An evaluation of multiple-pass seining to monitor blackstripe topminnow Fundulus notatus (Rafinesque, 1820) in the Sydenham River (Ontario, Canada)

Abstract

Summary Multiple-pass (i.e. removal) sampling and mark-recapture experiments were undertaken in the Sydenham River (Ontario, Canada) to assess the effectiveness of seining to detect and estimate the local abundance of blackstripe topminnow, Fundulus notatus (Rafinesque, 1820) as well as to compare catch characteristics from closed and open (with and without block nets) sample units. Probability of species detection using three-pass seining was estimated to be 0.58 in closed units, and 0.51 in open units. To be 95% confident of occupancy status, a minimum of five repeat surveys is required. A decline in catch occurred in only half of the sample units, population size estimates were often imprecise, and attempts to generate mark-recapture population estimates were unsuccessful. Mean capture probabilities were 0.48 in closed units and 0.65 in open units, when depletion occurred. For blackstripe topminnow and other fishes encountered, there were no significant differences between closed and open units in the frequency of depletion or capture probability. Compared to single-pass surveys, monitoring programs that employ three seine hauls are more likely to detect the presence of the blackstripe topminnow and any decline in local abundance.