Why are juveniles important?

What is electrofishing?

Without babies there are no adults! Juvenile salmonids occupy very different habitats to the adults and as such are ofter overlooked by the angler and even proprietor. However, by sampling the juveniles we get a good indication of the health of the system as this type of sampling is not affected by marine factors, weather conditions or angler efficiency.

Reports detailing electrofishing results are available under 'Publications'

An electric current is passed through the water. This at first attracts, and then stuns (but not kills), the fish allowing them to be netted out for identification and measuring.

This is a relatively unbiased and, by selecting sites to cover a range of available habitats, it is possible to determine the population density within the catchment for both fry and parr. The main issue for electrofishing is the fact that this is only suitable for shallow areas and as such is used for juvenile rather than adult assessment.

Is this only for salmonids?

While the impacts of the current vary between species, electrofishing surveys have also allowed us to determine the other species present within the catchments and map the presence of species such as eels and minnows within the area.