| The
Calcasieu Lake spotted seatrout tagging and telemetry research
project has entered its second year. Transmitters were surgically
implanted in an additional 55 fish the week of April 14
– 20. Including fish tagged and implanted in May and
October of 2007, this brings the total to 150.
Volunteer
anglers caught fish for the tagging team, which was stationed
on the Wildlife and Fisheries’ work vessel “Ladyfish.”
Fish were transferred to the team on the Ladyfish where
they were anesthetized, weighed, measured, tagged with a
yellow dart tag just below the dorsal fin, surgically implanted
with a transmitter, allowed to recover and finally released.
Fish
movements are tracked using 50 acoustic receivers placed
throughout the Calcasieu estuary. These receivers are suspended
from buoy lines or were fastened to channel markers. When
an implanted fish travels within 200 to 300 yards of the
receiver, the fish’s identification number, the date
and time are recorded. Every four to six weeks, data is
downloaded and each receiver is cleaned to prevent excessive
biofouling. Through the first 10 months of the project,
the receivers recorded 185,000 hits from transmitting fish.
Preliminary
results have shown a variety of movements among individuals,
from resemblance of a small home range to full scale estuary
movements and even movements offshore. However, the data
will have to be analyzed over the entire time period of
the project for statistical significance of movement patterns.
Correlation of movement patterns will be compared with salinity,
temperature, season, gender, prey distribution, etc. Jody
Callihan is the doctoral graduate student in charge of the
project. Cooperators include Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries,
CCA, LSU Coastal Fisheries Institute, Louisiana Sea Grant
and the LSU AgCenter.
The
project will continue through 2009, with additional fish
being targeted for tagging and implanting in October 2008.
Anglers can participate in the program by releasing any
fish with an implanted transmitter. Again, fish with transmitters
are marked with a yellow dart tag that reads “LSU-REWARD-PLEASE
RELEASE.” Fishermen catching and releasing a fish
with a yellow tag should call 1-800-891-3977 to report the
tag number and where and when it was caught. Fishermen providing
this information will receive a Louisiana Sport Fish Tagging
Program hat and t-shirt, and will be entered in an annual
drawing for GPS units and cash prizes up to $500.
Read
more about the project, visit www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/pdfs/lagniappe/2007/05-01-2007.pdf
or www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/news/2007/fishtags.htm
.
|
