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Survival of Electroanesthetized Adult Steelhead and Eggs of Fall Chinook Salmon
Author(s) -
Tipping Jack M.,
Gilhuly Gary J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(1996)016<0469:soeasa>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - chinook wind , oncorhynchus , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , rainbow trout , carbon dioxide , adult male , recreational fishing , zoology , ecology , endocrinology
We evaluated the effects of the Coffelt system 91 electroanesthesia unit on survival of adult steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and the egg‐to‐fry stages of fall chinook salmon O. tshawytscha . Adult steelhead were anesthetized at one of several voltages with the complex pulse pattern from the system 91 or with carbon dioxide gas. Fish were then tagged, transported, and released. Tags were recovered at two hatcheries and by recreational anglers. An average of 39% of electroshocked fish and 46% of fish anesthetized with carbon dioxide were recovered. However, tags from both groups were returned at similar rates by recreational anglers. Recovery rate differences appeared to be reduced at 50 and 80 V. Egg‐to‐fry mortality for progeny of electroanesthetized fall chinook salmon averaged 7%, compared with 12% for control groups. We conclude that if low levels of fish damage are acceptable, electroanesthesia may be a viable alternative to other anesthetics.