Juvenile salmon capture and coded wire tagging manual

Tagging with coded wire tags (CWT) is the most common marking method used for studies of Pacific salmon released from hatcheries. CWTs can also be used in studies of wild stocks to estimate harvest, total adult production (harvest plus escapement), exploitation rates, smolt production, marine survival or return rates, and spawner-recruit relationships. This manual documents what we have learned in over 25 years of working with coded wire tags and wild salmon in lakes, streams and rivers in Alaska. We hope it will be a practical and useful tool in the planning and operation of similar projects with tips on what has worked and not worked for us over the years. It will also be a citable reference for methods in future reports. Also included is an annotated bibliography of references on related subjects and links to useful websites. For project planning, we have also included an appendix listing sources of some of the specialized equipment used in these projects.