FW 204 - Tagging

fin clips and punches

clip some or all of a fin or use a hole puncher

fin clips and punches pros

easy/quick, indicates presence of internal tags, common on hatchery trout/salmon

fin clips and punches cons

some fins regenerate quickly, can affect swimming

spaghetti, floy, and anchor tags

secondary mark for internal tag

spaghetti, floy, and anchor tags pros

fast/easy to apply, fairly cheap, can be individually numbered

spaghetti, floy, and anchor tags cons

may become unreadable over time, point of insertion remains unhealed

chemicals

chemicals are incorporated into hard structures as part of the distinct bands that form; can use environmental differences in chemical composition

parentage-based tagging (PBT)

requires genetic data from most parents, can track offspring to see which parents are most fit

coded wire tags (CWT)

small diameter wire with etched code

coded wire tags (CWT) pros

cheap, easy to apply, used on very small fish, detected with metal detector

coded wire tags (CWT) cons

fish often sacrificed to read tags; can get data without killing fish, but not much

PIT tags

small, individually numbered internal tags

PIT tags pros

small, individually numbered, variable and flexible antenna rays

PIT tags cons

cost of tags and readers is high, antenna construction can be challenging

PIT tags uses

large and small-scale tagging studies, stock enhancement, movement, broodstock tracking, angler studies

fin clips and punches uses

batch mark

spaghetti, floy, and anchor tags uses

common for low-cost tagging studies, tracking broodstock, angler reward programs

coded wire tags (CWT) uses

large-scale tagging studies, batch and individual marks, stock studies

half duplex (HDX) PIT tags

send a signal after charge pulse, less affected by noise, antennas can be 10x larger than FDX and mobile

full duplex (FDX) PIT tags

send a signal repeatedly, more affected by noise, antenna must be surrounded by air

fluorescent pigments

injected under skin

fluorescent pigments pros

easy to apply, cheap, good retention, lots of colors, can individually mark fish, works on very small fish

fluorescent pigments cons

predation can be enhanced, skilled applicators to reduce tagging mortality

fluorescent pigments uses

small to medium sized tagging studies, batch and individual marks, movement studies, lab studies

visual implant tags

inserted in clear tissues

visual implant tags uses

small to medium scale studies, individual marks, movement studies

radio, sonic, satellite tracking

track live fish, tag life is a function of battery size, internal or external, can include additional sensors

radio tags

good in shallow moving water

sonic tags

good in saltwater or deep water