Backpack electrofishing will be the primary method for sampling fish populations in Big Creek during the low-flow surveys in the summer. The multiple-pass depletion method involves three or more survey passes walking upstream using a backpack electrofishing unit to stun and capture fish. A typical electrofishing crew consists of one person operating the electrofishing unit, two staff using dip nets to capture the stunned fish, and one person carrying a live well bucket. Depending on the size of the stream, multiple electro-fishers may be needed. Along with electrofishing, staff intend to conduct snorkel survey to count fish in the deeper pools. Fish counts from snorkel surveys of pools greater than one meter within the study reach is considered a census. Fish counts and size classification results can be added together for all pools within the same short 100-meter reach. The snorkel survey results are then added to electrofishing abundance estimates, which are used to determine the overall abundance for the Biogeographical Population Group.

Approved