Evaluation of Injectable Fluorescent Tags for Marking Centrarchid Fishes: Retention Rate and Effects on Vulnerability to Predation

Abstract We evaluated the performance of injectable fluorescent tags for use in mass marking of centrarchid fishes. Using age-0 largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and bluegills Lepomis macrochirus (50–100 mm total length), we compared (1) the retention rate of injectable photonic dyes (IPDs) applied to the fin rays of largemouth bass, (2) retention rates of IPDs versus visible implant elastomers (VIEs), and (3) the effect of colorless and brightly colored marks on prey selectivity by adult largemouth bass. Retention rate of IPDs declined appreciably in age-0 largemouth bass (50 mm) after 120 d with only 19% of fish retaining visible marks by that time. By the end of the experiment (day 310), no marks were visible in anal fin rays of largemouth bass. For larger age-0 largemouth bass (100 mm), retention rates of IPDs after 48 d were greatest for fish marked in the anal fin (40%), followed by caudal (20%) and dorsal fin (5%) markings. Visible implant elastomers were retained at a higher rate (84.4%) than ...

[1]  R. Bailey,et al.  Evaluations of Visible Implant Fluorescent Tags for Marking Coho Salmon Smolts , 1998 .

[2]  C. Annett.  Differential predation on colour morphs of the Midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum , 1989, Animal Behaviour.

[3]  S. Peake.  Sodium Bicarbonate and Clove Oil as Potential Anesthetics for Nonsalmonid Fishes , 1998 .

[4]  R. S. Hale,et al.  Retention and Detection of Coded Wire Tags and Elastomer Tags in Trout , 1998 .

[5]  F. Haw,et al.  Retention of Coded Wire Tags Implanted into Cheek Musculature of Largemouth Bass , 1987 .

[6]  M. A. Farooqi,et al.  Elastomer visible implant (EVI) tag retention and the effect of tagging on the growth and survival of barbel, Barbus barbus (L.) , 1996 .

[7]  R. C. Simon,et al.  Performance of Nine External Tags on Hatchery-Reared Rainbow Trout , 1992 .

[8]  Jean Chesson,et al.  MEASURING PREFERENCE IN SELECTIVE PREDATION , 1978 .

[9]  J. Boxrucker.  Mass Marking of Fingerling Largemouth Bass by Fin‐Clipping Followed by Freeze‐Cauterization of the Wound , 1982 .

[10]  W. H. Kelly.  Marking Freshwater and a Marine Fish by Injected Dyes , 1967 .

[11]  K. Fausch,et al.  Comparison of Visible Implant Tags and Floy Anchor Tags on Hatchery Rainbow Trout , 1994 .

[12]  G. F. Smith,et al.  Use of Coloured Tags in Fish Population Estimates , 1963 .

[13]  H. Kincaid,et al.  Retention of Visible Implant Tags in Lake Trout and Atlantic Salmon , 1992 .

[14]  R. Sheehan,et al.  Survival, Growth, and Mark Persistence in Juvenile Black Crappies Marked with Fin Clips, Freeze Brands, or Oxytetracycline , 1999 .

[15]  H. Blankenship,et al.  Evaluation of Visible Implant and Sequentially Coded Wire Tags in Sea‐Run Cutthroat Trout , 1993 .

[16]  R. Babcock,et al.  Retention and in situ detectability of visible implant fluorescent elastomer (VIFE) tags in Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) , 1998 .

[17]  S. Zigler,et al.  An Evaluation of Fluorescent Elastomer for Marking Bluegills in Experimental Studies , 1996 .

[18]  M. Eames,et al.  An evaluation of four tags suitable for marking juvenile chinook salmon , 1983 .

[19]  M. Allen,et al.  Survival of Fingerling Black Crappies Tagged with Microwire Tags Stocked in a Florida Lake , 2000 .

[20]  B. Manly.  A Model for Certain Types of Selection Experiments , 1974 .

[21]  E. Crossman,et al.  Fin Clips in the Evaluation of Stocking Programs for Muskellunge, Esox masquinongy , 1979 .

[22]  R. Wydoski,et al.  Tagging and marking , 1983 .

[23]  F. Huntingford,et al.  Laboratory and field studies on diet choice in three‐spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., in relation to profitability and visual features of prey , 1989 .

[24]  P. A. Larkin,et al.  Choice of Colors of Food Items by Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) , 1973 .