PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Telemetry is an emerging method to study fish ecology and a reliable tool that provides useful information for managing and conserving aquatic fauna and river habitats. However, the reliability of telemetry depends on several technical factors. Implantation of the acoustic transmitter is one of the major aspects that ensure the survivability of the animal subject when released into the wild. Studies on the technicalities involving telemetry methods are limited; therefore, this study investigated the surgical insertion of an acoustic transmitter into the peritoneal cavity of Channa lucius and Neolissochilus soroides or locally known as Bujuk and Tengas. A severity index was used to rate the appearance of surgical wounds observed on the day of release into the river. Fish mortality and complications such as bleeding were not observed in both species post-surgery. The progress and prognosis of wound healing of C. lucius were better compared to N. soroides, with generally lesser inflammation and more sutures shed. Despite visually severe inflammation on N. soroides on day-12 and day-19 post-surgery, there was a good indication that skin integuments were healing. This data suggests that C. lucius has faster wound healing abilities compared to N. soroides. All fishes implanted with the acoustic telemetry method survived up to 244 days upon release into the Tembat River, Hulu Terengganu, Malaysia, and retained the tag throughout the tracking period.

• Adams, S. M., Brown, A. M., & Goede, R. W. (1993). A quantitative health assessment index for rapid evaluation of fish condition in the field. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 122(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1993)122<0063:aqhaif>2.3.co;2

• Akunne, T. C., Sunday, N. O., Okechukwu, D. C., Nwankwor, S. S., Emene, J. O., & Okoro, B. N. (2016). Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) slime coat possesses antimicrobial and wound healing activities. Pharmaceutical and Biosciences Journal, 4(3), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.20510/ukjpb/4/i3/108393

• Ammann, A. J. (2020). Factors affecting detection probability and range of transmitters and receivers designed for the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 103, 625–634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-00987-4

• Brownscombe, J. W., Lédée, E. J. I., Raby, G. D., Struthers, D. P., Gutowsky, L. F. G., Nguyen, V. M., Young, N., Stokesbury, M. J. W., Holbrook C. M., Brenden, T. O., Vandergoot, C. S., Murchie, K. J., Whoriskey, K., Mills Flemming, J., Kessel, T., Krueger, C. C., & Cooke, S. J. (2019). Conducting and interpreting fish telemetry studies: Considerations for researchers and resource managers. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 29, 369-400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-019-09560-4

• Chopin, F. S., Arimoto, T., & Inoue, Y. (1996). A comparison of the stress response and mortality of sea bream Pagrus major captured by hook and line and trammel net. Fisheries Research, 28(3), 277–289. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/0165-7836(96)00512-7

• Cooke, S. J., Graeb, B. D. S., Suski, C. D., & Ostrand, K. G. (2003). Effects of suture material on incision healing, growth and survival of juvenile largemouth bass implanted with miniature radio transmitters: Case study of a novice and experienced fish surgeon. Journal of Fish Biology, 62(6), 1366–1380. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1095-8649.2003.00119.x

• Cooke, S. J., Nguyen, V. M., Murchie, K. J., Thiem, J. D., Donaldson, M. R., Hinch, S. G., Brown, R. S., & Fisk, A. (2013). To tag or not to tag: Animal welfare, conservation, and stakeholder considerations in fish tracking studies that use electronic tags. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy, 16(4), 352–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880292.2013.805075

• Crossin, G. T., Heupel, M. R., Holbrook, C. M., Hussey, N. E., Lowerre-Barbieri, S. K., Nguyen, V. M., Raby, G. D., & Cooke, S. J. (2017). Acoustic telemetry and fisheries management. Ecological Applications, 27(4), 1031–1049. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1533

• Dudgeon, C. L., Pollock, K. H., Braccini, J. M., Semmens, J. M., & Barnett, A. (2015). Integrating acoustic telemetry into mark–recapture models to improve the precision of apparent survival and abundance estimates. Oecologia, 178, 761–772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3280-z

• Farinordin, F. A., Nilam, W. S. W., Husin, S. M., Samat, A., & Nor, S. M. (2017). Scale morphologies of freshwater fishes at Tembat Forest Reserve, Terengganu, Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana, 46(9), 1429–1439. https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2017-4609-11

• Fontenot, D. K., & Neiffer, D. L. (2004). Wound management in teleost fish: Biology of the healing process, evaluation, and treatment. Veterinary Clinics of North America - Exotic Animal Practice, 7(1), 57–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2003.08.007

• Harrington, L. A., Mookerjee, A., Kalita, M., Saikia, A., Macdonald, D. W., & D’Cruze, N. (2022). Risks associated with the global demand for novel exotic pets: A new and emerging trade in snakehead fish (Channa spp.) from India. Biological Conservation, 265, 109377. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109377

• Jepsen, N., Koed, A., Thorstad, E. B., & Baras, E. (2002). Surgical implantation of telemetry transmitters in fish: How much have we learned?. Hydrobiologia, 483, 239–248. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021356302311

• Keene, J. L., Noakes, D. L. G., Moccia, R. D., & Soto, C. G. (1998). The efficacy of clove oil as an anaesthetic for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Aquaculture Research, 29(2), 89–101.

• Klinard, N. V, Fisk, A. T., Kessel, S. T., Halfyard, E. A., & Colborne, S. F. (2017). Habitat use and small-scale residence patterns of sympatric sunfish species in a large temperate river. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 75(7), 1059–1069. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0125

• Klinard, N. V, Halfyard, E. A., Fisk, A. T., Stewart, T. J., & Johnson, T. B. (2018). Effects of surgically implanted acoustic tags on body condition, growth, and survival in a small, laterally compressed forage fish. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 749–757. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10064

• Kwan, S. H., & Ismail, M. N. (2021). Discovery of Channa striata extracts as regenerative medicine in promoting wound healing and scarless skin regeneration. The Natural Products Journal, 11(4), 430–437. https://doi.org/10.2174/2210315510999200629205601

• Lopes, J. M., Alves, C. B. M., Silva, F. O., Bedore, A. G., & Pompeu, P. S. (2016). Effect of anesthetic, tag size, and surgeon experience on postsurgical recovering after implantation of electronic tags in a neotropical fish: Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1837) (Characiformes: Prochilodontidae). Neotropical Ichthyology, 14(3), e150189. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-20150189

• Matin, S., Hossain, M., & Hashim, M. (2009). Clove oil anaesthesia in singhi (Heteropneustes fossilis) and lata (Channa punctatus) fish. Bangladesh Veterinarian, 26(2), 68–73. https://doi.org/10.3329/bvet.v26i2.4953

• Mitamura, H., Mitsunaga, Y., Arai, N., & Viputhanumas, T. (2006). Comparison of two methods of attaching telemetry transmitters to the Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas. Zoological Science, 23(3), 235–238. https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.23.235

• Neiffer, D. L., & Stamper, M. A. (2009). Fish sedation, anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia: Considerations, methods, and types of drugs. ILAR Journal, 50(4), 343–360. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.50.4.343

• Paukert, C. P., Chvala, P. J., Heikes, B. L., & Brown, M. L. (2001). Effects of implanted transmitter size and surgery on survival, growth, and wound healing of bluegill. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 130(5), 975–980. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(2001)130<0975:eoitsa>2.0.co;2

• Rai, A. K., Srivastava, N., Nigam, A. K., Kumari, U., Mittal, S., & Mittal, A. K. (2012). Response of the chromatophores in relation to the healing of skin wounds in an Indian Major Carp, Labeo rohita (Hamilton). Tissue and Cell, 44(3), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tice.2012.01.003

• Richardson, R., Slanchev, K., Kraus, C., Knyphausen, P., Eming, S., & Hammerschmidt, M. (2013). Adult zebrafish as a model system for cutaneous wound-healing research. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 133(6), 1655–1665. https://doi.org/10.1038/jid.2013.16

• Robinson, R. R., Notch, J., McHuron, A., Logston, R., Pham, T., & Ammann, A. J. (2021). The effects of water temperature, acoustic tag type, size at tagging, and surgeon experience on juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) tag retention and growth. Animal Biotelemetry, 9, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-021-00246-y

• Roubal, F. R., & Bullock, A. M. (1988). The mechanism of wound repair in the skin of juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., following hydrocortisone implantation. Journal of Fish Biology, 32(4), 545–555. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1988.tb05394.x

• Rożyński, M., Kapusta, A., Demska-Zakęś, K., Hopko, M., Sikora, A., & Zakęś, Z. (2017). The effects of surgically implanted dummy tags on the survival, growth performance, and physiology of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 43(4), 999–1010. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-017-0347-2

• Sahid, N. A., Hayati, F., Rao, C. V., Ramely, R., Sani, I., Dzulkarnaen, A., Zakaria, Z., Hassan, S., Zahari, A., & Ali, A. A. (2018). Snakehead consumption enhances wound healing? From tradition to modern clinical practice: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, 3032790. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3032790

• Schmidt, J. G., Andersen, E. W., Ersbøll, B. K., & Nielsen, M. E. (2016). Muscle wound healing in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish and Shellfish Immunology, 48, 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2015.12.010

• Schoonyan, A., Kraus, R. T., Faust, M. D., Vandergoot, C. S., Cooke, S. J., Cook, H. A., Hayden, T., & Krueger, C. C. (2017). Estimating incision healing rate for surgically implanted acoustic transmitters from recaptured fish. Animal Biotelemetry, 5, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-017-0130-2

• Sharir, S., Zulkipli, N., Mohamad, A., & Ayuni, F. (2021). Habitat use and movement activity of neolissochilus soroides and channa lucius during post inundation of Tembat Reservoir, Hulu Terengganu. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, 44(3), 503–526. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjtas.44.3.01

• Sveen, L. R. (2018). Aquaculture relevant stressors and their impacts on skin and wound healing in post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/bitstream/handle/1956/19024/Dr.thesis_2018_Lene_Rydal_Sveen.pdf

• Sveen, L., Karlsen, C., & Ytteborg, E. (2020). Mechanical induced wounds in fish – A review on models and healing mechanisms. Reviews in Aquaculture, 12(4), 2446–2465. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12443

• Sveen, L. R., Timmerhaus, G., Krasnov, A., Takle, H., Handeland, S., & Ytteborg, E. (2019). Wound healing in post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Scientific Reports, 9, 3565. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39080-x

• Thiem, J. D., Taylor, M. K., McConnachie, S. H., Binder, T. R., & Cooke, S. J. (2011). Trends in the reporting of tagging procedures for fish telemetry studies that have used surgical implantation of transmitters: A call for more complete reporting. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 21(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-010-9194-2

• Ullah, N., Said, A., Israr, M., Rasool, A., Akbar, F., Ahmad, S., Mehmood, S. A., Jabeen, H., Islam, M., Muhammad, S., Noureenh, S., Habiba, U., Ahmed, D., Shah, M., Khan, M. A. A., & Siraj, M. (2022). Effect of different protein based feed on the growth of mahseer. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 82, e243670. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.243670

• Vernerey, F. J., Musiket, K., & Barthelat, F. (2014). Mechanics of fish skin: A computational approach for bio-inspired flexible composites. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 51(1), 274–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2013.10.001

• Vollset, K. W., Lennox, R. J., Thorstad, E. B., Auer, S., Bär, K., Larsen, M. H., Mahlum, S., Näslund, J., Stryhn, H., & Dohoo, I. (2020). Systematic review and meta-analysis of PIT tagging effects on mortality and growth of juvenile salmonids. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 30, 553–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-020-09611-1

• Wagner, G. N., Stevens, E. D., & Byrne, P. (2000). Effects of suture type and patterns on surgical wound healing in rainbow trout. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 129(5), 1196–1205. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(2000)129<1196:eostap>2.0.co;2

• Whoriskey, K., Martins, E. G., Auger-Méthé, M., Gutowsky, L. F. G., Lennox, R. J., Cooke, S. J., Power, M., & Mills Flemming, J. (2019). Current and emerging statistical techniques for aquatic telemetry data: A guide to analysing spatially discrete animal detections. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(7), 935–948. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13188

• Wilson, A. D. M., Hayden, T. A., Vandergoot, C. S., Kraus, R. T., Dettmers, J. M., Cooke, S. J., & Krueger, C. C. (2017). Do intracoelomic telemetry transmitters alter the post-release behaviour of migratory fish?. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 26(2), 292-300. https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.12275