TY - JOUR
T1 - Potential Impacts of PIT Tagging on a Critically Endangered Small-Bodied Fish; A Trial on the Surrogate Mountain Galaxias
AU - Allan, Hugh
AU - Unmack, Peter
AU - Duncan, Richard P.
AU - Lintermans, Mark
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was performed as part of a Master of Applied Science degree by Hugh Allan at the University of Canberra and was conducted at the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), University of Canberra. Funding was provided by the IAE and the New South Wales Fisheries Scientific Committee. We appreciate our colleagues at the IAE for providing support for the study and the use of facilities and equipment, particularly Rhian Clear for advice on aquarium maintenance and Ben Broadhurst for assistance with PIT tagging. We thank Tom Baker for help with fish collection in freezing conditions. Fish were collected under Scientific License from the Australian Capital Territory Government (WT201747 and FS20173) and with ethics approval from the University of Canberra's Animal Ethics Committee (CEAE 17-04). There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.
Funding Information:
The study was performed as part of a Master of Applied Science degree by Hugh Allan at the University of Canberra and was conducted at the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), University of Canberra. Funding was provided by the IAE and the New South Wales Fisheries Scientific Committee. We appreciate our colleagues at the IAE for providing support for the study and the use of facilities and equipment, particularly Rhian Clear for advice on aquarium maintenance and Ben Broadhurst for assistance with PIT tagging. We thank Tom Baker for help with fish collection in freezing conditions. Fish were collected under Scientific License from the Australian Capital Territory Government (WT201747 and FS20173) and with ethics approval from the University of Canberra’s Animal Ethics Committee (CEAE 17-04). There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Fisheries Society
PY - 2018/11
Y1 - 2018/11
N2 - Recent advances in PIT technology have led to smaller tags, meaning that this technology can be used to mark and monitor smaller-bodied species, many of which are threatened. We examined the effects of 9-mm PIT tags on the survival and growth of the Mountain Galaxias Galaxias olidus, using this fish as a surrogate for several threatened, small-bodied galaxiids. We measured survival, growth, and tag retention in 34 tagged and 34 untagged fish held in aquaria for 90 d posttagging. Fish were randomly assigned to a treatment (tagged or untagged) and were weighed just prior to tagging and then at 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 90 d after tagging, with observations made 5–7 times per week to check for survival and tag loss. Survival did not differ significantly between tagged and untagged groups (79% and 88%, respectively), and there was no difference in weight gain or loss between the two groups over time. Tag retention rate was high (96%), with only one tag expelled by the smallest tagged fish (73 mm length to caudal fork). Our findings show that Mountain Galaxias are capable of successfully retaining 9-mm PIT tags in aquarium conditions, suggesting that this technology is suitable for the monitoring of similar small-bodied fish in the wild.
AB - Recent advances in PIT technology have led to smaller tags, meaning that this technology can be used to mark and monitor smaller-bodied species, many of which are threatened. We examined the effects of 9-mm PIT tags on the survival and growth of the Mountain Galaxias Galaxias olidus, using this fish as a surrogate for several threatened, small-bodied galaxiids. We measured survival, growth, and tag retention in 34 tagged and 34 untagged fish held in aquaria for 90 d posttagging. Fish were randomly assigned to a treatment (tagged or untagged) and were weighed just prior to tagging and then at 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 90 d after tagging, with observations made 5–7 times per week to check for survival and tag loss. Survival did not differ significantly between tagged and untagged groups (79% and 88%, respectively), and there was no difference in weight gain or loss between the two groups over time. Tag retention rate was high (96%), with only one tag expelled by the smallest tagged fish (73 mm length to caudal fork). Our findings show that Mountain Galaxias are capable of successfully retaining 9-mm PIT tags in aquarium conditions, suggesting that this technology is suitable for the monitoring of similar small-bodied fish in the wild.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053247742&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/potential-impacts-pit-tagging-critically-endangered-smallbodied-fish-trial-surrogate-mountain-galaxi
U2 - 10.1002/tafs.10102
DO - 10.1002/tafs.10102
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85053247742
VL - 147
SP - 1078
EP - 1084
JO - Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
JF - Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
SN - 0002-8487
IS - 6
ER -