Aquatic Habitat Studies on the Lower Mississippi River, River Mile 480 to 530. Report 5. Fish Studies--Pilot Report

摘要

Based on results of the pilot study, the following recommendations are made: when the choice of gear is limited because of manpower or equipment constraints, seines, electroshocking, gill nets, and hoop nets should be used in riverine systems; the number of habitats studied should be limited to dike fields, revetted banks, natural banks, and abandoned channels; the same habitat type should be sampled at two or more different locations to determine variance and comparability of physical and biological parameters; the number of samples taken with a particular gear in any given habitat should be increased to reduce the variation in C/f values; because of considerable temporal variation in species composition and abundance of fish communities in the different habitats, sampling should be conducted throughout the year; and before beginning a major field study, a pilot study should be conducted to familiarize field personnel with the physical characteristics of a study area, the fish species associated with the different habitats, and adequate sampling methods for the different fish communities.