PIT Tag retention rates in Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) using differing placement locations and methods
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Moira Benish-Kingsbury, Kacie Vazquez del Mercado, Ryan Edgar, Evan Bolstad, Ralph Eberhard, Matthew Straw
Presenter(s): Moira Benish-Kingsbury
Mentors(s): Yoichiro Kanno
PIT tags are commonly used in the field of fisheries science to track movement patterns in fish and identify individuals in a study. Identifying the most effective tagging methods and placements will enhance study efficiency and optimize resource allocation. Additionally, the ability to use a slightly larger PIT tag (12mm vs 8mm) allows for a greater detection range by antennae in field studies. The conservation efforts of small-bodied plains fish are increasing; therefore, the value of effective research methodology is relevant to these choices. We compared the retention rate of PIT tags in Semotilus atromaculatus between three trial groups using differing placement locations and methods: abdominally located with scalpel incision, abdominally located with syringe injection, and dorsally located with syringe injection. All entry wounds were treated with a cyanoacrylate adhesive to improve retention and healing rates. 180 fish between the sizes of 90-150 mm (mean length of 120mm) were collected via electrofishing from Spring Creek in Fort Collins, Colorado, and injected with 12mm HDX PIT tags. The fish were then held in trial groups of n = 60 and monitored in a laboratory mesocosm for monitoring over five weeks. We found that the abdominal incision trial group had the highest retention rate, while the dorsally injected trial group had the lowest. The abdominal injection trial group had lower retention than the abdominal incision group, but it did not differ significantly. Small creek chub had higher expulsion rates in the dorsal injection trial group than large creek chub, indicating that size will influence retention using this method.