, necessitating sufficient sedation to support animal welfare. Challenges with existing chemical sedatives have resulted in technological alternatives, including electrosedation, with these newer methods less extensively studied. Our primary objective was to understand long-term survival, body-condition effects, and incision healing after surgical implantation of an imitation telemetry transmitter under three different sedation techniques.</p></div><div class=" sec"><div class="title">Methods</div><p class="chapter-para">We collected Silver Carp<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Hypophthalmichthys molitrix</i><span>&nbsp;</span>and buffalo<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Ictiobus</i><span>&nbsp;</span>spp. from the Missouri River watershed in 2022 and 2023, during each of the four seasons. One of three sedation techniques was applied: electric fish handling gloves, tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222), and eugenol. Additionally, we observed a group of fish that were unsedated but subjected to handling similar to that experienced during surgery. Fish were monitored to determine the effects of treatment, individual characteristics, surgery characteristics, and time-varying environmental factors on survival, body condition, and incision healing over 69- to 85-d holding periods.</p></div><div class=" sec"><div class="title">Results</div><p class="chapter-para">Long-term survival was higher for buffalo (86%) than Silver Carp (57%), with the fewest mortalities during the winter trial and most in summer, but sedation treatment did not affect survival. Smaller fish had a greater risk of mortality but better incision healing. Incision healing scores improved in warmer temperatures.</p></div><div class=" sec"><div class="title">Conclusions</div><p class="chapter-para">Difference in seasonal effects on survival and healing indicate a need to consider trade-offs when scheduling tagging for projects. However, a lack of difference in survival among treatments, including the group that was handled but did not undergo surgery, suggests no advantage of one sedative over another, but handling impacts may require more consideration.</p></div> application/pdf 10.1093/tafafs/vnaf020 en American Fisheries Society Long-term surgery survival, body condition effects, and incision healing of Silver Carp and buffalo species comparing sedation methods across seasons article