Electrofishing Gear
Accessory equipment and Tricks-of-the-Trade (and see the Tricks-of-the-Trade page)Purpose: measuring habitat variables for Input to Standardization Tables, Estimating Efficiency, or describing sampling sites. |
Water Conductivity |
Measure ambient conductivity and temperature with a water conductivity meter.Sample site ambient conductivity is required for using standardized sampling output goal tables. |
Turbidity |
Measure turbidity in some fashion. Options include using a portable turbidity meter (Formazan turbidity units [FTU] and nephelometric turbidity units [NTU]), or a device to measure depth of clarity as a Secchi Disk or Transparency Tube. |
| Other equipment for measuring physical site dimensions include a range finder and a GPS device. |
Personal Gear: Polarized Sunglasses |
Crew members wearing polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and increase visual detection of fish. |
Buckets and Aerators |
Five-gallon bucket equipped with an optional aerator for holding and transporting captured fish. |
Fish Holding Net Pens |
A net enclosure placed in the stream for holding larger numbers or larger-sized fishes.Useful in depletion studies. |
A) Many frame sizes and shapes, mesh sizes and depths are available to purchase. |
B) Two stream dip nets of different size and shape. If sampling primarily small-sized fishes, many crew members prefer the smaller-sized net. Corners on the frame can facilitate extracting fish from rocky substrates. The red paint has a dual purpose for property identification and denoting the “danger zone”- do not touch area when sampling. |
C) Example of a dip net with a narrower leading edge. |
D) A net with rounded corners. *Note that mesh size is another feature that can be selected on stream dip nets.Mesh size must strike a balance between preventing escape of target species/sizes and drag in the water. |
Block Nets |
Block nets are used to prevent fish movement out of the sampling site.They are often used with depletion sampling.Block nets are placed on the upstream and downstream boundaries of the sampling segment. |
Measuring Fish Length and Weight |
A), B), & C) Examples various sized length boards for measuring fish length.If your targets are small-sized individuals, consider using a small length board (B & C). |
A), B), & C) Examples various sized length boards for measuring fish length.If your targets are small-sized individuals, consider using a small length board (B & C). |
A), B), & C) Examples various sized length boards for measuring fish length. If your targets are small-sized individuals, consider using a small length board (B & C). |
Fish Weight |
Fish weight can be taken by mechanical and digital platform or hanging scales (pictured). |
For much more additional information, see Tricks-of-the-Tradecourse resources page. |
