A Comparison between Conventional Boat Electrofishing and the Electrified Dozer Trawl for Capturing Silver Carp in Tributaries of the Missouri River, Missouri.

Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix are elusive fish that can be difficult to capture with conventional management tools. New tools must be developed to help increase the capture of Silver Carp, thereby improving the understanding and management of the species. An electrified dozer trawl was developed in an attempt to increase the capture of Silver Carp while reducing the amount of sampling effort needed to successfully assess a population and inform management actions. We compared Silver Carp catch rates, sample run time, and Silver Carp length frequency distributions from the electrified dozer trawl with those from conventional boat electrofishing. Silver Carp capture was greater and sample time was shorter for the electrified dozer trawl compared to conventional boat electrofishing. Length frequency distributions were similar between gears. The electrified dozer trawl can shorten sample run times and potentially improve Silver Carp capture, thus facilitating management. Use of the electrified dozer trawl should be expanded beyond Missouri River tributaries to further understand the gear's potential for sampling Silver Carp in a diverse array of environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]