Modified Sampling Design for Age-0 Fish Electrofishing at Beach Habitats

Abstract Fright bias can cause misleading results when sampling age-0 fish in beach habitats. In this study, different sampling methods were tested to reduce fright bias. Experiments using video recordings demonstrated that efficiency was 13% for extension pole electrofishing (EPE), 47% for thrown anode electrofishing (TAE), and 100% for pre-positioned anode electrofishing (PAnE). We propose a modified PAnE design for sampling age-0 fish that would not be excessively time consuming. The modified PAnE sampling design was then tested against EPE, TAE, and fine-mesh seine netting (SN). We found that PAnE sampled significantly more species and individuals than EPE and TAE. Assemblage structure sampled by PAnE differed significantly from that sampled by EPE, TAE, and SN; the difference was more substantial relative to SN than to EPE or TAE. Assemblages sampled by EPE and TAE had a lower representation of common bleak Alburnus alburnus, white-fin gudgeons Gobio albipinnatus, common dace [also known as Eurasion ...

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