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