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HELPING SALMON

in the Sacramento Valley

Fish Surgeries to Insert Micro-transmitters into the Salmon.

Event Date:  April 24, 2019

Purpose:  Now that this fish have grown to taggable size, the UC Davis science team carefully performs a surgical procedure to each fish to insert the micro-transmitters.  This is an acoustical device called a Juvenile Salmon Acoustical Telemetry (JSAT) tag. These JSAT tags will interact with an array of special receivers that will allow us to track each fish’s journey towards the Golden Gate.  This is the final step before they can be released for this journey.

Video compilation of UC Davis Graduate Student and the Salmon Project Science Program Leader, Rachelle Tallman, explaining and demonstrating the steps to the tagging surgery operations.
Video of local Sacramento talk show hosts Armstrong & Getty on-site talking about the ricelands salmon project.
One of the young salmon about ready to be fitted with a JSAT tag.
One of the young salmon about ready to be fitted with a JSAT tag.  These salmon range from 75 to 100 mm in size.
Collection of the micro-transmitters
Collection of the micro-transmitters about ready to be activated and placed into a young salmon.
Picture of just one of the JSAT tags with a quarter for a reference to its size.
Picture of just one of the JSAT tags with a quarter for a reference to its size.
A Pinger Dish which is used to activate the JSAT tags.
This is called a Pinger Dish.  It is a specialized device used by the science team to activate the JSAT tags before insertion.
Video of the process of inserting the JSAT tags into the salmon.
Video of the process of suturing the young salmon after the JSAT tag is inserted.
Inserting the JSAT tag after the small incision is made.
The process of inserting the JSAT tag after the small incision is made.
Suturing of the fish after the JSAT tag has been inserted.
Suturing of the fish after the JSAT tag has been inserted.
Protective cages that the salmon are stored in before and after the surgeries.
Protective cages that the salmon are stored in before and after the surgeries.
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel explaining details of the JSAT technology to Maya Thompson Kepner
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel explaining details of the JSAT technology to Maya Thompson Kepner who represents the Conaway Ranch which provided the rice fields the fish were raised on as well as labor and equipment to help manage the study field.
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel describing the study design to Ben Sacher
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel describing the study design to Ben Sacher from Syngenta, one of the major sponsors of the project.
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel discussing the overall science program details to local Sacramento talk show hosts Armstrong & Getty.
UC Davis Lead Scientist Andrew Rypel discussing the overall science program details to local Sacramento talk show hosts Armstrong & Getty.

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