Oct. 20 webinar explores use of catch, release records to measure fishery health
AgriLife Extension event guides participants through data calculations for fisheries management in private ponds
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present the webinar “Interpreting Your Catch: Using Your Catch Records to Measure the Health and Growth of Your Fishery” on Oct. 20 from 6-7:30 p.m. The event is a component of the agency’s AquaExtension programming.
The cost is $35, and advance registration is required at tx.ag/CatchRecords.
The event’s speaker will be Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist, director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station.
Record keeping important to maintaining fishery health
Maintaining catch and harvest records is a critical component of fishery management, Sink said.
“Not only do these records document fish harvest to ensure management goals, but they can also be used to determine numerous facets of your fishery and its health,” he said. “Catch records from ponds maintained consistently for several years in a row can document the health and growth of your fishery just as well as an expensive electrofishing survey.”
Using real pond fishery datasets and simple online tools, the webinar will show participants how to use their catch records to assess fish population dynamics and calculate:
- Catch per unit effort.
- Relative abundance.
- Proportional and relative stock density.
- Relative weight.
- Species composition.
- Size distribution.
- Age class.
There will be a 30-minute Q&A session at the end of the webinar.
For more information, contact Brittany Chesser, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation management specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Bryan-College Station, at [email protected].
