Fish Monitoring and Habitat Assessment

Trained and experienced Biotactic staff use a wide range of electronic monitoring equipment as well as standard sampling gear to conduct our fish monitoring projects, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the populations and communities we study. We use underwater video cameras, boat and backpack electrofishing surveys, seining, fyke and trammel nets, electronic tagging, land, drone and small aircraft surveys to conduct standard aquatic species inventories, mark-recapture studies, develop population size estimates, compute measures of site fish biomass, track fish migration and general movement and conduct redd counts. Habitat mapping and assessments are generally conducted along with these surveys to determine fish habitat preferences and the areas important to these communities (critical habitat). Staff are Electrofishing Class I and II, OBBN and OSAP certified and have completed the ROM fish identification and DFO freshwater mussel identification courses.