Encapsulation and migration of PIT tags implanted in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Application of PIT tags for individual identification of turbot (<i>Scophthalmus maximus</i>)

“…During the final section, it was observed that all transponders were enclosed in a fibrinoid capsule and thus attached to an intraperitoneal surface. Fibrinoid encapsulation of tags has also been reported in other studies , Baras et al 2000, Gheorghiu et al 2010. However, the time required for a complete encapsulation is unknown.…”

“…Furthermore, the borders of the abdominal cavity are defined by bony structures to a larger extent in flatfish than in torpedo-shaped fish. This reduces the probability of tag losses and has also a positive aspect for marketing because the migration of tags into the edible muscle tissue might be a problem when tagging fish that are intended for human consumption (Gheorghiu et al 2010).…”

“…Transponders were implanted in all 5 986 turbots within a period of three weeks. The fish were starved for two days before implantation in order to prevent problems caused by partially digested food in the digestive system (Gheorghiu et al 2010). Prior to tag implantation, the turbots were anesthetized using tricaine methane sulphonate (MS222, Sigma-Aldrich, Steinheim, Germany) in a concentration of 100 mg/l water.…”

“…Furthermore, many studies have reported that PIT tags have no or only very little influence on growth and on the survival rate of fish (Prentice et al 1989, Quartararo & Bell 1992, Baras et al 2000, Gries & Letcher 2002. However, PIT tags are expensive and implantation requires special equipment and species-specific procedures to assure that the implant does not cause injuries upon migration (Baras et al 2000, Das Mahapatra et al 2001, Gheorghiu et al 2010, Hopko et al 2010. Especially if fish are marked at a young age, the subcutaneous or intramuscular application may be problematic (Baras et al 2000, Gries & Letcher 2002.…”

“…Internal marking procedures require the implantation of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, which can be detected via an external reading device. The tags are usually appliqued intraperitoneal, intramuscularly or subcutaneously (Gheorghiu et al 2010, Hopko et al 2010. Passive integrated transponder tags have been used in different aquatic species, like prawns (Caceci et al 1999), gilthead sea bream (Navarro et al 2006), brown trout (Acolas et al 2007), Nile tilapia , Eurasian perch (Baras et al 2000) and Atlantic salmon (Gries & Letcher 2002).…”