Detection Efficiency of a Portable PIT Antenna for Two Small‐Bodied Fishes in a Piedmont Stream

Abstract

Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have been used to infer demography and behavior of lotic fishes, but their application has mostly been limited to salmonids. We studied the efficiency of a portable PIT antenna in a small Piedmont stream (mean width = 2.4 m) in South Carolina by comparing two tag sizes (8‐ and 12‐mm full‐duplex tags) applied to two nongame species (Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii and Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus). A 285‐m stream reach was blocked off under base flow conditions in September 2016, and 8‐ or 12‐mm PIT tags were implanted in 67 Creek Chub (62–138 mm TL) and 65 Mottled Sculpin (60–88 mm TL). Starting at 1 d after tagging, the study reach was sampled with the portable PIT antenna twice daily for five consecutive days, during which apparent survival of tagged fish was assumed. Generalized linear mixed‐effects models with a logistic link identified that detection efficiency depended on species, tag size, body length, and the species × body length interaction. Mottled Sculpin had detection rates of 56% (8‐mm tags) and 79% (12‐mm tags), with 67% of detections occurring in riffle‐dominated sections, whereas Creek Chub had 3% (8‐mm tags) and 16% (12‐mm tags) detection rates, with 62% of detections occurring in pool‐dominated sections. Detection efficiency decreased with body size in Creek Chub but not in Mottled Sculpin; the observed decrease for Creek Chub was most likely attributable to an ontogenetic habitat shift. The reasonably high detection efficiency of Mottled Sculpin, even with 8‐mm tags, suggested that the portable PIT antenna can be a viable option for some species in small streams, allowing individual‐based approaches to studying small‐bodied species or earlier life stages without the need for repeated physical capture and handling. Received May 13, 2017; accepted October 2, 2017Published online November 10, 2017

Potential Impacts of PIT Tagging on a Critically Endangered Small‐Bodied Fish: A Trial on the Surrogate Mountain Galaxias

“…However, if negative growth of fish in this experiment reflects suboptimal growing conditions, the parallel response of both treatments suggests that any negative environmental pressure on tagged fish could probably be overcome without long-term detriment. Comparable survival between aquaria and field studies has been reported previously (Roussel et al 2000;Breen et al 2009;Kelly et al 2017) and reinforces the value and application of findings from aquarium trials. Similar rates of redetection from galaxiid field studies with tag retention in this experiment strengthen suggestions that favorable results may be expected from fish that are released into the wild (West et al 2005;Pham et al 2013).…”

“…; Kelly et al. ) and reinforces the value and application of findings from aquarium trials. Similar rates of redetection from galaxiid field studies with tag retention in this experiment strengthen suggestions that favorable results may be expected from fish that are released into the wild (West et al.…”

“…Passive integrated transponder telemetry has been used to monitor populations of small-bodied fishes in streams by using stationary antenna setups (Castro-Santos et al 1996;Riley et al 2003;Solcz 2007). Portable PIT readers are becoming increasingly available and have recently been used to reveal habitat use and movement information for several small, stream-dwelling species (Roussel et al 2000;Cucherousset et al 2005;Breen et al 2009;McEwan and Joy 2013, 2014a, 2014bKelly et al 2017), including galaxiids (West et al 2005;Pham et al 2013;McEwan and Joy 2014a). Knowledge of the habitat and movement requirements of fish is important for species management (Albanese et al 2004), especially the conservation of threatened populations, as habitat loss and fragmentation have long been recognized as the greatest threats to aquatic taxa 1082 ALLAN ET AL.…”

Suitability of passive integrated transponder tags and a new monitoring technique for at-risk madtoms (Noturus spp.)

“…The integration of an RFID antenna with already validated artificial cover units has enabled the efficient detection of unique individuals without the need to physically recapture fish or otherwise disturb the habitat. Although these cover units require little effort compared to active sampling methods (Cope et al 2019), including portable PIT antennas (Cucherousset et al 2005, 2010, Kelly et al 2017, fish may be attracted to the units making them prone to potential bias. The units can be constructed in a matter of hours and quickly deployed by a single person and are relatively inexpensive (less than US $100 per unit).…”

Fish Community Dynamics in the Artificial Fishways of Three Different Watersheds, and Fish Passage Evaluations Using a Multi-Metric Fishway Model

“…However, fish are highly mobile, which makes this method inefficient, as the probability of recapturing marked individuals is low. Another frequently used monitoring technique is acoustic telemetry, in which an ultrasonic transducer (PIT tag) is attached inside the fish and its movement is tracked by following signals using a hydrophone [27][28][29][30]. The disadvantage of this technique is that it is very costly and thus not suitable for large projects that cover a wide-ranging body of water [31][32][33].…”