Saprolegnia

High Mortality of Largemouth Bass Implanted with Transmitters at Colder Water Temperatures

SEAFWA Journal Volume 11, March 2024

Biotelemetry via surgical implantation of an electronic tag is a common way to examine fish behavior and movement. Previous studies suggest higher post-operative survival should be expected when implanting tags at colder water temperatures. However, during the initial part of our study, all 26 adult largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) we implanted with transmitters at water temperatures from 14 to 17 C at Toledo Bend Reservoir, Texas, died within 4 wk post-surgery. To further investigate this phenomenon, we conducted two tagging trials at 13 C, observing post-operative...