Electrofishing is a widely-used surveying method for sampling fish populations in order to determine abundance, density, migration, species composition and habitat utilization for fisheries management and scientific study applications. Adding electrical current to the water causes fish to alter their normal behavior, allowing them to be more easily captured by netting. The UNBC Safe and Effective Electrofishing Course will consist of an 8 hour classroom component and an 8 hour field component. These two components will take place over the course of two days. There will be a short written exam at the end of the second day.
The overall goal of this course is to instruct participants in safe and effective backpack electrofishing practices and provide an opportunity to apply those techniques in a field setting under an instructor’s guidance. Following successful completion of the course, participants will have met the following learning objectives for the each of the two course components.
Classroom Component:
o List requirements to electrofish and electrofishing systems
o Describe basic physics principles
o Discuss equipment components, settings and techniques
o Describe preventative safety measures
o Explain how techniques change based on environmental conditions
o Identify fish health considerations
Field Component:
o Participate in tailgate meeting
o Demonstrate safe electrofishing
o Experiment with technique
o Demonstrate safe fish handling
INSTRUCTOR: Andrew McDermot-Fouts
