Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Volume
77
Issue
9
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Publication Date
6-16-2020
Keywords
endangered fish, ghost tags, passive integrated transponder, PIT tags
First Page
1564
Last Page
1573
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
The ability of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag data to improve demographic parameter estimates has led to the rapid advancement of PIT tag systems. However, ghost tags create uncertainty about detected tag status (i.e., live fish or ghost tag) when using mobile interrogation systems. We developed a method to differentiate between live fish and ghost tags using a random forest classification model with a novel data input structure based on known fate PIT tag detections in the San Juan River (New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, USA). We used our model to classify detected tags with an overall error rate of 6.8% (1.6% ghost tags error rate and 21.8% live fish error rate). The important variables for classification were related to distance moved and response to monsoonal flood flows; however, habitat variables did not appear to influence model accuracy. Our results and approach allow the use of mobile detection data with confidence and allow for greater accuracy in movement, distribution, and habitat use studies, potentially helping identify influential management actions that would improve our ability to conserve and recover endangered fish.
Recommended Citation
J. Benjamin Stout, Mary Conner, Phaedra Budy, Peter Mackinnon, and Mark McKinstry. 2020. Keeping it classy: classification of live fish and ghost PIT tags detected with a mobile PIT tag interrogation system using an innovative analytical approach. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 77(9): 1564-1573. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0403
