Tag retention, growth, condition, and survival of externally marked Yellow Perch

ABSTRACT Objective Determining the movement and survival of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens that inhabit Lake Erie is a priority management concern, yet contemporary understanding of their cross-jurisdictional movements and exploitation is lacking. To support future movement and survival studies, we evaluated the retention rates, condition, growth, and survival associated with four external tagging methods. Methods One-hundred hatchery-reared Yellow Perch (188–257 mm) were tagged and held in recirculating aquaculture systems over a 168-d period. We tested four external tag types, including loop tags, ring tags, streamer tags, and T-bar anchor tags, and quantified tag retention rates, as well as tagging effects on condition, growth, and survival. Results T-bar anchor and loop tags had 100% retention, whereas ring (54%) and streamer (0%) retention was poor. The condition and growth of fish were not affected by any of the tagging methods; however, the loop tags caused abrasive wounds near the tagging site that could lead to secondary infection and latent effects on survival. We found no evidence that tagging resulted in mortality. Conclusions External T-bar tags were the most efficient to apply and provided a marking option that was highly visible, had high retention, and had no effects on condition, growth, or survival in Yellow Perch over the 168-d study period.