Electric Seine as a Fish-Sampling Gear in Streams

We describe the basic design, construction, and electric field of a 9.14-m-long, AC electric seine powered by a 1,500-W generator. We determined this seineˈs efficiency with respect to species number and abundance of various fish taxa in streams of 3–10 m in mean width. The electric seine was fished between block nets and was followed by a rotenone treatment whose efficiency was determined through the recapture of marked fish. We repeated this calibration procedure with a 6.1-m-long, 6.4-mm-mesh minnow seine and a pulsed-DC backpack electrofishing unit at sites with physical conditions similar to those of the electric seine sites. The electric seine method was more efficient for estimating species number and the abundance of common fish taxa. We recommend the electric seine, used in a prescribed manner, for most fish-sampling situations in wadeable streams.