International PIT Tag Database for Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout

Responding to a recognised need, and working alongside colleagues from the Institute of Marine Research (IMR-Norway), the MSA developed a searchable data resource for PIT tags being deployed for salmon and trout research, and a way for comparing unknown tag detections. The MSA call for those deploying PIT tags on salmon or trout in the wild to share tag IDs and associated detail. Enter your tag IDs and species into this database, and assist this cooperative effort to make as much use of this data as possible.

Driven by advances in technology, PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tags are increasingly being used in salmon and trout research and management programmes in countries around the North Atlantic. About the size of a large grain of rice, these cheap tags have no battery and will continue to last as long as the tag is intact and within the fish. In rivers tag detectors can be built into streambeds and fish passes. Additionally, PIT tags are used in estimating the annual abundance of stocks of pelagic marine fish species in the eastern Atlantic region (e.g. herring , mackerel), and a network of over 20 PIT detector stations are operated at fish processing plants in several countries. Unidentified detections of PIT tags often occur here, and may indicate the presence of salmon or trout in catches. Whilst this information is informally shared within limited networks, no mechanism to coordinate PIT information more widely has been available, until this was created.

The PIT Tag Database for Atlantic salmon and sea trout provides a central resource for PIT tag data and a repository against which unknown PIT detections (from any location) can be searched. The resource allows harvesting of new data detections from across spatial networks, with the potential to unlock important new information on the migration, and fate of Atlantic salmon and trout whilst at sea.

For further information contact Graeme Diack graeme@atlanticsalmontrust.org