Pushnet sampling as a supplement to seine sampling in rivers

A pushnet, a surface-fishing trawl mounted on the front of a small boat, was tested as a fish-collecting device to supplement seine sampling on the Ohio River. Both seine and pushnet catch rates were highly variable, with seine catch rates related to sampling conditions and pushnet catch rates related to habitat quality. The pushnet, which primarily sampled limnetic habitats, captured fewer species and smaller-sized individuals than the seine, which primarily sampled littoral habitats. The pushnet is a useful addition to faunal survey equipment because it samples differently from a seine and is useable where steeply-sloping shorelines, fast currents, shoreline obstructions and soft substrates prevent seining.