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About PTAGIS:
The PIT Tag Information System (PTAGIS) is a data collection,
distribution, and coordination project. The fundamental purpose of
PTAGIS is to monitor the migratory habits of fish in migrating through the federal Columbia River power system dams (FCRPS) by collecting
and distributing data via electronic PIT Tags.
The PIT (passive integrated transponder) Tag is an electronic tag
measuring 12 mm long by 2.1 mm in diameter. It can be coded with one of
35 billion unique codes. The tag can be automatically detected and
decoded in situ – eliminating the need to sacrifice, anesthetize,
handle, or restrain fish during data retrieval. The PIT Tag was
developed as a research and management tool for monitoring the movement
of juvenile and adult salmonids in the Columbia River Basin. Fish
injected with this tag can be automatically recognized by
detecting/recording devices strategically located within collection
facilities at hydroelectric dams.
Laboratory studies with juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead show no
adverse effect of the tag on growth or survival. The established tag
stays in a consistent location in the fish body cavity. Behavioral
tests show no significant effect of the tag on opercular rate, tail
beat frequency, stamina, or post-fatigue survival in juvenile
steelhead. Active swimming does not affect tag retention.
When a fish is tagged, all related information about the tagging
event and the individual fish is captured and entered into a central
database. This information includes its PIT tag number, tagging
location, organization responsible for the tagging, species, run,
weight, length, wild or hatchery type, marks and general health. Once
tagged, the fish is then released into the river system. This fish can
be electronically identified and monitored indefinitely.
As the tagged fish migrates, it passes through the
electronic interrogation coils established at seven permanent juvenile
detection sites located at federal dams in the basin.
This electronic equipment automatically detects the PIT tag code, and
records its time and location. This information is forwarded to the
central database and is permanently coupled with its previous tagging
information as the fish makes its way to the Pacific Ocean.
When the tagged adult fish returns to the Columbia River system to
spawn, the fish is again automatically detected at the permanent adult
detection sites as it travels up-river. These data detections are added
to the previous information about that individual fish in the database and provides additional data on its history and migration.
NOAA Fisheries - National Marine Fisheries Services and the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA) established a cooperative program in 1983 to evaluate the
technical and biological feasibility of the PIT tag. This early effort
has now evolved into a major research tool in the Columbia River Basin
under the BPA program. Over 12 million fish have been tagged and
monitored since 1987.
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission has joined with the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority
in establishing a steering committee to oversee the technical and
policy issues involved with research organizations using the tag within
the Columbia River Basin.
Learn More:
For more information, contact the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission at (503) 595-3100 and visit the PTAGIS Program at: http://www.ptagis.org
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