Tagging the European eel Anguilla anguilla (L.) with coded wire tags

The coded wire tag (CWT) system was examined as a possible tool for tagging European eels (Anguilla anguilla). Two size groups of eels (3.8 and 10.2 g) were tagged with CWTs in the dorsal musculature, Tag loss 28 days after tagging was 3.1% for the small and 0.7% for the large groups of eels. Of the tag loss in the small eels, 61% were lost during the first 2 h after tagging. In the small group, eels that lost tags were significantly (P<0.001) smaller than eels that retained tags. Survival was 100% for both size groups. The tagging speed was recorded at 400 eels/h. The results show that CWTs are suitable for tagging eels down to 2 g. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.