Comparison of fish catch


Gritters, S. A.  1994.  Comparison of fish catch between a mini
fyke net and a 10.7-meter bag seine in the Upper Mississippi
River.  Report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
Bellevue, Iowa, for the National Biological Survey, Environmental
Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, August 1994. 
LTRMP 94-S008.  12 pp.  (NTIS #PB95-111472)


ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare catch characteristics of
two commonly used fish sampling gears.  This comparison provides
information on which to base decisions about deployment of
sampling gear and interpretion of data from localized historical
sampling.   A comparison of fish catch was made between a 10.7-m
bag seine and a mini fyke net (MFN) in Upper Mississippi River
Pool 13.  The MFNs were found to capture a higher number of
individuals and to have a higher species diversity than the seine. 
Comparisons of family catches between the MFN and the seine
revealed that the two gear types do not catch family groups in
similar proportions (X2 = 117.6 with 5 df, P < or = 0.05). 
Because MFNs can be set in nearly all nonflowing shoreline
habitats and the catch rates were higher in MFNs, it is
recommended that MFNs be used exclusively in all backwater areas. 
Further study is needed to determine the variance of the seines
and MFNs.  Also, the effects of vegetation on the fish catch with
MFNs needs further review.


KEYWORDS

Mississippi River, Pool 13, bag seine, seine, mini fyke, CPUE
(catch per unit effort), comparison