Effectiveness of Continuous versus Point Electrofishing for Fish Assemblage Assessment in Shallow, Turbid Aquatic Habitats

Abstract

We evaluated the relative effectiveness of continuous versus point electrofishing methods for describing fish assemblage metrics in the lower Atchafalaya River Floodway system, Louisiana. Continuous data were collected by boat electrofishing opposing shores of a 100‐m reach for a total of 480 s. Point data were collected in an adjacent 100‐m reach by boat electrofishing for 60 s at four points (240 s total) at 25‐m intervals on alternating shorelines. We tested for significant differences between the methods with a linear model for species richness and CPUE (fish/min) and a generalized linear model for species diversity. We also compared the length frequencies of Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides between methods. We found no difference in diversity between methods but significantly higher species richness (mean = 1.46 species) and significantly lower CPUE (mean = −24.63 fish/min) for continuous electrofishing. We found no difference in Largemouth Bass length frequency between methods, but point electrofishing captured more individuals between 300 and 400 mm. Our results indicate that point electrofishing may be an efficient, effective technique for capturing target species and larger individuals that may otherwise avoid capture. When coupled with continuous electrofishing, point electrofishing may bolster assemblage and population size structure data, particularly in shallow, turbid environments. Received July 9, 2014; accepted December 8, 2015 Published online March 31, 2016

Fisheries Volume 48 Number 9 September 2023

“…Lastly, CPUE by boat electrofi shing in a river was signifi cantly lower using a continuous sampling method relative to a point sampling method. Furthermore, there were no differences in Largemouth Bass length frequencies between methods (Trumbo et al 2016 ).…”

Influence of Electrofishing Boat Operation and Driving Techniques on Reservoir Fish Catches

“…Lastly, CPUE by boat electrofishing in a river was significantly lower using a continuous sampling method relative to a point sampling method. Furthermore, there were no differences in Largemouth Bass length frequencies between methods (Trumbo et al 2016).…”