I've watched several electrofishing surveys and did not see any dead trout. One one occcassion I saw quite a few dead suckers. The PFBC employee said that suckers are more vulnerable than trout to electrofishing.
From the fisheries literature I've read, there is some trout mortality and injury. The larger trout are more vulnerable to spinal injuries than the smaller trout. Over the years, the technology and techniques have changed, so that the amount of electricity used is more carefully adjusted. In the past they used too much juice and more fish were killed.
But, there are some streams that are very frequently surveyed. Penns Creek and Slate and Cedar Runs for example.
I question the value of electrofishing streams every year or every two years, when the fishery is already well understood, and there aren't any management changes being contemplated.
For example, Slate and Cedar are surveyed very frequently, but to what end? I think those fisheries are well understood now, and as far as I know no one is contemplating changing the management there. So what is the value of just shocking them over and over again? Especially when so many streams around the state have either never been surveyed at all or only once since the late 1970s.
Wetnet, what is the stream you're talking about?
