A comparison of five external marks for Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L

Five external marks (Panjet, visible implant tag, hot brand, anal finclip and fluorescent pigment) were compared for retention and effect on marine survival in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., ranching experiments aimed at complementing coded wire tagging. Only fluorescent pigment marks and Panjet marks were found to be effective, with retention rates of 76.9% and 90.0% respectively, after one year at sea. The Panjet was the only mark to significantly reduce marine survival (P < 0.001) compared with controls.