Friday 2 January 2015

December odd sample


This fish has already been sampled !!!
As you may know, I have been taking tissue samples for DNA analysis.  This is part of a program called Avid Anglers in which volunteers collect samples for DFO biologists to determine the rivers of origin of the chinooks and cohos. There are about two dozen such anglers, mostly on the south end of Vancouver Island.  In this area there are only a few of us. The others are part time recreational anglers, and guide Jeremy, but he spends a significant part of his year in other areas as well.

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to every one who helped out with the sampling in my boat , either by just being patient and supportive, or by actually getting involved in doing the holding , punching or recording. This past season I turned in 246 samples.  I hope to get information back to share with you. The analysis will be done through the winter.

The tool for taking samples is a paper hole punch. You can see the previous punch healing and I took out the new punch just below it. There has been some discussion about how long it takes for such scars to heal and some experience from hatchery workers punching adult fish to count them
 indicates they heal quickly.
This fish is already marked by its adipose fin being clipped, showing it to be a hatchery origin fish. Then there is the healing sample mark and then my sample. So this fish has been marked three times!
 The length of this fish was just on the line of being legal. We released it, so there is a tiny chance it could be caught and identified again.
 I had no record of a fish of this description, so inquired of the other local samplers but they had not marked it either. Inquiries are being made of the Avid Anglers from the south .



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