Effects of Fright Bias on Sampling Efficiency of Stream Fish Assemblages
Department
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2002
Abstract
Relative efficiencies of three different fish sampling techniques (prepositioned area shockers, single pass electroshocking, and a combined shocking-seining method) with differing potential to induce fright bias were compared in riffle, run and pool habitats in Roanoke River, Virginia. Twenty-three species were captured by the three techniques. Of the three techniques, pre-positioned area shockers had the highest species accumulation rate in each of the three habitats sampled. The single pass electroshocking method had higher species accumulation rates than the combined technique in pools and runs, whereas the performance of the two techniques was similar in riffles. Pre-positioned area shockers also captured a higher proportion of larger, more mobile individuals than the other two techniques. Based on our results, prepositioned area shockers were the least biased of the three techniques for sampling riverine fish.
Journal Title
Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Journal ISSN
0270-5060
Volume
17
Issue
1
First Page
127
Last Page
139
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1080/02705060.2002.9663876