The electrified benthic frame trawl (EBFT): A new approach for sampling benthic fish species in a large river – The experiences of the Joint Danube Survey 3

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The electrified benthic frame trawl (EBFT): A new approach for sampling benthic fish species in a large river – The experiences of the Joint Danube Survey 3 Ágnes I. György1*, András Weiperth1, Vinzenz Bammer2, Michael Schabuss3, Horst Zornig3, Luchezar Pehlivanov4 and Zoltán Szalóky1 1 MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute, Hungary 2 Federal Agency for Water Management, Institute for Water Ecology, Fisheries and Lake Research, Austria 3 Pro Fisch OG., Austria 4 Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria In large rivers, such as the Danube, standardized and representative sampling of fish is still problematic. Until now, night time shoreline electrofishing proved to be the most comprehensive fish assessment method, however, it is not suitable for detecting sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), the only native sturgeon species still present in the upper and middle Danube. Besides, other rather rare native bottom dwelling fish species (e.g. Zingel streber) are also usually underrepresented in shoreline catches. Hence, we have developed in 2010 the electrified benthic frame trawl (EBFT) which, due to its robust frame, can overcome bottom structures and can give important results on offshore benthic fish species (i.e. presence-absence, distribution, spawning habitats, etc.). In 2013, this method was adopted by the fish Core Team of the Joint Danube Survey 3, providing an opportunity to test the equipment in diverse conditions along the whole river for the first time. Data were collected parallel with standard electrofishing at 22 sites from river km 2214 (Austria) to river km 15 in the Sulina arm (Romania) sampling 500 m long stretches parallel to the riverbank. We found that offshore areas were intensively used by a variety of species. Most abundant and most frequently occurring were the highly invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus, 9 ind/500 m) and the whitefin gudgeon (Romanogobio vladykovi, 4 ind/500 m). The number of Z. strebers caught (138 individuals from 16 sites) was much higher in the EBFT samples than in the shoreline catches (34 individuals from only 6 sites). The EBFT was also successful in catching sterlets but only 9 individuals were caught and only below the inflow of Tisa River. The survey proved the relevance of using the EBFT during large river fish assessments, and it also revealed the alarmingly low abundance of sturgeons. Based on the results further development (e.g. lifting device) and optimization possibilities of the EBFT may be also considered. Acknowledgements We are very grateful for the support of the ICPDR and our team comrades, Björn Deutschmann, Sándor Sipos and our captain, Otto Bohdal. Keywords: trawling, Electrofishing, Fish assemblages, Deep water, Danube River, sturgeon, Zingel spp., Gobies Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Ecology, Conservation and Invasive Species Citation: György ÁI, Weiperth A, Bammer V, Schabuss M, Zornig H, Pehlivanov L and Szalóky Z (2015). The electrified benthic frame trawl (EBFT): A new approach for sampling benthic fish species in a large river – The experiences of the Joint Danube Survey 3. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2015.03.00148 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 23 Nov 2015; Published Online: 27 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: PhD. Ágnes I György, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary, gyorgyagi@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract Supplemental Data The Authors in Frontiers Ágnes I György András Weiperth Vinzenz Bammer Michael Schabuss Horst Zornig Luchezar Pehlivanov Zoltán Szalóky Google Ágnes I György András Weiperth Vinzenz Bammer Michael Schabuss Horst Zornig Luchezar Pehlivanov Zoltán Szalóky Google Scholar Ágnes I György András Weiperth Vinzenz Bammer Michael Schabuss Horst Zornig Luchezar Pehlivanov Zoltán Szalóky PubMed Ágnes I György András Weiperth Vinzenz Bammer Michael Schabuss Horst Zornig Luchezar Pehlivanov Zoltán Szalóky Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.