Mortality of Spot Shrimp Associated with Streamer Tags

Abstract

Abstract Adult spot shrimp (Pandalus platyceros) were marked with vinyl streamer tags and held at two densities for 19 d. The mortality among large, tagged female shrimp (65.9%) held at an initial density of 51 shrimp/m 2 was significantly greater than among untagged control females (45.4%) held at the same density. Similarly, the mortality among smaller, tagged adult male shrimp (63.6%) held at an initial density of 34 shrimp/m 2 was greater than among untagged control males (0%) held at the same density. Density- or size-related mortality (or both) also occurred because 45.4% of the large control females held at the highest density died but none of the smaller control males held at a lower density died. This laboratory study suggests that the vinyl streamer tag, affixed by a previously tested tagging methodology, should not be used for mark-recapture population studies for spot shrimp.