Comparison of Long Lead Versus Short Lead Mini-Fyke Net for Sampling Shallow Backwater Habitats

Abstract

We evaluated catch of mini-fyke nets of two lead lengths (long lead =9.14 m vs. short lead= 4.57 m) for comparing species richness and abundance estimates of fish captured using both approaches. The sampling area consisted of shallow backwater coves in the river-reservoir interface of Lake Texoma in Oklahoma. During high water events, the Red River reconnects to adjacent flood plains and isolated oxbow lakes, and inundates terrestrial vegetation. These dynamic habitats are colonized by a host of fish for spawning, nursery cover, foraging, and movement purposes. Fish were collected from 28 long lead nets and 20 short lead nets. A total of 38 species were captured, representing 13 families, and totaling 3,893 individuals. The mean species diversity represented in long lead was 17.4 (± 9.45) compared to 15.7 (± 9.21) for short lead nets, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in species richness between lead lengths, however there was a difference detected in abundance between lead lengths (long 99.6 and short 55.2).