Comparison of Two Trap Net Sizes for Collecting Walleye Broodstock

Abstract

AbstractTrap nets are commonly used to collect Walleye Sander vitreus broodstock for spawning as part of culture and stocking programs. We compared overnight catch rates of Walleyes captured in two trap net sizes (small [0.9‐ × 1.5‐m frame, 0.9‐m‐diameter hoop, single throat, 0.9‐ × 15.2‐m lead, 19‐mm knotted mesh] and large [1.5‐ × 1.8‐m frame, 1.5‐m‐diameter hoop, double throated, 1.5‐ × 30.5‐m lead, 19‐mm knotless mesh]) to determine the relative efficiency of each size for broodstock collection. Sampling was completed during the spring of 2013 and 2014 soon after ice‐out at three waters in South Dakota. In all but two cases, total Walleye CPUE in large trap nets was significantly higher than that in small trap nets. However, length‐frequency distributions between the two net sizes generally were similar. The use of large trap nets will result in higher numbers of broodstock collected than with the smaller nets, likely offsetting the additional labor required to deploy and retrieve the larger traps.