Selected references on VI alpha tagging:

Fishes

Elopidae - tarpons: no known trials; large area of transparent tissue posterior to the eye.

Albulidae - bonefishes: no known trials; large area of transparent tissue surrounding the eye.

Clupeidae - herrings: no known trials; large transparent adipose eyelids.

Engraulidae - anchovies: no known trials; large transparent adipose eyelids.

Chanidae - milkfishes: Emata and Marte (1992).

Cyprinidae - carps and minnows: Nigel McCarter, MAF Freshwater Fisheries Centre, P.O. Box 6016, Rotorua, New Zealand, reported on 27 April 1992, that tags ". . . injected into postocular tissue of adult grass and silver carp were quickly shed."

Esocidae - pikes: Trials with tiger muskie, involving NMT, to implant tags into anal and dorsal fin membranes did not provide satisfactory long-term results.

Galaxiidae - galaxiids: Crook and White (1995).

Salmonidae - salmons, trouts, chars, whitefishes and graylings: Oncorhynchus - Haw et al. (1990), Blankenship and Tipping (1993), Mourning, et al. (1994), Shepard et al. (1996), McMahon et al. (1996) Frenette and Bryant (1996),Tipping, et al. (1995); Salmo - Kincaid and Calkins (1992), Niva (1995); Salvelinus - Bryan and Ney (1994), Kincaid and Calkins (1992), McMahon et al. (1996), Frenette and Bryant (1996); Thymallus - McMahon et al. (1996).

Amblyopsidae - cavefishes: Conrad Toepfer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, OK Coop. Fish and Wildlife Res. Unit, 404 LSW. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, reported that in 1992, a student successfully tagged over 80 Amblyopsis rosae. (Myron Means - advisor: Dr. Jim Johnson) with AR Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 617 Science Engineering Building, University of Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 617 Science Engineering Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Scorpaenidae - scorpionfishes (rockfishes): Buckley, et al. (1994).

Hexagrammidae - greenlings: Buckley, et al. (1994).

Centrarchidae - sunfishes: Attempts by NMT to tag largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides have been unsuccessful in achieving a desirable level of long-term retention.

Percidae - perches: Extensively used in Iowa to identify captured and released brood stock walleye Stizostedion vitreum (Larscheid 1995).

Pomatomidae - bluefishes: No known trials; NMT examination of post orbital tissue indicates an abundance of clear tissue.

Carangidae - jacks: No known trials; NMT examination of post orbital tissues of several species indicates an abundance of clear tissue.

Arripidae - Australian salmon: On 31 March 1996, G. W. Davidson, Department of Physiology and Anatomy, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, reported the following: 32 fish were tagged in the periocular tissue and held in marine aquarium. After one month, three of the fish shed tags, although one loss appeared due to invasion of an unrelated infection, and one appeared lost due to its shallow location. All remaining 29 tags remained visible. "Overall, the VI tags appear to be quite suitable for use with this species."

Cichlidae - cichlids: Attempts by NMT to tag the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus have been unsuccessful.

Mugildae - mullets: As noted above, adipose eyelid implants were quickly shed from striped mullet at the Oceanic Institute, Makapuu Point, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795.

Polynemidae - threadfins: Adipose eyelid implants were shed from Pacific threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis in trials at the Oceanic Institute, Makapuu Point, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795.

Gobiidae - gobies: Forrester (1995). NMT has an informal report by P. Y. Ha (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 3108, P.O. Box 50088, Honolulu, HA 96850) and R.. A Kinzie, prepared in 1991: use of Visible Implant (VI) tags in field studies on the biology of a Hawaiian freshwater goby, Awous stamineus (Oopu nakea). The illustrated document describes the successful use of these tags by implanting them " . . . beneath the semi-transparent tissue in the left jaw of the fish or, sometimes, in the fleshy area of the cheek . . .".


Contacting NMT:
Northwest Marine Technology, Inc
P.O. Box 427, Ben Nevis Loop Road, Shaw Island, Washington 98286
Telephone (360) 468-3375 Fax (360) 468-3844