WasserCluster Lunz

In collaboration with BOKU, members of the SciFish group have just launched a new study investigating the behavior and ecology of fish as part of the 4FatQs project. The study uses a method of radio telemetry to locate preferred habitats and movements of fish. The researchers tagged 60 adult trout in the River Ois with electronic transmitters (the size of the fish ranged from 200 to 880 g). The researchers will track the movements of the fish every week for the next 8 months until June/July 2025. The study's results will help us better understand how native brown trout and non-native rainbow trout move between different habitats during and outside their spawning season. We will also improve our knowledge of how climate change may affect interactions between native and non-native species. Stay tuned for more information from this study.

 

Electrofishing team collects fish for the radiotelemetry study.

 

 

Surgical implantation of radiotelemetric transmitters in fish, performed under complete anesthesia by an experienced researcher. We take precise measurements of fish size and morphology before the operation and also take small tissue samples for genetic analysis. The work is carefully supervised and is permitted under the ethical approval of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.

Recovered trout released back into their natural river after the operation.