Deployment of Paired Push Nets from Jet-Propelled Kayaks to Sample Ichthyoplankton

Abstract

Accessing and effectively sampling the off-channel habitats that are considered crucial for early life stages of freshwater fishes constitute a difficult challenge when common ichthyoplankton survey methods, such as push nets, are used. We describe a new method of deploying push nets from jet-propelled kayaks to enable the sampling of previously inaccessible off-channel habitats. The described rig is also functional in more open and accessible habitats, such as the main channel of rivers or reservoirs. Although further evaluation is necessary to ensure that results are comparable across studies, the described push-net system offers a statistically rigorous methodology that generates replicate samples from a wide range of freshwater habitats that were previously inaccessible to this gear type.

Received January 26, 2015; accepted June 29, 2015

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank G. McClarren, D. R. Logue, and J. East for their help with net construction; C. A. Jennings for technical support; and N. G. Smith and three anonymous reviewers for providing comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript. Funding was provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Contract 432957). Cooperating agencies for the Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are the U.S. Geological Survey, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Tech University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wildlife Management Institute. Use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.