New Marking and Monitoring Techniques for Fish

BPA Project 198331900

Presenter: Sandra L. Downing (NMFS - NWFSC)

New name:

Development and Evaluation of Fish-Tracking Technologies

FY03-FY05

MAIN OBJECTIVES

• To upgrade the PIT-tag transceiver

• To develop and evaluate a PIT-tag interrogation system for the corner collector at Bonneville Dam

• To continue the development of in-stream PIT-tag interrogation systems

To upgrade the PIT-tag transceiver

2002 Version would not work for

• In-stream applications It could not auto-tune or multiplex (switch among multiple antennas)

• Future unknown applicationsAssumed many of these would include large or multiple antennas

Why needed?

• Corner-collector applicationIt could not handle an antenna that size

(too noisy internally and not enough power)

To upgrade the PIT-tag transceiver

Upgraded CPU processor

Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

Ability to multiplex antennas

Auto-tune each antenna

Significant power reduction

Wish list

Interim PIT-tag transceivers

MUX transceiver Vertical-slot transceiver 2002 Version

Corner-collectorG2 transceiver

FirstG2 transceiver

Future

PrototypeIn-stream

G2-transceiver

To develop and evaluate a PIT-tag interrogation system for the corner collector at Bonneville Dam

Why needed?

ISRP: A PIT-tag interrogation system for the corner collector is critically needed to yield more accurate survival estimates (e.g., Bonneville to Bonneville and Bonneville to Lower Granite SARs).

Minimum antenna size required:

16’ x 16’ (i.e., HUGE)

To get there, Digital Angel needed to design

• New antenna system

• New transceiver – just covered

• New tag

PIT-tag system for the corner collector

First antenna design

• Balanced double antenna

• Antenna wires embedded so would not move

• Separate excitation and receive antennas

• Problems occurred during fiberglass fabrication

First antenna design

• Schedule was driving project

• Ran multiple tests to learn what went wrong with first antenna design

First antenna design

• Serious problems became apparent after water was accidentally added to test facility

New antenna design

• Single antenna (3 coils) for both excitation and receive

• Removable slot design

• Flexibility to adjust coil windings if necessary

• Air gap around antenna wires (final size 17’ x 17’)

• Housing: copolymer polypropylene thermoplastic material

Polypropylene material, hatches so could adjust antenna cables if necessary

Antenna delivered in February 2006

Wrapping antenna

The BIG Install (24 March 2006)

Development of new 12-mm PIT tags

BESST

ST

SGL

Median Read Ranges in 4' by 4' Antenna

0

5

10

15

20

25

ST tag SGL tag SST tag

Rea

d r

ang

e (i

n)

Improvement: ~20% over ST ~10% over SGL~30% over ST

Relative performance of different PIT-tag models

April 2006 will be first time electronic and fish tests can be conducted that will determine if all of these developments have produced a PIT-tag detection system that will work in the corner-collector flume

Continue the development of PIT-tag in-stream interrogation systems

Yet, no PIT-tag technologies existed that could work

Why needed?

Researchers wanted to conduct research in streams to determine

• Over-winter behavior

• Survival estimates

• Migration patterns, behavior

Available PIT-tag technologies were inadequate

2’ x 6’ Largest antenna size (pretty small stream)

No grid power in many locations

2002 Transceiver could only power one antenna, operate on AC, and would need maintenance attention whenever environmental conditions changed

Rattlesnake Creek

• 2 transceivers

• 2 antennas (2’ x 6’)

2002 install

• AC power

• Multiple antennas (≤ 6) driven by 1 transceiver

New MUX transceiver

• Auto-tune each antenna

Largest installed antenna is 3X larger than in 2002

(19’ x 2.5’ opening)

2005 install

Independent Power Systems

Battery bank

Low budget, but high maintenance

Big footprint, but low maintenance

Solar system

Thermal ElectricGenerator (TEG)

• Small footprint

• Low maintenance

Prototypeoxygen cell

• Will use flowing stream to power cell

Goal – independent systems for remote locations

Battery – 1 week

TEG – 1-2 months

Solar system – most of a season

Power Systems

Oxygen cell – most of a season

PIT-tag in-stream interrogation systems

Because of these developments, many key in-stream projects are now possible

2002 2005

2 sites > 30 sites

Summary of Project Accomplishments for the last 3 - 4 years

• AntennasSize increased from 2’ by 6’ to 3’ by 20’ (17’ x 17’)

• TagsLatest tag model has a 30% longer read range

• TransceiversDifferent models for different applications

• Power systemsSeveral independent or off-grid systems now available