Long-Term Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) Tag Retention in Juvenile Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout

Abstract

Two hundred and forty-three juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss ranging from 73 to 119 mm were implanted with 8, 9, or 10 mm Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, with tag retention and fish survival observed for 343 days. Similarly, 173 brown trout Salmo trutta ranging from 71 to 86 mm were implanted with 8 or 10 mm PIT tags and observed for 293 days. Over the entire duration of the study, rainbow trout ejected only six tags, while no tags were ejected from the brown trout. All of the rainbow trout tag ejections occurred before 50 days post-tagging. There was no significant difference in the length or weight of fish that ejected tags compared to those that retained tags. No fish died during the trials. These results indicate that rainbow trout and brown trout at the sizes used in this study can be safely implanted with, and subsequently retain, up to 10 mm PIT tags for durations of nearly one year.