Gear comparison for sampling age-0 Mountain Whitefish in the Madison River, Montana
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Abstract
The efficacy of various sampling gears for age-0 Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni is largely unknown, which makes it difficult to investigate recruitment and early life history dynamics for the species. We compared four gears: seine, backpack electrofisher, minnow trap, and lighted minnow trap. Gears were tested in backwaters, large channels, and small channels in the Madison River, Montana. No age-0 Mountain Whitefish were captured in minnow traps or lighted minnow traps. Mean CPUE of age-0 Mountain Whitefish was higher for seining (0.18 fish/m2; SD, 0.39) than for electrofishing (0.01 fish/m2; SD, 0.03), and the CV was lower for seining. A broader length distribution was sampled by seining (17–41 mm) than with electrofishing (21–36 mm). Age-0 Mountain Whitefish CPUE in seines was highest in backwaters. In channel sites, Mountain Whitefish presence was associated with areas of still or slow water ≥2 m2. Relative to the other sampling gears we evaluated, seining was the most efficient gear for sampling age-0 Mountain Whitefish in a lotic ecosystem.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Gear comparison for sampling age-0 Mountain Whitefish in the Madison River, Montana |
| Series title | North American Journal of Fisheries Management |
| DOI | 10.1080/02755947.2016.1254128 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication Date | January 12, 2017 |
| Year Published | 2017 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis Online |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Seattle |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 189 |
| Last page | 195 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| Other Geospatial | Madison River |