USING ACOUSTIC TELEMETRY TO TRACK MOVEMENT
PATTERNS OF SPOTTED SEATROUT
IN TEXAS COASTAL WATERS
With
the advancement in technology in recent years it has
it become possible to track real time movements of individual
fish. We are currently tracking adult spotted seatrout
using passive acoustic ultrasonic telemetry that employs
an array of stationary receivers to detect signals from
fish affixed with uniquely coded transmitters. These
have become a widely used method of recording habitat
usage and movement patterns of fish.
The goals of this study are to 1) evaluate surgical procedures,
including placement of incision and suture material,
for acoustic transmitter implantation in spotted seatrout;
2) surgically tag wild caught spotted seatrout to document
their large-scale movement patterns and residency times
between south Texas bay and nearshore waters.
Last summer we successfully
implanted transmitters into spotted seatrout
with very high survival rates. During the surgery fish
are held with their gills submerged, and they are able
to breathe for the very quick ~2min surgery. We currently
have 30 spotted seatrout tagged in south
Texas
waters
in the
Upper and Lower Laguna Madre,
including Baffin Bay, and plan to tag a total of
80 fish. These fish are carrying an internal acoustic
transmitter, and
also
have
a green,
external
dart tag near their dorsal fin. If you catch one
of our tagged fish, please release it so we can
continue to track it. Please DO NOT REMOVE THE
GREEN DART TAG! We would appreciate a quick phone
call to the number listed on the tag with a report
of
the
tag
number, date, and general location of capture. There
are a number
of substantialREWARDS available
to anglers for this return information (rods, cash,
and other prizes),
so please be sure to share your contact
information
as well. We really appreciate the continued support
we have
received from local recreational guides and anglers.
For more information please
do not hesistate to contact us!
This is a video from the
Baffin Bay Rodeo tournament courtesy of Dave Alexander
from JustGoFishin.net.
