Passive Fish Capture

1. PassiveFishCapture

2. Fishery sampling gears generally categorized as active or passive; • However, toxicants and electrofishing don’t fit these categories well.

3. Passive entanglement gear • Passive: gear is relatively stationary, and fish come to gear • Entanglement: they get tangled

4. General advantages of passive gear: -- simple design and construction -- relatively low cost -- require little specialized training

5. If a gear is efficient for a species, then CPUE (catch-per-unit-effort) should be directly proportional to the abundance of fish in the populations. Thus CPUE is an INDEX to abundance. 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,00012,000 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Population density

6. General disadvantages of passive gear: -- rely on fish activity -- may damage bycatch -- can be selective for species, size, sex... (more on this later)

7. Most common example probably is the gill net

8. “Experimental” gill net has multiple • panels of various mesh sizes • Examples: 6 panels -- 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 in (bar measure)

9. stretch mesh (2X) }bar mesh

10. Monofilament vs. multifilament • Monofilament gill nets typically catch more fish • Size structure similar between net types for most species • Monofilament nets easier to run

11. Species effectively captured: • Gill nets most effective on fusiform (torpedo-shaped) fishes such as Northern Pike, Walleye, Yellow Perch, trout and salmon, etc. • Largemouth Bass avoid gill nets

12. Seasonal changes in CPUE - Fish behavior (e.g., spawning) - Often highest in spring/fall and lower in summer 3 4 5 6 7 8 MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT

13. Considerations: • Gill nets can cause substantial mortality • Short-term sets can alleviate some of problem • However, sampling can still be justified • Most biologists prefer to use most benign gear that is still effective

14. Trammel net Typically constructed of three mesh panels. The two outer panels have large mesh, and the middle panel is small mesh. Thus, the fish get caught in a “bag.”

15. Trammel nets • Commonly used in commercial fisheries • Target species: catfishes, catostomids, Common Carp.

16. Experimental Gill Net Case Study

17. Figure 1. Length frequency for a sample of yellow perch (YEP) collected with experimental gill nets from a natural lake in the northern United States during the spring. All length measurements were maximum total length.

18. Passive entrapment gear • Entrapment: fish typically retained by some type of “funnel” • Trap (modified fyke) nets, and • Hoop nets most commonly used

22. Species effectively captured: trap nets • Most effective on species that seek cover, such as crappies and sunfishes • Often effective for collection of spawning Northern Pike or walleye • Largemouth bass avoid trap nets

23. Species effectively captured by hoop nets • Often used in flowing waters; often baited • Catfishes • Suckers: buffalo fishes, carpsuckers • Crappies and sunfishes

24. Considerations • Both trap and hoop nets inflict little mortality; most fishes can be released alive

25. Pot gears: - e.g., lobster, eel & crab pots, fish traps - construction of wood, metal or plastic - equipped w/funnels to prevent escape - used for bottom-dwelling or cavity-seeking spp. - commonly baited - often fished in large numbers