Development of Electrofishing for Fisheries Management

Abstract

Electrofishing, broadly defined as the use of electricity to capture or control fish, was envisioned in an 1863 British patent application by Isham Baggs. Not until the 1920s, when large, stationary generators were available, did electrofishing applications (i.e., fish barriers) begin. After World War II, applications of electrofishing for fisheries management accelerated in diversity and portability. As the American Fisheries Society celebrates 150 years of dedication to aquatic resource conservation, our aim is to document the development of electrofishing for fisheries management in North America during the same period. Major management objectives comprise the topics in our article. While electrofishing has become a staple in fisheries management for conducting a wide range of applications such as population assessment and eradication of nuisance species, electrofishing use and equipment has evolved, particularly in response to human safety and fish welfare.