Comparison of catch between 3   6 and 2   4 fyke nets on UMR backwater lakes


Gritters, S. A.  1997.  Comparison of catch between 3   6 and 2   4 fyke nets on
Upper Mississippi River backwater lakes.  Report prepared for the U.S. Geological
Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, May
1997.  LTRMP 97-S001.  7 pp. (NTIS AD-A326344)


ABSTRACT

The fisheries component of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program was
initiated in 1989 to acquire a baseline database of fishes in the Upper Mississippi
River System.  Proper gear selection is essential for providing valuable fisheries data
to area managers.  Types of gear used for assessments by fisheries managers are
subject to individual preferences.  However, lack of standardization of gear types
among managers may cause confusion when comparing data sets.  Two configurations
of fyke nets were compared when fished in the same habitats in 1989.  A large fyke
net (3   6) and a small fyke net (2   4) were used in the same backwater areas and the
catches compared.  Large nets caught nearly 4.2 times more fish than the small nets. 
A 92% species overlap was noted between the two net types when measured by the
Sorenson coefficient.  In each type of net, 24 species of fish were collected.  Species
composition and abundance were similar, but not identical, in the two net types. The
fish communities collected had a similarity index of 0.83 on the Morisita's Index (Im),
where 1 = identical and 0 = no similarity.  A higher percentage of sunfish species and
a lower percentage of miscellaneous species were caught in the larger net.  Average
lengths were not significantly different in the two nets, and length frequencies of black
crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and white crappie (P. annularis) were nearly
identical between the two nets.


KEYWORDS

Backwater lakes, black crappie, fyke nets, Upper Mississippi River System, white
crappie