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Abstract
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are commonly used to monitor growth, habitat use, activity rates, and survival of individual fish. However, for successful completion of research objectives, the tags must be retained and must not affect fish growth or survival. We compared the effects of PIT tagging location on tag retention, growth, and survival of juvenile bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and yellow perch Perca flavescens. In total, 80 bluegills and 80 yellow perch from two size-classes (75–101 and 128–162 mm total length) were randomly assigned to a control or to one of three tagging location treatments: isthmus, body cavity, or dorsal musculature. Fish received daily ad libitum rations and were monitored for survival. On days 14, 28, and 42, the fish were measured, weighed, and checked for tag retention. Use of the isthmus as a tagging location resulted in lower tag retention for both species and both size-classes relative to the body cavity and dorsal musculature locations. Tagging location had no detectable effect on growth or survival responses for either species or either size-class. Thus, PIT tags that are implanted in the dorsal musculature of large juvenile bluegills and yellow perch and in the body cavity of small juvenile bluegills and yellow perch can have high retention with minimal adverse effects.
Received May 4, 2011; accepted June 2, 2011
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Field and laboratory assistance was provided by M. Greiner, D. Abler, and M. Wedge. Partial funding for this project was provided through Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Study 1513, which was administered by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks. This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at South Dakota State University–Brookings (07-A029). We thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments which greatly improved the manuscript.