An evaluation of an experimental and a deepwater benthic fish trap in a large river system.Abstract: Open River Field Station (ORFS ORFS O-Ring-Face-Seal (fitting) ORFS Output Radio Frequency Spectrum ORFS Origin Rail Freight ORFS Oxford RF Sensors ) staff developed the Missouri trawl trawl - To sift through large volumes of data (e.g. Usenet postings, FTP archives, or the Jargon File) looking for something of interest. to capture small benthic ben·thos n. 1. The collection of organisms living on or in sea or lake bottoms. 2. The bottom of a sea or lake. [Greek. fishes (e.g. Macrhybopsis spp.) in deep, swift areas of the Mississippi River Mississippi River River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri and the Ohio rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. . However, it was not possible to determine exactly where fish were caught during a trawl haul, thus it was difficult to describe microhbitats used by these fishes. The ORFS staff designed an experimental passive gear to capture benthic fishes in deep and swift water to better quantify microhabitat microhabitat the normal environment, the natural home, of a microorganism. areas used by these fish. A modified mini-fyke net was used in conjunction with the experimental net for comparison. The nets were set in pairs within two habitat areas (i.e., main channel border and main channel border wing-dam). The experimental net captured a total of 121 fish and 1 Ohio Shrimp, Macrobrachium ohione. The modified mini-fyke net captured 126 fish and 1 M. ohione. There was no overall significant difference in catch rates between the two gears. Key Words: Macrhybopsis, mini-fyke net, fishing gear, Macrobrachium ohione, passive gear, Mississippi River, wing dike Dike, in Greek religion and mythology Dike: see Horae. dike, in technology dike, in technology: see levee. dike Bank, usually of earth, constructed to control or confine water. . Introduction The Sicklefin Chub The Sicklefin Chub (Macrhybopsis meeki) is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found only in the United States. Source
n. A physician whose practice is not oriented in a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems. generalist species that tolerate a wide variety of habitat conditions (Young, 1997). However, Pfieger (1997) suggests M. gelida are confined to open channels of large rivers, preferring a strong current with sand and fine gravel substrate. Similarly, Pflieger (1997) states that M. meeki are confined to the main channels of large, turbid tur·bid adj. Having sediment or foreign particles stirred up or suspended; muddy; cloudy. tur·bid  i·ty n. rivers,
living in strong current over sand or fine gravel substrate. M. meeki
are likely adapted to deep, swift water that often exceed 1 m/s and is
> 3 m in depth (Young, 1997).
Open River Field Station (ORFS) staff used various methods to sample Macrhybopsis spp. and other benthic species including trawling For fishing by dragging a baited line after a boat, see . Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats, called trawlers. , electrofishing Electrofishing uses electricity to stun fish before they are caught. Two electrodes are used. The boat is the cathode, and the anode is at the front. The stunned fish swim toward the anode, where they are caught alive using a dip net.[1] References 1. , seining seine n. A large fishing net made to hang vertically in the water by weights at the lower edge and floats at the top. v. seined, sein·ing, seines v.intr. To fish with such a net. v. , and mini-fyke netting. While some of these methods were effective along the shoreline of the Mississippi River, only trawling was applicable to the main river channel where most Macrhybopsis spp. were found (ORES, unpubl. data). Unfortunately, it was difficult to determine where a fish was captured along a trawl haul. Standard trawl hauls used by ORES staff were 350 m long (Gutreuter et al., 1995). ORES staff wanted to design a stationary net that could be set in deep, swift water to better assess microhabitat use of Macrhybopsis spp. and other benthic fishes. Gryska et al., (1998) designed a passive trap net to catch Kendall Warm Springs Dace, Rhinichthys osculus thermalis, a fish that lives in small streams. We modified their net (henceforth called the experimental net) by making it larger and sturdier to withstand the harsh environment of the Middle Mississippi River (MMR MMR measles-mumps-rubella (vaccine); see measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine live, under vaccine. MMR abbr. measles, mumps, rubella vaccine ; that portion of the Mississippi River between the confluences of the Missouri and Ohio rivers). Although the experimental net was rigid and designed for deep, swift water, it could also be fished in areas of little or no water velocity. ORES staff preferred setting this type of passive gear because it could be handled without mechanized mech·a·nize tr.v. mech·a·nized, mech·a·niz·ing, mech·a·niz·es 1. To equip with machinery: mechanize a factory. 2. assistance, other than a boat, and it required little specialized training to operate (Hubert, 1996). The objectives of this study were to compare the number of fish captured between the two net types to determine the usefulness of the experimental net in the MMR and describe microhabitat used by Macrhybopsis spp. Methods This study was conducted between MMR kilometers 48.3 to 128.7 (Fig. 1). Sampling was conducted from June-November 2000. Sites were selected subjectively to minimize net loss, maximize catch, and focus on deepwater habitats in wing dike (MCBW MCBW Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women MCBW Memory Control Block for Windows ) and along the main channel border (MCBU MCBU Munitions Corporate Business Unit (UK MoD) ) unstructured habitat (see Wilcox, 1993). The experimental net consisted of a 0.95 cm steel rod frame and measured 107.9 cm wide, 30.4 cm high, and 152.4 cm long. The bottom of the frame was curved upward to give it a fusiform fusiform /fu·si·form/ (-form) shaped like a spindle; tapered at each end. fu·si·form adj. Tapering at each end; spindle-shaped. fusiform spindle-shaped. shape so the net would not be buried in the substrate or lost because of high velocity flows. This shape also decreased drag on Verb 1. drag on - last unnecessarily long drag out last, endure - persist for a specified period of time; "The bad weather lasted for three days" 2. the net. The experimental net was wrapped with 0.32 cm Ace style mesh. The entrance of the experimental net was V-shaped following Gryska and Hubert (1998) with an aperture diameter of 5 cm that was fixed using a stainless-steel ring following Gutreuter et. al. (1995). At the opposite end, a rope was sewn to the cod end mesh to support the throat to make a more durable and accessible catch chamber and to create a closing mechanism to seal the cod end (Fig. 2). ORFS staff modified the mini-fyke net by removing the lead from the cab to make it more applicable for deepwater sets. Typically, this lead acted as a fence that was anchored on the shore to guide fish into the cab of the trap net. It was removed because it was impractical to use in main channel deepwater habitats. The net dimensions of the cab were 94.0 cm wide, 33.0 cm high, and 27.9 cm deep. The cod end measured 203.2 cm deep with a ring diameter of 38.1 cm. One throat was attached to the first hoop with an aperture diameter of 5 cm and was fixed using a stainless-steel ring (Gutreuter et. al. 1995). The modified mini-fyke was covered with 0.32 cm Ace style mesh (Fig. 3). The modified mini-fyke was collapsible and needed flow to hold the trap open. The mesh used on both nets was green dipped to protect it from deteriorating. Green dip is a water based latex dip used for coating netting. A single set included both the experimental net and the modified mini-fyke net (paired set). These nets were set in close proximity to each other at each site and were anchored separately. Nets were set parallel to the shore by first anchoring a rope 15.2 to 30.5 m from the shoreline to a rock bag or cab weight. A rope was attached from the rock bag or cab weight to the net extending parallel to the shore. The nets were fished for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock . Water physical data were measured at each site, which included water depth (m), surface water velocity (m/s), substrate, secchi disc transparency (cm), and water temperature ([degrees]C). Predominant substrate type was determined at each site to further describe the habitat where Macrhybopsis spp. were captured. Chi-square analyses were used to test for differences (P[less than or equal to]0.05) in fish abundance (i.e. total number of individuals) between paired net sets (Steel and Torrie, 1980). Results A total of 19 paired sets were completed. Sixteen of the 19 sets were in MCBU and 3 were below MCBW. The MCBU sets consisted of 4 gravel substrate sets, 7 sand substrate sets, and 5 silt/sand substrate sets. The MCBW sets consisted of 3 sand substrate sets. Secchi visibility ranged from 17 to 48 cm (mean = 29 cm), depth ranged from 0.9 to 7.5 m (mean = 2.9 in), surface water velocity ranged from 0.10 to 0.70 m/s (mean = 0.31 m/s), and water temperature ranged from 4.1 to 29.5[degrees]C (mean = 26. 1[degrees]C, see Table 1). The modified mini-fyke captured 126 fish while 121 fish were captured in the experimental net (Table 2). One Ohio Shrimp, M. ohione, was captured in each net type. Because of the small sample size, M. ohione data was not included in the statistical analysis. Macrhybopsis spp. chubs were not captured in either net. The modified mini-fyke net caught 11 species and the experimental net caught 9 species (Table 2). Channel Catfish channel catfish see ictaluruspunctatus. channel catfish virus disease acute herpesvirus disease of young catfish fry. There is ascites, exophthalmos and hemorrhage in the fins. Widespread in North America. , Ictalurus punctatus, dominated the catch in both nets. I. punctatus composed 87.4% of the catch in the modified mini-fyke net and 66.4% in the experimental net. No significant difference between fish abundance and net-type were detected ([X.sup.2] = 0.101, P > 0.75). Discussion Although both nets caught fish, neither captured Macrhybopsis spp. This may be because the nets created a velocity break that Macrhybopsis spp. may not seek. Pflieger (1997) suggested that both M. gelida, and M meeki prefer strong currents, which suggests they may avoid velocity breaks. Conversely, chubs could have avoided the nets. However, this was unlikely because the MMR is very turbid and does not allow light to penetrate very far below the surface. One way to lessen the magnitude of the velocity break and possibly increase chub Chub, in the Bible Chub (kŭb), in the Bible, an African people. This may be a textual error for Lub (i.e., Lubim). chub, in zoology chub: see minnow. capture would be to use a larger mesh. A larger mesh size would also reduce drag on the nets (Dickson, 1962). However, Macrhybopsis spp. chubs are small fish and an increase in mesh size may allow escapement. The lack of chubs in the samples may also be related to temporal habits. Dettmers et al. (2001) suggested that there are numerous behavioral cues that may influence the locations and seasons that fishes use the main channel. Therefore, variables such as river stage height and time of year may affect the location and movement of fishes. Macrhybopsis spp. are thought to be early spring spawners and may not have been active in summer when we conducted this study (Pflieger, 1997). The capture of M. ohione is important because this shrimp is rare in the MMR and techniques have not yet been developed to adequately sample this species. Conaway and Hrabik (1997) found that of 1,114 shrimp collected in 1992 only 4 were M. ohione, three of which were collected from wing dikes. ORFS biologists have captured 208 M. ohione from 1993 thru 2000, 35 of which were collected within MCBW habitat (ORFS, unpubl. data). One M. ohione captured in this study was collected from wing dike habitat. Because the experimental net did not capture Macrhybopsis spp., ORFS staff could not assess microhabitat use. Further research is needed in developing a passive gear that will sample litho-psammophilic fishes that avoid crevice crevice /crev·ice/ (krev´is) fissure. gingival crevice the space between the cervical enamel of a tooth and the overlying unattached gingiva. crev·ice n. habitat.
Table 1
Water physical measurements of sites sampled using experimental and
modified mini fyke nets
Secchi Depth Velocity Temperature utm
Site (cm) (m) (m/s) Substrate ([degrees]C) Easting
1 18 6.0 0.35 Sand 28.1 810089
2 24 3.0 0.23 Silt/Sand 26.8 807446
3 40 7.5 * Silt/Sand 28.1 808801
4 39 2.0 0.65 Sand 28.1 808613
5 35 1.0 0.12 Sand 28.6 811178
6 27 1.0 0.70 Gravel 28.5 812056
7 29 3.0 0.22 Sand 28.6 810550
8 30 7.5 0.21 Silt/Sand 29.3 809342
9 34 6.0 0.39 Silt/Sand 29.2 816228
10 28 1.0 0.38 Sand 29.1 821811
11 26 0.9 0.35 Sand 29.5 821811
12 23 0.9 0.60 Sand 29.0 810539
13 17 1.8 0.21 Gravel 29.3 812084
14 19 1.8 0.16 Sand 28.9 808608
15 30 2.1 0.20 Silt/Sand 25.0 808786
16 34 3.0 0.17 Sand 25.4 810811
17 24 3.0 0.25 Sand 20.0 810925
18 26 2.1 0.10 Gravel 21.2 811576
19 48 1.6 * Gravel 4.1 811605
utm
Site Northing
1 4136226
2 4164116
3 4132393
4 4131673
5 4137061
6 4137484
7 4136742
8 4134691
9 4119337
10 4110872
11 4110817
12 4136655
13 4137549
14 4131576
15 4132342
16 4136647
17 4136876
18 4137055
19 4137542
* velocity readings were unobtainable
Table 2
Catch and relative abundance of fishes and Macrobrachium obione by gear
and substrate type in the Middle Mississippi River from June-November
2001
number relative
Modified mini-fyke net abundance Sand Silt/Sand
Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus 2 1.6% 2 (100.0%)
Channel catfish, 111 87.4% 73 (65.8%) 3 (31.5%)
Ictalurus punctatus
Channel shiner, Notropis 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
wickliffi
Emerald shiner, Notropis 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
atherinoides
Flathed catfish, Pylodictis 2 1.6% 2 (100.0%)
olivaris
Freckled madtom, Noturus 2 1.6% 2 (100.0%)
nocturnus
Freshwater drum, Aplodinotus 4 3.2% 4 (100.0%)
grunniens
Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
ohione
Striped bass, Morone 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
saxatilis
Stonecat, Noturus flavus 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
White bass, Morone chrysops 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
Total 127 100.0%
Modified mini-fyke net Gravel
Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus
Channel catfish, 3 (2.7%)
Ictalurus punctatus
Channel shiner, Notropis
wickliffi
Emerald shiner, Notropis
atherinoides
Flathed catfish, Pylodictis
olivaris
Freckled madtom, Noturus
nocturnus
Freshwater drum, Aplodinotus
grunniens
Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium
ohione
Striped bass, Morone
saxatilis
Stonecat, Noturus flavus
White bass, Morone chrysops
Total
number relative
Experimental net captured abundance Sand
Blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus 3 2.5% 2 (66.7%)
Channel catfish, 81 66.4% 40 (49.4%)
Ictalurus punctatus
Channel shiner, Notropis 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
wickliffi
Flathed catfish, Pylodictis 3 2.5% 3 (100.0%)
olivaris
Freckled madtom, Noturus 4 3.3% 2 (50.0%)
nocturnus
Freshwater drum, Aplodinotus 25 20.5% 13 (52.0%)
grunniens
Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium 1 0.8%
ohione
Red shiner, Cyprinella 1 0.8% 1 (100.0%)
lutrensis
Stonecat, Noturus flavus 3 2.5% 3 (100.0%)
Total 122 100.0%
Experimental net Silt/Sand Gravel
Blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus 1 (33.3%)
Channel catfish, 11 (13.6%) 30 (37.0%)
Ictalurus punctatus
Channel shiner, Notropis
wickliffi
Flathed catfish, Pylodictis
olivaris
Freckled madtom, Noturus 1 (25.0%) 1 (25.0%)
nocturnus
Freshwater drum, Aplodinotus 9 (36.0%) 3 (12.0%)
grunniens
Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium 1 (100.0%)
ohione
Red shiner, Cyprinella
lutrensis
Stonecat, Noturus flavus
Total
Acknowledgements Funding for this project was provided, in part, by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Act, Section 6 Program, Agreement Number E-1-37. Fieldwork was made possible with assistance by D. P. Herzog, D. E. Ostendorf, J. W. Ridings, L. Evans, C. Beachum, and W. Dunker Dunker a medium-sized scenthound, popular in Norway. It is a powerfully built dog with a short coat, pendulous ears and long tail. The short coat may be tan with black saddle and white markings, or the black may be splotched (merled). Called also Norwegian hound. . Illustrations were provided by D.E. Ostendorf. Thanks to the anonymous reviewers for taking time and effort to look over this manuscript. Literature Cited Conaway, L.K. and R.A. Hrabik. 1997. The Ohio Shrimp, Macro brachium brachium /bra·chi·um/ (bra´ke-um) pl. bra´chia [L.] arm (1,3). brachium colli´culi inferio´ris ohione, in the Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of Cairo, Illinois, United States. . Transactions Missouri Academy of Science. 31: 44-46. Dettmers, J.M., S. Gutreuter, D.H. Wahl, and D.A. Soluk. 2001. Patterns in abundance of fishes in main channels of the upper Mississippi River system. Canadian Journal of Fishery Aquatic Science. 58(5): 933-942. Dickson, W. 1962. Modem Fishing Gear of the World. Vol. II Fishing News Books Ltd., London, p. 181. Gryska, A.D., W.A. Hubert, and K.G. Gerow. 1998. Relative abundance and lengths of Kendall Warm Springs dace captured from different habitats in a specially designed trap. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 127:309-315. Gutreuter, S., R. Burkhardt, and K. Lubinski. 1995. Long Term Resource Monitoring Program Procedures: Fish Monitoring. National Biological Service, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin Onalaska is a city in La Crosse County, It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Wisconsin, United States. The population was 16,186 at the 2006 census. The city borders three unincorporated rural towns including: Onalaska, Medary, and Hamilton. , July 1995. LTRMP LTRMP Long Term Resource Monitoring Program 95-P002-1. 42 pp. + Appendizes A-J A-J Anti-Jam . Hubert, W.A. 1996. Passive capture Techniques. Pages 157-181 in B.R. Murphy and D.W. Willis, editors. Fisheries techniques, 2nd edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda is an urbanized, but unincorporated, area in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, just Northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a church located there, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from . Missouri Natural Heritage Program (MNHP). 2001. Missouri species of conservation concern checklist. Missouri Department of Conservation. Jefferson City, Missouri “Jefferson City” redirects here. For other uses, see Jefferson City (disambiguation). Jefferson City is the capital of the State of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. . xi + 28 pp. Pflieger, W.L. 1997. The Fishes of Missouri. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. Jefferson City Jefferson City, city (1990 pop. 35,481), state capital and seat of Cole co., central Mo., on the south bank of the Missouri River, near the mouth of the Osage; inc. 1825. , MO. pp. 134-136. Steel, R.G.D. and J.H. Torrie. 1980. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach, 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Fish and Wildlife Service (USEWS). 2001. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-month Finding for a Petition to list the Sicklefin Chub (Macrhybopsis meeki) and the Sturgeon Chub (Macrhybopsis gelida) as Endangered. Department of Interior. Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 75. pp. 19910-19914. Wilcox, D.B. 1993. An aquatic habitat classification system for the Upper Mississippi River System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, May 1993. EMTC EMTC Environmental Management Technical Center (USACE) EMTC European Music Therapy Confederation EMTC European Manufacturing Test Conference EMTC Enfermedad Mixta del Tejido Conectivo (Spanish) 93-T003. 9 pp. + Appendix A. (NTIS NTIS - National Technical Information Service # PB93-208981). Young, B.A., T.L. Welker, M.L. Wildhaber, C.R. Berry, and D. Scarnecchia, editors. 1997. Population structure and habitat use of benthic fishes along the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone Rivers. 1997 Annual Report of Missouri River Missouri River River, central U.S. The longest tributary of the Mississippi River, it rises in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana. It flows east to central North Dakota and south across South Dakota, forming sections of the South Dakota–Nebraska boundary, the Benthic Fish Study PD-95-5832 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. |
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