Frontiers in Marine Science (Dec 2015)
Natural tags and markers for tracking and identifying fish
Abstract
A winning feature of naturally-induced fish tags is their simultaneous appearance on the entire group or population, at no expense to the researcher. The challenge then becomes the search for a marker that is sufficiently distinct that it will allow clear identification of the group of interest. Elemental and isotopic fingerprints, genetic markers, growth patterns recorded in otoliths, and parasites are all examples of natural tags with demonstrated success in identifying and tracking sub-populations, groups and even individuals of teleost fishes. Far less explored are similar applications involving sharks and crustaceans such as lobsters, yet many of the same powerful tracking and identification applications appear to exist for these animals as well. In this talk, I will briefly review some of the established natural tags with proven track records for monitoring the movement of aquatic organisms, before exploring some exciting new possibilities.
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