Browsing by Author "Solcz, Andrew Anthony"

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Assessment of culvert passage of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in a Yellowstone River spawning tributary using a passive integrated transponder system
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2007) Solcz, Andrew Anthony; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Thomas E. McMahon
Road crossing culverts can pose passage barriers during salmonid migration. However, existing models to predict passage have not been sufficiently tested, particularly for non-anadromous species. In addition, most existing tools for evaluating culvert passage status categorize culverts as passable or impassable whereas an estimate of the probability of passage under a range of flows and hydraulic conditions would be more useful for assessing barrier status. This study used Half-duplex (HDX) Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and PIT tag reading antennas to examine the ability of migrating fluvial-adfluvial Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri to pass through three distinct culvert types over a variety of hydraulic conditions. PIT tag detecting antennas were installed on the upper and lower ends of each culvert and below the plunge pool downstream of the culvert. This design allowed determination of (1) passage success or failure; (2) the number of passage attempts made at each culvert; and (3) the time required for passage through each culvert; and (4) the number of tagged individuals that attempted passage at a particular culvert.