Comparison of Sampling Methods for Small Oxbow wetland Fish Communities

Abstract The value of wetland ecosystems is becoming increasingly recognized, promoting actions needed to preserve and restore them. Post-restoration monitoring is necessary to analyze restoration success or failure, thereby informing subsequent management decisions. Standardized monitoring protocols enable comparison of responses to restoration actions. Within the Midwestern United States, restoration of oxbow wetlands has become the focus of targeted restoration. Management objectives include recovery of biodiversity and sensitive species, and enhanced ecosystem services. The fish communities of oxbows have been the subject of many monitoring studies as endangered Topeka Shiner ( Notropis topeka ) use these habitats for spawning. However, an optimal method for monitoring Topeka Shiner and other fishes in oxbows has not been described, thereby limiting our capacity to effectively manage these ecosystems. With a primary objective of identifying a standardized protocol for sampling fish in oxbow wetlands, we compared efficacy of four sampling methodologies (backpack electrofishing, fyke netting, minnow trapping, and seining) for fish community data collection. Seining and fyke netting were determined to be the most effective methods for sampling oxbow fish communities. Although seining and fyke netting produced similar taxonomic diversity and abundance values, qualitative analysis revealed that seining caused greater habitat disturbance and stress to fish. Therefore, consideration must be given to how species present within the wetland could be impacted by sampling disturbance when choosing between seining and fyke netting.