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Survival and growth of age-0 steelhead after surgical implantation of 23-mm passive integrated transponders

January 1, 2006

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 Oncorhynchus mykiss (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.

Publication Year 2006
Title Survival and growth of age-0 steelhead after surgical implantation of 23-mm passive integrated transponders
DOI 10.1577/M05-111.1
Authors D.S. Bateman, R. E. Gresswell
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title North American Journal of Fisheries Management
Index ID 70028878
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center; Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
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