Subject: Bass tagging help

From: Paolo <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 10:36:50 +0100

Hi,

we're starting a bass tagging program. We got Floy FD-4 anchor tags and
tagging guns. 
What's the best way to tag bass with above tags??
Thanks in advance for your help.

Paolo Vannini
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (richard)
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 1996 13:03:26 GMT

>Thanks in advance for your help.

There is a good section on tagging in Pickett and Pawson's book Sea Bas Biology, 
exploration and conservation from chapman and hall.
if you have problems mail me bacjk and I'll tell you more

Richard Seaby
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Stephen Amaral)
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 96 17:50:12 GMT

>[email-masked]

Two other good tagging/marking technique references that probably have some 
useful information on the use of Floy tags are:

Nielsen, L. A.  1992.  Methods of marking fish and shellfish.  American 
Fisheries Society Special Publication 23.

Parker et al. 1990.  Fish-marking techniques.  American Fisheries Society 
Symposium 7.

Also, I believe Floy Tag & Manufacturing, Inc. (which sells a wide variety of 
anchor and dart tags) have information sheets that briefly explain the 
application of each tag they sell.  They may be worth contacting for further 
information.  Generally, I think most tags that are applied with a tagging gun 
are injected into the dorsal musculature.  However, tagging locations often 
depend on species, size, environmental conditions, and study objectives (i.e., 
how will tag loss over a specified time period affect your studies results).  
Hope this information helps.

Steve Amaral
Fisheries Biologist
Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.
30 Shrewsbury Street
Holden, MA 01520
(508)829-6000

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From: "Jimmy H. Waddell" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 1996 12:39:54 -0800

Paolo wrote:
> [email-masked] accepted method is to implant the tag through one of the dorsal fin 
ray bones.  The tag is usually stuck into the muscule about 1/2 to 1" 
below the dorsal straight into the bone area below the dorsal.  The tag 
gun is rotated so the achor does not go back through the puncture.  Then 
the needle is slowly removed.
The best way to learn the method is to try it out on dead fish.  That way 
you will aviod alot of mistakes.  Plant you tag, dissect the dead fish 
and see what your doing.
Also, you will need to setup a tag loss experiment.  This is needed to 
estimate the amount of tag loss that might occur.  After you are sure you 
have the method well enough to do your tagging.  Tag 10 to 20 fish, hold 
them in ponds for a couple of weeks, then capture the fish and record 
your tag loss.
-- 
Jimmy H. Waddell, Researcher
Coop Fish Mgt Res Lab
Southern Illinois Univ
Carbondale, IL 62901       618-536-7761