No abstract

We compared small‐mesh (4‐mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small‐bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large‐bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic shiner Notropis volucellus, and bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus, whereas species associated with electrofishing included the Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, catostomids (Moxostoma spp. and Catostomus spp.), freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye Sander vitreus, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The total length of fish captured by electrofishing was 12.8 cm (95% confidence interval = 5.5–17.2 cm) greater than that of fish captured by fyke netting. Size selectivity of the gears contributed to differences in species composition of the fish captured, supporting our initial hypothesis. Thus, small‐mesh fyke nets and boat electrofishers provided complementary information on a littoral fish assemblage. Our results support use of multiple gear types in monitoring and research surveys of fish assemblages.

No abstract

Since European settlement, over 50 % of coastal wetlands have been lost in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin, causing growing concern and increased monitoring by government agencies. For over a decade, monitoring efforts have focused on the development of regional and organism-specific measures. To facilitate collaboration and information sharing between public, private, and government agencies throughout the Great Lakes basin, we developed standardized methods and indicators used for assessing wetland condition. Using an ecosystem approach and a stratified random site selection process, birds, anurans, fish, macroinvertebrates, vegetation, and physico-chemical conditions were sampled in coastal wetlands of all five Great Lakes including sites from the United States and Canada. Our primary objective was to implement a standardized basin-wide coastal wetland monitoring program that would be a powerful tool to inform decision-makers on coastal wetland conservation and restoration priorities throughout the Great Lakes basin.

The biota of aquatic systems are integrators of overall habitat quality, revealing both episodic as well as cumulative disturbance, and therefore are able to serve as natural monitors of thc systems they inhabit. Invertebrate communities from three relatively pristine coastal wetlands located along the northern shore of Lake Huron were compared to those from three relatively impacted Saginaw Bay coastal wetlands in Lake Huron to identify components of the community that could ordinate wetlands according to anthropogenic disturbance. A total of 24 potential metrics were examined for each of four vegetation zones at the study sites. Of these, 14 successfully discriminated between sites and were used to generate a preliminary index of biotic integrity (IBI) tbr Lake Huron coastal wetlands. This IBI was then tested by assessing coastal wetlands, including five additional sites, based on invertebrate data collected the following year. The preliminary IBI seemed to provide an accurate depiction of the wetlands used to generate the IBI as well as the five additional wetlands. We do not recommend use of the presented IBI as the definitive assessment tool for Lake Huron coastal wetlands. Instead, we suggest that it be tested further on a series of wetlands with known degrees of anthropogenic disturbance.