This study compared three surgical techniques to implant acoustic transmitters in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): 1) acoustic transmitter insertion via a ventral incision closed with two sutures, 2) insertion via a ventral incision with no sutures, 3) insertion via a lateral incision with no sutures. A control group consisting of fish that were only anesthetized and handled was also included. Tag retention, wound healing, inflammation, growth, and survival were recorded over a 12-week period. Tag retention was significantly different among the treatments, at 100% in the unsutured ventral incision group, 89% in the lateral incision group, and 63% in the sutured ventral incision group. Surgical wounds in the unsutured treatment groups showed significantly less inflammation than the sutured treatment. Wound closure occurred significantly faster in the ventral incision groups compared to the lateral incision group. The results of this study show the utility of using unsutured surgical methods for implanting acoustic transmitters in rainbow trout.

The implantation of acoustic transmitters into the peritoneal cavity of fish is typically performed by experienced surgeons. This study compared the effectiveness of an experienced and inexperienced surgeon performing two different types of transmitter insertion techniques on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The methods used were either a traditional sutured ventral incision or a novel unsutured lateral incision. There was no significant difference in surgical duration, tag retention, or fish survival between the experienced and naïve surgeon. The time to complete surgical wound closure was not significantly different between the fish operated on by an experienced or naïve surgeon, and surgeon experience had no significant effect on the duration of inflammation. However, there were significant differences between the two surgical techniques, regardless of surgeon experience. The ventral incision with sutures method took approximately three times longer to complete than the lateral incision-only method. However, complete wound closure was significantly faster in the sutured ventral incision treatment compared to the unsutured lateral treatment. Post-surgery inflammation was over seven times longer in the fish with sutures compared to those only receiving a lateral incision. Tag retention was not significantly different between the two surgical methods. The results of this study indicate that the unsutured lateral surgical technique used in this experiment can be completed with minimal training and surgical experience in contrast to the standard technique requiring sutures. These results also provide additional support to the use of sutureless surgical techniques for acoustic transmitter implantation.

No abstract