Recommendations towards the establishment of best practice standards for handling and intracoelomic implantation of data-storage and telemetry tags in tropical tunas

Leroy, Bruno; Phillips, Joe Scutt; Potts, Joanne; Brill, Richard W.; Evans, Karen; Forget, Fabien; Holland, Kim N.; Itano, David; Muir, Jeff; Pilling, Graham M.; Nicol, Simon

doi:10.1186/s40317-023-00316-3

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Following tag implementation procedures, which involve the use of anesthetics and surgery, could induce disturbances in balance, loss of equilibrium, and disruptions in homeostasis, with prolonged recovery rates anticipated after these procedures (Leroy et al, 2023; Readman et al, 2017). Furthermore, these repercussions include a reduction in swimming capacity and performance, along with potential complications in tissue damage and wound healing processes that may heighten the risk of bacterial infection and inflammation (Collins et al, 2013; Hjelmstedt et al, 2020; Makiguchi & Kojima, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact

Makaras,

Stankevičiūtė

2024

Journal of Fish Biology

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Fish involved in telemetry studies are usually handled, anaesthetized, and subjected to internal tag implantation, all of which have the potential to disrupt the fish's physiology, migratory patterns, food‐seeking behavior, growth, and survival. As fish tagging is a widespread standard method in aquaculture, it is crucial to gain a better understanding of the short‐ and long‐term effects on various aspects of fish welfare. The experimental outcomes of each phase of the surgical process and how it affects the fish's ability to recover during the post‐tagging period, particularly in small salmonids, are poorly understood. Thus, it is essential to measure the extent of these adverse effects to precisely extrapolate differences in surgical intervention for tagged fish compared to their unmanipulated counterparts. In our study, we explored the post‐tagging impacts on wild‐captured brown trout (Salmo trutta) (1+) juveniles. We examined the time effect on fish recovery after each phase of the surgical procedure, which included anaesthetized fish, followed by surgery with/without internal tagging, within the first 2 and 25 h post‐surgery. Common blood parameters (glucose levels and haematocrit) and endpoints related to swimming behavior, including fish movement, direction, and social distancing aspects, were studied. The findings of the study indicated no significant changes in glucose and haematocrit levels over the observational period. Fish subjected to anesthesia and tagging procedures exhibited a significant decrease in swimming activity, recovering to baseline levels 1 h after anesthesia and 24 h after surgical (tagging) procedures in recirculating aquaculture systems. Tagged fish showed less social proximity than non‐tagged fish in the first 2 h post‐surgery. A significant effect size was observed between nonsurgical (anesthesia) and surgical (non‐tagged/tagged) groups, highlighting a more pronounced impact associated with surgical tag interventions. Our data indicate that the magnitude of behavioral response was significantly influenced by tag weight (~1.4% body/tag weight ratio in water) among manipulated fish groups. Consequently, our study reveals that wild‐captured S. trutta juveniles, tagged with commercially available low‐weight acoustic tags (V6, 69 kHz), experienced negative effects on swimming performance. In surgical studies, acknowledging potential influences is crucial for accurately inferring fish physiological and behavioral status. Emphasizing fish recovery potential in both short‐ and long‐term periods is essential for quantifying tagging effects. Future research should prioritize exploring alternative tagging technologies and refining methodologies, with a particular focus on assessing telemetry's impact on socioeconomically relevant small salmonids.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact

Makaras,

Stankevičiūtė

2024

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…minimize air exposure and handling, appropriate collection methods, minimizing captivity durations, ideal anaesthesia dosages [27,[81][82][83]) and that pilot trials be conducted to ensure that tagging conditions are optimized for fish welfare (i.e. selecting appropriate tag size, tag insertion location, and recovery periods [27,[84][85][86]). While there remains uncertainty regarding the physiological drivers surrounding post-tagging mortality, ensuring that stress is minimized should help enhance survival of tagged fish.…”

Section: The Effects Of Tagging In Modulating Mortality Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of intracoelomic acoustic transmitters in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)post-smolts and wider considerations for casual factors driving tag retention and mortality in fishes

Lawrence,

Wilson,

Reid

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Acoustic telemetry is a widely used method in assaying behavioural dynamics in fishes. Telemetry tags are often surgically implanted in the coelom of the animal and are assumed to have minimal rates of post-release mortality and tag shedding. However, fish are capable expelling tags and mortalities do occur following release, with the mechanism(s) underlying these effects not well understood. The purpose of this research was to address causal factors underlying tagging mortality and tag expulsion in fishes. We conducted an empirical assessment of tag retention and post-surgical mortality rates in post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fitted with a dummy acoustic tag over a 92 day monitoring period. This was complimented with a meta-analysis of factors affecting tag retention and post-surgical mortality rates in the wider literature. Post-smolt salmon exhibited low rates of mortality following tag implantation (≤ 5.1%) but had high rates of tag expulsion (54.8%) and impaired growth and a foreign body response was evident. The meta-analysis showed that mortality was generally low across all studies (12.4%) and was largely unaffected by model cofactors. Tag retention rates were high among the studies investigated here (86.7%) and had a weak negative relationship with tag:body mass ratios. Our results suggest that while mortality is often low among tagging studies, including this one, caution must be exercised in assessing stationary tags as they may represent an expelled tag rather than a mortality event. Our results also indicate that tag dimensions are not nearly important as the tag:body mass ratio.

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Long‐term effects of tagging fishes with electronic tracking devices

Matley,

Klinard,

Jaine

et al. 2024

Fish and Fisheries

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Tagging fishes with internal or external electronic tracking devices (acoustic, radio, satellite, or archival tags) is invaluable to behavioural, ecological, and welfare research, but may have adverse effects on the animals studied. While short‐term responses to tagging (e.g., days to weeks) have often been investigated, less information is available on longer‐term impacts (e.g., months to years) and the potential chronic effects of tagging on basic biological needs such as foraging and reproduction. Here, we synthesize existing knowledge from peer‐reviewed acoustic, radio, satellite, and archival tagging articles (n = 149) and anecdotal accounts (n = 72) from 36 researchers to assess the effects of tagging over prolonged periods. We identified a dearth of research that has specifically measured or quantified the impacts of tagging over a period longer than a few weeks or months (e.g., median experimental study duration = 33 days; n = 120 articles). Nevertheless, there was limited evidence to support a net negative long‐term impact from the implantation or attachment of electronic devices. Considerations and future research directions are discussed with the goal of generating guidance to the research community and minimizing potentially detrimental impacts to study animals. Given the global application and relevance of electronic tagging research to inform conservation and management of fishes, it is imperative for scientists to continue evaluating how tagging procedures affect animal welfare, fate, and the interpretation of tracking data.

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Recommendations towards the establishment of best practice standards for handling and intracoelomic implantation of data-storage and telemetry tags in tropical tunas

Cited by 4 publications

References 88 publications

Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact

Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact

The fate of intracoelomic acoustic transmitters in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)post-smolts and wider considerations for casual factors driving tag retention and mortality in fishes

Long‐term effects of tagging fishes with electronic tracking devices

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