Fish Tagging
Biomark PIT-Tagging Services
Biomark provides tagging services to the fisheries community. Trained biologists can visit your site to provide custom training for fish tagging, conduct small-scale tagging projects using our portable tagging equipment, or conduct large-scale tagging projects using our custom built tagging trailer.
During the past seven years, Biomark has tagged over 4.8 million fish at state, federal and tribal hatcheries in the Columbia River Basin.
Methods
Tagging is conducted in the Biomark state-of-the-art self-contained tagging trailer. The tagging trailer is delivered and set up near the raceway or fish holding tank.
AC power is usually provided by the hatchery power source (50 amps of 220 VAC). However, generator power can be provided. Water is normally pumped from a head box or directly from the raceway. [more...] [...hide]
Water temperature is recorded as it enters the tagging trailer. Water temperature within the holding tank will be at ambient temperature and the re-circulated anesthetic water inside the tagging trailer is maintained to be within 0.5°C of the ambient water temperature. Fish are transported to the tagging trailer from the hatchery raceways in water-filled buckets and placed in a 500 gal freshwater holding tank inside the tagging trailer.
Prior to tagging, fish are removed from the holding tank and placed in sinks containing anesthetic water. The total capacity of the anesthetic system (tank, sinks, troughs, hoses, and pipes) is approximately 100 gal. Anesthetic water is re-circulated through a 10-25 micron filter to remove particulate matter and an ultraviolet light filter for viral and bacterial disinfections. The water contains MS-222 at a concentration of 45.0-50.0 mg/L. According to the manufacturer, these concentrations provide “moderately rapid anesthesia" and allow fish to be tagged within two minutes of being placed in an anesthetic sink. At this concentration, fish can be placed in the anesthetic for up to 30 minutes without risk of mortality.
Fish smaller than 60 mm fork length (FL) and fish displaying obvious signs of disease or injury are culled prior to tagging. Fish are also culled if they possess a tagging wound, but no tag is detected, due to the chance that a weak or damaged tag may have been implanted into the fish, which could interfere with a second implanted tag.
Fish are tagged with 12-mm Destron Fearing134.2 kHz ISO PIT tags (TX1411SST) using a pre-loaded single use 12-gauge hypodermic needle fitted onto an injection device. The trailer contains 4 tagging tables. Each table has a crew that consists of two taggers and one data collector (data collectors interrogate each tagged fish, measure their fork length using an electronic digitizing board, and note external signs of disease and injury). A full crew consists of approximately 14 persons.
Fish are tagged using the techniques described in Prentice et al. (1990). This procedure involves piercing the body cavity at or near the ventral midline of a fish and inserting an RFID tag into the body cavity. Each fish is tagged at one of the four PIT-tag data collection stations where tag code, fish length, fish condition, weight (if required), and raceway number will be stored using PITTAG3 software (Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission). Fish are then transferred from the tagging trailer to the holding raceway via a 10-cm diameter pipe.
New needles are used at each tagging site. Needles are used once and are collected for recycling at the end of the project. The tagging trailer and all equipment (pipes, pumps, aprons, nets, needles and implanters etc.) are washed with chlorinated water (1% solution) prior to departing the tagging site, and subsequently rinsed at the next tagging site or using a non-hatchery potable water source.
Our tagging rate averages between 4,000 and 6,000 fish per day at each tagging table (per 3 person crew). We normally tag 16,000 to 24,000 fish per day with all 4 tagging stations operating. If weights are required, the tagging rate will be reduced.
Contact
For more information or scheduling please contact:
Biomark Sales Department
703 South Americana Blvd, Suite 150
Boise, Idaho 83702
208.275.0011 Phone
208.275.0031 Fax
Or, ask for:
Scott McCutcheon
Senior Fisheries Biologist
(208) 841-7401 Cell
- COE Transportation Program
- Colville Tribe
- Columbia River Inter Tribal Fisheries Commission
- Douglas County Public Utility District Survival Verification Study
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transportation Program
Yearling Chinook salmon and Steelhead
The Corp of Engineers funded NOAA fisheries to study the benefits of transporting fish around hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River using PIT tag technology. Biomark provided tagging services for yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead at a variety of hatcheries in the Mid-Columbia River from 2002 - 2004. Over 500,000 fish were PIT-tagged each year of this project. Hatcheries included: Leavenworth NFH as well as 5 Washington State Hatcheries (Wells, Eastbank, Chelan Falls, Methow, and Ringold.)
Sub-Yearling Fall Chinook salmon - Snake River
Biomark started a new project in 2005 providing tagging services for a COE funded project conducted by the USFWS and NOAA Fisheries. This multi-year project was designed to evaluate survival of endangered sub-yearling fall Chinook salmon transported around, and migration through hydroelectric dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. In 2005, approximately 170,000 fish were tagged at Dworshak NFH, transported to the Snake or Clearwater River, and released. These fish were reared in cold water to retard growth in order to mimic wild fish migration and survival.
The 2006 the study replicated the 2005 study and also included additional production fish that were tagged at Lyons Ferry Hatchery in Washington and Umatilla Hatchery in Oregon. The tagged fish were released at several remote release facilites throughout the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. In 2008, additional production fish were added to the study and tagged at Irrigon Hatchery in Oregon. The project continued in 2009 with over 460,000 fish being tagged at hatcheries in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Since its inception in 2005, Biomark has PIT-tagged over 1.6 million fish for this project. The project will continue in 2010 with approximately 536,000 fish scheduled to be tagged and released.
Hanford Reach Pilot Study
In 2005, Biomark assisted Battelle NWL with a COE funded pilot study evaluating the feasibility of collecting and tagging wild sub-yearling fall Chinook salmon in the Hanford reach of the Columbia River. Valuable information was gained for future proposed projects concerning timing, collection methods, and equipment requirements.
Snake River Sockeye Salmon Pilot Study
In 2009 the US Army Corps of Engineers funded a project to study the Smolt-to-Adult Recruitment (SAR) rates for Snake River Sockeye Salmon. Due to higher adult returns 2007 and 2008 to the Stanley Basin in Idaho, there was an opportunity to PIT-tag hatchery-reared juvenile sockeye to begin to get estimates of in-river survivals, collection efficiencies and, eventually, SARs. This information can then be used to design a transportation evaluation for sockeye salmon in the future. In order to meet the goals of the project Biomark PIT-tagged 51,000 yearling sockeye smolts at Sawtooth Hatchery in Idaho and 11,000 yearling sockeye smolts at Oxbow Hatchery in Oregon. The project will continue in 2010 with Biomark tagging a total of 62,000 fish between the two hatcheries.
Douglas County Public Utility District Survival Verification Study
In 1998 the Douglas County PUD in Washington began a multi-year survival study to determine the survival rate of fish passing through their hydroelectric project (Wells Dam) on the Columbia River. Biomark performed the PIT-tagging, fish husbandry, fish release data collection and reporting during the three year study. The results from the study exceeded the 93% juvenile project survival standards that were set.
In 2010 Douglas County will conduct a study to confirm that survival through the Wells Project for yearling Chinook and steelhead remains equal to or above the 93% juvenile project survival standard. To achieve this goal, Douglas Co. PUD has requested Biomark to provide services in five portions of the project. First, Biomark will PIT tag 72,000 fish necessary to conduct the SVS. Second, Biomark will install a PIT tag monitor at Rocky Reach Dam. Third, Biomark will provide one person to assist WDFW in post tagging/pre release husbandry and tag management. Forth, Biomark will manage the fish loading, release husbandry, and work with a team to conduct the fish transportation and releases. And, fifth, Biomark will follow up these services with a written report of fish tagging and releasing that will be available for appending to the final SVS report.