Technical Report

Fish Community Monitoring and Sampling Methodology Evaluation: Task 2 Report - Assimilate and Compare and Contrast Fish Sampling Gears and Methods from Other River Systems

URL: https://webapps.usgs.gov/mrgescp/documents/SWCA%20Environmental%20Consultants_2010_Fish%20Community%20Monitoring%20and%20Sampling%20Methodology%20Evaluation%20Task%202%20Report%20-%20Assimilate%20and%20Compare%20and%20Contrast%20Fish%20Sampling....pdf

Date: 2010/03/01

Author(s): Burckhardt L.L., Widmer A.M., Gonzales E., Kehmeier J.

Publication: Report prepared for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 89 p.

Abstract:

This Fish Community Monitoring and Sampling Methodology Evaluation Assessment Report evaluates various fish sampling gears and techniques for use in monitoring the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) fish community, with an emphasis on the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) (silvery minnow). The project is being conducted for the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program (Collaborative Program) and is coordinated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation with technical guidance from the Collaborative Program’s Science Workgroup. This assessment reviews active and passive fish capture methods used in other river basins to assess fish abundance, community composition, population structure, and habitat associations.

A detailed review of fisheries literature was conducted to qualitatively assess how various gear types and methods are being used to monitor fisheries communities in river systems outside the MRG. Gear types and methodologies used to sample the array of fish life stages (i.e., egg to adult) were reviewed. Details regarding the deployment and efficacy of the sampling gears were extracted from each paper and summarized in a tabular form to facilitate comparisons. A matrix approach was used to qualitatively assess gear suitability for sampling the MRG fish community and the silvery minnow. This matrix provides a framework for ranking gears according to their applicability in the MRG for the silvery minnow and the entire fish community.