Passive Integrated Transponder Tag Retention Rates in Headwater Populations of Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Abstract Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have desirable qualities (e.g., unique identification, indefinite tag life, and capacity for remote detection) that make them useful for evaluating survival, growth, and movement of fish, but low tag retention rates can confound data interpretation. Although the effects of PIT tags on short-term growth and survival have been minimal and tag retention rates in laboratory and field studies using only juvenile individuals have been high, tag retention rates for fish at different ontological stages (including reproductively active males and females) remain unknown. We evaluated tag retention rates in wild populations of coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii in three catchments of western Oregon using a double-marking approach (i.e., the adipose fin was removed from all fish that were PIT-tagged). Tags were inserted into the body cavities of fish 100 mm or more in length (fork length; range = 100–250 mm). In the study catchments, this size range...