Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assessing Movement and Sources of Mortality of 

Juvenile Catostomids Using Passive Integrated 

Transponder Tags, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—

Summary of 2012 Effort

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2013–1062

Assessing Movement and Sources of Mortality of Juvenile 

Catostomids Using Passive Integrated Transponder Tags, 

Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—Summary of 2012 Effort

By Summer M. Burdick

Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Open-File Report 2013-1062

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2013

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Suggested citation: 

Burdick, S.M, 2013, Assessing movement and sources of mortality of juvenile catostomids using passive integrated 

transponder tags, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—Summary of 2012 effort: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 2013-1062, 12 p. 

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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

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iii

Contents

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Methods...................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Fish Sampling ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Fish Tagging ........................................................................................................................................................... 3

Redetection of Tagged Fish .................................................................................................................................... 3

Data Summary and Discussion................................................................................................................................... 4

Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................................... 6

References Cited........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Figures

Figure 1. Map of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, including locations of remote PIT tag detection systems and 

sites where tags were detected on bird colonies ....................................................................................................... 9

Figure 2. Movement of four juvenile suckers detected upstream of the Williamson River weir on remote 

antenna arrays in the Williamson or Sprague Rivers, Oregon ................................................................................. 10

Tables

Table 1. Number of trap nets fished before July 1 in each year, number of suckers less than 350 mm standard 

length given 8 mm and 12 mm PIT tags, and number of PIT tags redetected on remote sensing equipment or 

physically recaptured by year, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2009–12 .................................................................. 11

Table 2. Number of age-1 suckers tagged with either 8 mm or 12 mm PIT tags and redetected or

recaptured each year, Upper Klamath Lake or adjacent marshes, Oregon, 2009–12 ............................................. 11

Table 3. Dates that juvenile suckers were detected at the Williamson River weir ................................................... 12
iv

Conversion Factors, Datum, and Abbreviations and Acronyms

Conversion Factors

Multiply By To obtain

Length

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 feet (ft)

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

Frequency

kilohertz (kHz) 1,000 cycles per second (cps)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F= (1.8×°C)+32.

Datum 

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations Meaning

PIT passive integrated transponder

rkm river kilometers

.
1

Assessing Movement and Sources of Mortality of 

Juvenile Catostomids Using Passive Integrated 

Transponder Tags, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—

Summary of 2012 Effort

By Summer M. Burdick 

Executive Summary

Survival of juvenile endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers is thought to limit 

recruitment into the adult populations and ultimately limit the recovery of these species in Upper 

Klamath Lake, Oregon. Although many hypotheses exist about the sources of mortality, the 

contribution of each speculated source of mortality has not been examined. To examine causes of 

mortality, validate estimated age to maturity, and examine movement patterns for juvenile

suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and remote tag 

detection systems were used. Age-1 suckers were opportunistically tagged in 2009 and 2010 

during another study on juvenile sucker distribution. After the distribution study concluded in 

2010, USGS redirected sampling efforts to target age-1 suckers for tagging. Tags were 

redetected using an existing infrastructure of remote PIT tag readers and tag scanning surveys at 

American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax 

auritus), and Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) breeding and loafing areas. Individual fish histories 

are used to describe the distance, direction, and timing of juvenile sucker movement. Sucker PIT 

tag detections in the Sprague and Williamson Rivers in mid-summer and in autumn indicate

tagged juvenile suckers use these tributaries outside of the known spring spawning season. PIT 

tags detected in bird habitats indicate predation by birds was a cause of mortality.

Introduction 

Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) are 

both long-lived, late-maturing catostomids endemic to the Upper Klamath Basin in southern 

Oregon and northern California (Scoppettone and Vinyard, 1991). Both species were listed as 

endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1988 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988). A 

persistent lack of recruitment of new individuals into adult spawning populations since the early 

1990s led to population declines for both species (Janney and others, 2008, 2009; Hewitt and 

others, 2011). Rapidly decreasing catch rates of age-0 suckers each summer and extremely low

catches of age-1 suckers, suggest survival of juvenile suckers is consistently low (Bottcher and 

Burdick, 2010). Little information exists on juvenile sucker movement and potential causes of 

mortality that could assist resource managers with recovery efforts.
2

A third Catostomidae that resides in the Upper Klamath Basin, the Klamath largescale sucker 

(Catostomus snyderi), is not protected under the Endangered Species Act. Presently, there is no 

non-lethal method to differentiate juvenile Klamath largescale, shortnose, and Lost River 

suckers; although genetic tests are being developed. The Klamath largescale sucker is the least 

studied of the Upper Klamath Basin suckers, so its population demography is poorly understood, 

especially during early life stages. The Klamath largescale sucker generally is considered a 

riverine species; although, individuals are occasionally captured in Upper Klamath Lake. 

Spawning migrations for this species occur about 1 month earlier than for Lost River and 

shortnose suckers, but genetic material is shared among the three species, suggesting some 

hybridization occurs or did occur in the recent past (Tranah and others, 2001).

Poor water quality, algal toxins, habitat alterations, interactions with exotic species, and 

avian predation (National Research Council, 2004; VanderKooi and others, 2010; Burdick, 

2012a) have all been suggested as potential causes of high juvenile sucker mortality. Spatialtemporal patterns in catch rates indicate that the sudden onset of low-oxygen conditions in a

western part of Upper Klamath Lake known as the trench may trap and kill juvenile suckers or 

preclude them from using productive deep water habitats each June (Bottcher and Burdick, 

2010). In addition, Microcystis aeruginosa a hepatotoxin-producing cyanobacteria has been 

found in the gastrointestinal tracts of juvenile suckers exhibiting damaged liver tissue. This 

suggests a possible connection between the alga and sucker mortality (VanderKooi and others,

2010). Although a number of potential sources of juvenile sucker mortality have been identified, 

no attempts have been made to evaluate the relative importance of potential mortality sources.

Movement out of a study area may be mistaken for mortality, and the causes or magnitude of 

mortality may be related to movement patterns of juvenile suckers. However, very little is known 

about the movement patterns of juvenile suckers.

Another area of uncertainty in juvenile sucker life history is the age of reproductive 

maturity. Age of reproductive maturity was previously estimated to be between 6 and 14 years 

based on annual marks formed in opercles (Buettner and Scoppettone, 1990). It was assumed that 

all marks present on opercles were annuli and that distance between marks decreased once fish 

spawned. Poor water quality and other environmental factors, however, can cause the formation 

of false annuli leading to uncertainty in age estimation, especially in older fish.

Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag technology combined with active and passive 

tag detection systems allow us to examine the fate of tagged fish over a large geographic area. 

The use of this technology can provide data essential to understanding causes of juvenile sucker 

mortality and movement patterns, and the age at which suckers first spawn. Building on markrecapture research of adult suckers in the Upper Klamath Basin that began in 1995, the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) began PIT tagging age-1 suckers in 2009. Juvenile suckers were 

opportunistically tagged during a juvenile sucker habitat study project that captured suckers in 

2009 and 2010. After that research project was discontinued, USGS redirected sampling efforts 

for the specific purpose of catching and tagging age-1 juvenile suckers. This report summarizes 

tagging effort and tag detections of juvenile suckers in 2012. A previous report covered tagging 

effort and tag redetections from 2009 to 2011 (Burdick, 2012a).
3

Methods

Fish Sampling 

Age-1 and older juvenile suckers were captured using trap nets set overnight in Upper 

Klamath Lake, and the Williamson River Delta. Sample sites were selected using a random 

stratified approach as part of a study on juvenile sucker habitat use in 2009 and 2010. These sites 

were distributed throughout Upper Klamath Lake, and the Williamson River Delta in 2010

(Burdick, 2012b), and additionally throughout the southern two-thirds of Upper Klamath Lake in 

2009 (Bottcher and Burdick, 2010; Burdick and Brown, 2010). To increase capture probability 

for age-1 or older juvenile suckers, sites were selected in 2011 and 2012 based on locations of 

above-average catches of age-1 suckers in a 2007 and 2008 study on juvenile sucker distribution 

(Burdick and others, 2009; Burdick and VanderKooi, 2010). In addition, we modified sampling 

locations throughout the 2011 field season to maximize our catch of age-1 and older suckers. In 

the 2012 field season, fish were sampled and tagged in three areas—Fish Banks, Tulana, and 

Goose Bay (fig. 1). The numbers of nets used to fish for juvenile suckers each year are given in 

table 1. Standard length (SL) was measured for all suckers captured. Because a non-lethal 

method of species identification has not been established for Klamath Basin suckers, a tissue 

sample was collected from each sucker in anticipation of the development of a genetic 

identification method.

Fish Tagging

Full duplex, 12.45 × 2.02 mm, 134.2 kHz, PIT tags were injected into the body cavity 

posterior to the pelvic girdle of healthy juvenile suckers 70 mm SL or longer and 8.00 × 2.02 

mm PIT tags operating on the same frequency were injected into healthy juvenile suckers 60–70 

mm SL. Mortality associated with the use of 12.45 mm PIT tags in juvenile suckers 72 mm SL or 

longer is less than 10 percent (Burdick, 2011). All suckers tagged in 2009 were at least 70 mm 

SL because the smaller 8.00 mm tags were not available for use in that year. Prior to tagging, 

suckers were scanned for the presence of a previously administered tag and anesthetized in a 

0.02–0.03 mg/L solution of MS-222 prepared with lake water. Between each tag injection, 

needles were disinfected with a 3 percent chlorhexidine solution to reduce the probability of 

infection. Suckers were allowed to fully recover in a bucket of lake water before being released 

near the area of capture.

Redetection of Tagged Fish

Tags were reencountered when fish were recaptured in trap nets, detected on remote PIT 

tag antennas, or scanned on bird breeding or loafing areas. Remote detection systems and bird 

habitat scans were essential for reencountering tags, because physical recaptures were

uncommon. From 2009 to 2012, USGS operated fixed passive detection systems, (1) in upstream 

and downstream traps of the Williamson River fish weir, (2) immediately upstream of the 

Williamson River fish weir, (3) immediately downstream of the former Chiloquin Dam site on 

the Sprague River, (4) 2.5 river km (rkm) upstream of the dam site, (5) 12 rkm upstream of the 

dam site (near Braymill), (6) at springs along the east shoreline of Upper Klamath Lake, and (7) 

in the Link River fish ladder on the Link River Dam. An additional remote detection system 

became operational March 8, 2012, in the lower Wood River (fig. 1). Remote detection systems 

were installed in March each year and removed in July 2009 and 2010 and in September 2011 
4

and 2012. Remote detection systems read 12.45 mm PIT tags but do not reliably detect 8.00 mm 

PIT tags, which must be within about 10 cm of an antenna to be detected (B. Hayes, U.S. 

Geological Survey, oral commun., 2011). The largest American white pelican (Pelecanus 

erythrorhynchos) and double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) breeding colonies in the 

Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge were scanned in autumn 2009, 2010, and 2012 and at 

Clear Lake, California, from 2009 to 2012. American white pelican loafing sites and Forster’s

tern (Sterna forsteri) breeding sites in the Williamson River Delta restoration area and American 

white pelican loafing areas near the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake also were scanned for tags in 

October 2012.

Data were summarized to describe fishing effort, catch rates, number of tags given to 

fish, and number of tags detected. Individual histories are given for a few fish to illustrate the 

type of data collected. These histories provide limited information on the movement patterns of 

tagged suckers. Data collected so far are not sufficient to estimate or evaluate causes of 

mortality, or estimate age to maturity.

Data Summary and Discussion

Catch rates of age-1 and older suckers were higher when this age class was targeted 

compared to when a random stratified sampling approach was used. Catch rates in nets set 

between May 9 and June 22, a period of time that was sampled in all years, increased from 0.16 

per net in 2009 and 0.03 per net set in 2010 to 0.43 in 2011 and 0.61 in 2012 (Bottcher and 

Burdick, 2010; Burdick and Brown, 2010; Burdick, 2012b). In 2009 and 2010, nets were spread 

throughout the study area. In contrast, 2011 and 2012 sample sites primarily were located in 

water less than 1 m deep in the Goose Bay part of the Williamson River Delta, where annual 

average catch rates were 0.58 suckers per net in 2011 and 0.48 suckers per net in 2012. 

More age-1 suckers shorter than 70 mm SL were captured in spring 2011 than in 2010 or 

2012. This resulted in 8.00 mm tags making up 44 percent of tags in 2011 compared to only 15 

percent in 2010 and 4 percent in 2012 (table 1). A total of five fish were redetected in 2012; two 

tagged in 2011 and three tagged in 2012 (table 2). Nearly all redetected tags in all years were 

12.45 mm long. A single 8.00 mm tag was redetected the Williamson River weir array in 2012. 

From 2009 to 2012 a total of 16 individual juvenile suckers 72 to 212 mm SL were 

detected in the Williamson and Sprague Rivers (table 3). Of these, three were detected in 

multiple years. Most juvenile sucker detections in the rivers occurred at the Williamson River 

weir between May and August (table 3). Only one tagged juvenile sucker was detected in the 

river during the spawning season. This sucker was tagged at 97 mm SL in the Williamson River 

Delta in May 2009 and detected on March 17, 2010, at the Williamson River weir (table 3). Four 

juvenile suckers were detected upstream of the Williamson River weir on at least one occasion 

(fig. 2). The farthest upstream juvenile sucker detections occurred between July 9 and July 11, 

2012, at Braymill (rkm 31) for a 212 mm SL sucker. 
5

Data collected in this study provides some of the first evidence that juvenile suckers 

migrate upstream of Upper Klamath Lake into the Williamson and Sprague Rivers during 

summer months. Similarly, 14 tagged age-0 and age-1 suckers salvaged from A and J canals and 

released into the southern end of Upper Klamath Lake were detected at the Williamson River 

weir in 2011 (A. Wilken, Bureau of Reclamation, oral commun., 2012). Although in-river 

detections represent a large portion of juvenile suckers redetected, they do not necessarily 

indicate that a large portion of juvenile suckers migrate into the Williamson and Sprague Rivers 

in the summer. A high number of detections in the rivers compared to the bird colonies or 

physical recaptured fish is likely due to the higher efficacy of our remote sampling gear relative

to the methods used to redetect tags in other areas. Tag detections may indicate the presence of 

predators, such as Klamath redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss subsp.) that ate tagged suckers, 

rather than suckers. Because some tags were detected over several months, and stomach 

evacuation of trout is unlikely to take that long, it was assumed that detected tags were in live 

suckers. Another possibility is that the fish detected on river antennas were the more riverine 

Klamath largescale sucker rather than one of the two endangered suckers. The remaining 

explanation for these detections is that they are indications of juvenile endangered sucker species 

moving into the rivers during the summer months.

Tag detections on bird colonies indicate predation was the cause of mortality for at least 

seven (4.1 percent) suckers tagged in 2009, two (4.7 percent) suckers tagged in 2010, two (1.2

percent) suckers tagged in 2011, and six (2.8 percent) tagged in 2012. Tags injected into these fish 

were detected on American white pelican or double-crested cormorant breeding or loafing areas

in the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Tags were not detected in habitat dominated by 

loafing or breeding Forster’s terns. Because both American white pelicans and double-crested 

cormorants primarily feed on live fish (Derby and Lovvorn, 1997), it can be assumed that these 

fish were eaten alive and did not die of other causes. The rate of redetected tags on bird colonies 

is certainly an underestimate of the portion of juvenile suckers eaten by birds, due to an inability 

to scan off-colony tag deposition and incomplete detection of on-colony tag deposition. High 

rates of infection and parasites on juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake may make juvenile 

suckers more susceptible to avian predation by reducing their swimming ability (Foott, 2004; 

Bottcher and Burdick, 2010; Iwanowicz, 2011). Periodic anoxic conditions in Upper Klamath 

Lake also may elevate avian predation by forcing juvenile suckers to surface and gulp air (Foott

and others, 2007).

This study was limited by the number of suckers captured that were of a tagable size and 

by a low redetection rate. Although the efficiency of catching juvenile suckers increased between 

2010 and 2011, an even greater number of juvenile suckers will need to be tagged and redetected

to estimate survival. As a general rule, to estimate demographic parameters from tagging studies 

approximately 20 percent of the tags need to be redetected (Hewitt and others, 2010). Our 4- year 

redetection rate was 6.7 percent. The low tag redetection rate may be due to the large area in 

which tagged suckers can be distributed (the area of Upper Klamath Lake is approximately 280 

km2

; Johnson, 2012), and the location of remote detection systems. Remote detection systems 

were placed so they would intercept fish as they migrated to spawning grounds. This placement 

is not optimal for our purposes because we do not expect the age-1 suckers tagged in this study 

to make spring migrations to spawning grounds within a year or two of tagging. It is not clear, 

however, where to place remote detection systems to increase detections of juvenile suckers, 

because these fish do not appear to concentrate into a small enough area to be targeted by remote 

detection systems.
6

The success of this project for studying movement and age to maturity depends on a large 

number of suckers being produced and surviving to age-1, tagging a significant portion of that 

age group, and successful redetection. Yearly production of juvenile suckers, however, is 

extremely variable and was not high in any years of the study. Therefore, catch rates of juvenile 

suckers were low and we were only able to tag 592 suckers over 4 years. Increased effort to 

detect tags on bird loafing and breeding area in 2012 failed to locate a large numbers of tags. 

Without of a large production event, we can expect continued years of effort to make small but 

steady annual improvements in the total number of tags distributed and redetected. With these 

data, age to maturity may be determined over time. Our ability to study movement is limited 

because tag detections occurred in a limited number of areas on remote systems or at bird 

colonies. 

Acknowledgments 

Data were collected in 2012 with the help of Travis Ciotti (USGS) and Elizabeth Ng

(USGS). Alta Harris (USGS) and Amari Dolan-Caret (USGS) developed and manage the 

database used in this research. The Nature Conservancy allowed access to the land on which 

much of this study was conducted. This work was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

References Cited

Bottcher, J., and Burdick, S.M., 2010, Temporal and spatial distribution of endangered juvenile 

Lost River and shortnose suckers in relation to environmental variables in Upper Klamath 

Lake, Oregon—2009 annual data summary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-

1261, 42 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1261/.)

Buettner, M., and Scoppettone, G.G., 1990, Life history and status of Catostomids in Upper 

Klamath Lake, Oregon: Reno, Nevada, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Klamath 

Tribe, and National Fisheries Research Center, 119 p.

Burdick, S.M., 2011, Tag loss and short-term mortality associated with passive integrated 

transponder (PIT) tagging of juvenile Lost River suckers: North American Journal of Fisheries 

Management, v. 31, p. 1088–1092. 

Burdick, S.M., 2012a, Tagging age-1 Lost River and shortnose suckers with passive integrated 

transponders, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon–Summary of 2009–11 effort: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2012–1076, 10 p. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1076/.)

Burdick, S.M., 2012b, Distribution and condition of larval and juvenile Lost River and shortnose 

suckers in the Williamson River Delta restoration project and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—

2010 annual data summary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1027, 39 p. (Also 

available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1027/.)

Burdick, S.M., and Brown, D.T., 2010, Distribution and condition of larval and juvenile Lost

River and shortnose suckers in the Williamson River Delta restoration project and Upper 

Klamath Lake, Oregon—2009 annual data summary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 2010-1216, 78 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1216/.)

Burdick, S.M., and VanderKooi, S.P., 2010, Temporal and spatial distribution of endangered 

juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in relation to environmental variables in Upper 
7

Klamath Lake, Oregon—2008 annual data summary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 2010-1051, 46 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1051/.)

Burdick, S.M., VanderKooi, S.P., and Anderson, G.O., 2009, Spring and summer spatial 

distribution of endangered juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in relation to 

environmental variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—2007 annual report: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1043, 56 p. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1043/.)

Derby, C.E., and Lovvorn, J.R., 1997, Predation on fish by cormorants and pelicans in a coldwater river—a field and modeling study: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 

v. 54, p. 1480–1493.

Foott J.S., 2004, Health monitoring of adult Lost River Sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose 

sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) in upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, April–September 2003: U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, 37 p. (Also available at http://www.fws.gov/canvfhc/reports)

Foott, J.S., Stone, R., and Fogerty, R., 2007, Lack of disease response in juvenile Upper Klamath 

Lake suckers (age-0+) to adverse water quality conditions–pilot study August 2007: U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service Report, 12 p.

Hewitt, D.A., Hayes, B.S., Janney, E.C., Harris, A.C., Koller, J.P., and Johnson, M.A., 2011, 

Demographics and run timing of adult Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose 

(Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2009: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2011-1088, 43 p. (Also available at

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1088/.)

Hewitt, D.A., Janney, E.C., Hayes, B.S., and Shively, R.S., 2010, Improving inferences from 

fisheries capture-recapture studies through remote detection of PIT tags: Fisheries, v. 35, no. 5, 

p. 217–231. 

Iwanowicz, D.D., 2011, Overview of the effects of parasites on fish health, Proceeding of: 

Bridging America and Russia with Shared Perspectives on Aquatic Animal Health, Third 

Bilateral Conference between Russia and the United States, at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 

v. 3.

Janney, E.C., Hayes, B.C., Hewitt, D.A., Barry, P.M., Scott, A.C., Koller, J.P., Johnson, M.A., 

and Blackwood, G., 2009, Demographics and 2008 run timing of adult Lost River (Deltistes 

luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 

2008: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1183, 32 p. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1183/.)

Janney, E.C., Shivley, R.S., Hayes, B.S., and Barry, P.M., 2008, Demographic analysis of Lost 

River sucker and shortnose sucker populations in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Transactions 

of the American Fisheries Society, v. 137, p. 1812–1825.

Johnson, D.M., 2012, Atlas of Oregon Lakes: Portland Oregon, Portland State University Press,

accessed February 25, 2012, at http://www.aol.research.pdx.edu/.

National Research Council, 2004, Endangered and threatened fishes in the Klamath River 

Basin—Causes of decline and strategies for recovery: Washington, D.C., The National 

Academies Press, 398 p.

Scoppettone, G.G., and Vinyard, G., 1991, Life history and management of four endangered 

lacustrine suckers, in Minckley, W.L., and Deacon, J.E., eds., Battle against extinction—

Native fish management in the American West: Tucson, The University of Arizona Press, p. 

359-377.
8

Tranah, G.J., Agresti, J.J., and May, B., 2001, New microsatellite loci for suckers 

(Catostomidae): primer homology in Catostomus, Chasmistes, and Deltistes: Molecular

Ecology Notes, v. 1, p. 55–60.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988, Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants—

Determination of endangered status for the shortnose sucker and Lost River sucker: Federal 

Register, v. 53, p. 27,130–27,134.

VanderKooi, S.P., Burdick, S.M., Echols, K.R., Ottinger, C.A., Rosen, B.H., and Wood, T.M., 

2010, Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—Linking water quality to juvenile sucker 

health: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3111, 2 p. (Also available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3111/.)
9

Figure 1. Map of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, including locations of remote PIT tag detection systems

and sites where tags were detected on bird colonies. All remote detection systems were active from 2009 

to 2011, except the Wood River system, which was activated March 8, 2012.
10

Figure 2. Movement of four juvenile suckers detected upstream of the Williamson River weir on remote 

antenna arrays in the Williamson or Sprague Rivers, Oregon. All suckers were tagged in the Williamson 

River Delta, which was considered 0 rkm upstream of Williamson River mouth. Detection systems also 

were present at 9.5 rkm (Williamson River weir), 19 rkm (Chiloquin Dam site), 21.5 rkm (upstream of the 

Chiloquin Dam site), and 31 rkm (Braymill). The standard length of each fish at the time of tagging is given.
11

Table 1. Number of trap nets fished before July 1 in each year, number of suckers less than 350 mm 

standard length given 8.00 mm and 12.45 mm PIT tags, and number of PIT tags redetected on remote 

sensing equipment or physically recaptured by year, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2009–12.

[N/A, not applicable]

Year

2009 2010 2011 2012

Number of nets fished 1,443 1,099 488 347

Tagged with 8.00 mm 0 6 72 7

Tagged with 12.45 mm 170 37 93 207

Detected on remote antennas 8 6 5 5

Recaptured in juvenile sampling 0 0 3 0

Detected on bird colonies 6 3 N/A 8

Table 2. Number of age-1 suckers tagged with either 8.00 mm or 12.45 mm PIT tags and redetected or 

recaptured each year, Upper Klamath Lake or adjacent marshes, Oregon, 2009–12.

Year redetected

Year tagged Number tagged 2009 2010 2011 2012

2009 170 14 5 2 0

2010 43 4 1 0

2011 165 5 4

2012 214 9
12

Table 3. Dates that juvenile suckers were detected at the Williamson River weir.

[The weir is located 9.5 km upstream of the mouth of the Williamson River. Each detection 

event is given on a separate line. Detection events within the same year were distinguished by a 

detection of the same fish at a different location. Lines highlighted in grey are the same fish on 

different occasions. Standard length of each fish at the time of tagging is given] 

Detected at weir

Date tagged First Last

Standard length

(mm)

5-20-09 7-8-09 7-8-09 72

4-16-09 4-29-09 6-4-09 155

4-16-09 8-12-09 8-12-09 155

5-18-09 5-26-09 7-16-09 98

5-17-09 11-12-10 11-12-10 131

6-3-09 6-9-09 6-9-09 169

5-3-10 5-2-11 5-2-11 140

5-3-10 7-14-11 7-14-11 140

5-3-10 10-17-11 10-17-11 140

5-19-09 5-15-10 5-28-10 208

5-4-09 6-7-09 6-7-09 112

5-28-09 6-4-09 7-30-09 97

5-11-09 6-5-09 8-30-09 97

5-11-09 3-17-10 3-17-10 97

6-3-09 8-5-09 8-6-09 80

6-21-11 5-30-12 5-30-12 64

6-14-11 6-21-11 8-27-11 145

6-14-11 5-2-12 9-15-12 145

5-25-11 5-24-11 24-Jul-11 140

6-6-12 6-10-12 10-Jun-12 173

4-30-12 5-23-12 30-May-12 212

4-30-12 8-20-12 31-Aug-12 212

6-6-12 6-12-12 12-Jun-12 105
Publishing support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey

Publishing Network, Tacoma Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning the research in this report, contact the 

Director, Western Fisheries Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey

6505 NE 65th Street

Seattle, WA 98115

http://wfrc.usgs.gov/
Burdick—Assessing Movement and Sources of Mortality of Juvenile Catostomids Using Passive Integrated Transponder Tags, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon—Summary of 2012 Effort—Open-File Report 2013–1062