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THE EFFECT OF VARYING ELECTROFISHING DESIGN ON BIOASSESSMENT RESULTS OF FOUR LARGE RIVERS IN THE OHIO RIVER BASIN
Citation:
Flotemersch, J E. AND K A. Blocksom. THE EFFECT OF VARYING ELECTROFISHING DESIGN ON BIOASSESSMENT RESULTS OF FOUR LARGE RIVERS IN THE OHIO RIVER BASIN. Presented at Southeastern Water Pollution Biologists Association, Bowling Green, KY, October 30-November 1, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
In 1999, the effect of electrofishing design (single bank or paired banks) and sampling distance on bioassessment results was studied in four boatable rivers in the Ohio River basin. The relationship between the number of species collected and the total distance electrofished was similar across all four rivers. In addition, the pattern was similar whether a single bank or paired banks design was used, with 75-80% of taxa collected within the first 1000 m of a 2000 m total sampling distance. However, in the Great Miami River, sampling along a single bank collected a slightly higher percentage in the first 1000 m than sampling along both banks. Only one of the rivers showed a bias toward more species collected with a single bank design, but the overall similarity of fish species between the single and paired banks designs was quite high. The similarity of new species collected in non-overlapping sections of the two designs decreased with increasing depth. These results indicate that identifying the appropriate electrofishing design may depend on physical characteristics of a given reach.