Comparison of Traps Lighted by Photochemicals or Electric Bulbs for Sampling Warmwater Populations of Young Fish

Abstract

Abstract This study examined whether larval and juvenile fish were attracted equivalently to traps lighted by either electric bulbs or photochemical light sticks. There were no statistically significant differences (P ≥ 0.05) in collection rates of bluegills Lepornis rnacrochirus and brook silversides Labidesthes sicculus by light type. Significantly more threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense occurred in chemical light traps, but it could not be determined whether either light type sampled threadfin shad larvae effectively. The mean total length of bluegill (the only species collected in sufficient numbers to permit valid comparison) tended to be greater in chemical light traps, though not significantly so. Whereas results showed electric and chemical light traps were equally effective at sampling some species, the reliance on a photochemical reaction to illuminate traps has limitations. For instance, the temperature range (27–29°C) during this study may have been too narrow to impart differences in luminance...