Tagging article

[SEAN LEARY]

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/muskie-mysteries-lake-st-cla...

came across this about transmitters/tagging in St Clair.

Saw the infamous Detroit to Buffalo migration mentioned.

[carl schenk]

The comments after the article say that a large percentage of fish won't survive immediate release, and are better off being held in recovery tanks on board. It made me wonder if the river tagging studies of the past have shown post release mortality by fish being found floating.

[Tony Scime]

If they keep the fish in "revival tanks" after implanting the transmitters, I would agree if the tank has antibiotics and such. But putting them in a tank after a long fight? How long do they fight these fish? In my opinion, that's 100% wrong. Best thing is to release them without taking them out of the water and keeping angler contact to an absolute minimum. I think the holding tank does more for angler ego than the fish. To suggest that a large percentage of fish won't survive immediate release is contrary to every study taken on the subject, and contrary to the opinions of every fishery scientist I know. I think it spawns from pure ignorance and should absolutely not be followed.  

In regards to the past studies, I don't know of any tagged fish found floating. I do believe there was one found stuck in the power plant water intake several years(?) after it was tagged.  However, I'm not sure that all dead fish float.

[SEAN LEARY]

I think the revival tanks discussion has to be viewed through the lens of Lake St Clair. It's heavily chartered, heavily trolled. Revival tanks have gained popularity there because they can put the fish in the tank, and keep on trolling to catch more as the fish recovers.

Immediate release would increase mortality in this situation- engine never shuts off, unhook and toss overboard. (google Gene Miller musky killer, and the stir about that guide) 

The trolling fisherman guides aren't gonna stop and hold the fish upright in the water to "revive it" like we do. I think the term "release" has different meaning to the general public, and to the educated Musky conservation fisherman. We include a few a extra steps in our definition, mass public and this article does not.

[John Pensyl]

Until you see those tanks in action it's very easy to judge them. I got to see it in action for the first time this past June. After a spent fish sits in a fish thanks tank for a few minutes the results are pretty amazing. The fish is spunky and brand new again. Obviously we don't need them for our style of fishing here on the Niagara but when fishing a big boat 7 miles offshore they are saving fish. There's more than 1 way to skin a cat and what applies here doesn't always apply there and vice versa. The st. Clair trolling captains are doing a great job insuring fish keep swimming with their use of these tanks.

[John Pensyl]

Also I think the comment of fish not surviving immediate release was geared towards fish being implanted with transmitters. Tagging a fish with a quick floy tag barely effects it's day. I talked with Marc Thorpe a bunch about tagging studies back in August. He says a healthy fishery will have a 7-9% recap rate max. I believe that's right along our lines. The st. Lawrence near Montreal where they tagged over 2500 fish over a few years had less than a 4% recap rate. Very healthy fishery.

[John Jarosz]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of migration the Bflo Harbor muskies have.

The June 2017 newsletter has a detailed description of the transmitter surgery the muskies went thru. That recovery tank had fresh aerated water in it while the musky was transported to the surgical area and for recovery. I know too, talking with the DEC, all the muskies swam away strongly. That kind of surgery must be a heck of a lot more stressful than Floys 

[John Jarosz]

A 7% to 9% recap rate should mean the number of muskies is roughly 14 to 11  times the number tagged. That's not a bad number

John Pensyl said:

Also I think the comment of fish not surviving immediate release was geared towards fish being implanted with transmitters. Tagging a fish with a quick floy tag barely effects it's day. I talked with Marc Thorpe a bunch about tagging studies back in August. He says a healthy fishery will have a 7-9% recap rate max. I believe that's right along our lines. The st. Lawrence near Montreal where they tagged over 2500 fish over a few years had less than a 4% recap rate. Very healthy fishery.

[Stephen Glassic]

Seems like the recapture rates of different fisheries would weigh differently in the determination of the health of the fishery. Of course trap netting and YOY surveys need to be considered as well. But recapture rates on Waneta Lake (due to the small size and heavy fishing pressure) would probably be higher than a larger fishery such as any Great Lakes fish fishery due to the large area and differences in fishing pressure and possibly differences in reporting of recaptures. The radio tagging studies may help a great deal in estimating musky populations. After there has been several years of musky movements recorded by these studies, to include years with different weather patterns and possibly patterns in forage base and other environmental factors, they may be able to have a greater degree of confidence in estimating and predicting populations in the future. This may help to know when there is greater cause for concern.

[John Pensyl]

I've never been so confused.

[John Jarosz]

John...About recapture rates?

John Pensyl said:

I've never been so confused.

[John Jarosz]

John...see you at the next meeting. I'll bring pencil & paper & we can chat. You bring Pensyl & paper & we can chat with that, too!

[Joe Dolan]

Bahahahaha!

John Jarosz said:

John...see you at the next meeting. I'll bring pencil & paper & we can chat. You bring Pensyl & paper & we can chat with that, too!