Evaluating single-pass catch as a tool for identifying spatial pattern in fish distribution
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Abstract
We evaluate the efficacy of single-pass electrofishing without blocknets as a tool for collecting spatially continuous fish distribution data in headwater streams. We compare spatial patterns in abundance, sampling effort, and length-frequency distributions from single-pass sampling of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) to data obtained from a more precise multiple-pass removal electrofishing method in two mid-sized (500–1000 ha) forested watersheds in western Oregon. Abundance estimates from single- and multiple-pass removal electrofishing were positively correlated in both watersheds, r = 0.99 and 0.86. There were no significant trends in capture probabilities at the watershed scale (P > 0.05). Moreover, among-sample variation in fish abundance was higher than within-sample error in both streams indicating that increased precision of unit-scale abundance estimates would provide less information on patterns of abundance than increasing the fraction of habitat units sampled. In the two watersheds, respectively, single-pass electrofishing captured 78 and 74% of the estimated population of cutthroat trout with 7 and 10% of the effort. At the scale of intermediate-sized watersheds, single-pass electrofishing exhibited a sufficient level of precision to be effective in detecting spatial patterns of cutthroat trout abundance and may be a useful tool for providing the context for investigating fish-habitat relationships at multiple scales.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Evaluating single-pass catch as a tool for identifying spatial pattern in fish distribution |
| Series title | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1080/02705060.2005.9664974 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 335 |
| Last page | 345 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Other Geospatial | Blowout Creek, Slide Creek |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |