Evaluation of Surgical Tagging Techniques and Guidelines for Implantation of Acoustic Transmitters into Small Juvenile White Sturgeon

Sturgeon (Acipenseridae) sampling in large river environments can be problematic using traditional techniques (i.e., non-telemetry).  There is insufficient information about young-of-year (YOY) sturgeon due to low abundances (or densities), or a preference for hard-to-sample habitats.  Surgically implanted acoustic transmitters allow for active monitoring of fish survival, movement, and distribution; however, tagging has been limited to larger juveniles and adults due to technology limitations (i.e., tag size).  In the current study, a novel acoustic transmitter was used for implantation into YOY sturgeon.  A total of 150 white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) were separated into five groups: 1. unmarked (true control); 2. offline incision with one suture; 3. offline incision without a suture; 4. flank incision with one suture; 5. flank incision without a suture.  Treatment fish were implanted with a dummy acoustic transmitter and all fish were held for 12 weeks.  Survival, growth, tag retention, and a suite of wound variables were quantified.  Results showed that for sturgeon tagged without a suture (offline or flank) wounds healed better than sturgeon tagged with one suture (offline or flank).  Tag retention was high for all treatments.  Overall the flank location without a suture proved to be the best long term tagging technique.