EPFRRS 2022 Annual Report

There were four gear types used during the 2022 field season; electrofishing, beach seine, hoop traps, and Kodiak trawl. Electrofishing consisted of two electrofishing boats focusing on hotspots identified during PRES and the 2021 field season. The 2,000 ft beach seine was used, and hoop traps were deployed for 24-48 hours of passive fishing. The Kodiak trawl was modified from its use during PFRS in 2019, with an enlarged net opening and a much longer taper to the cod-end. The beach seine and Kodiak trawl were alternated due to the high resource demand needed for these two gear-types (i.e., when the beach seine was fished the Kodiak trawl was not, and vice-versa). Predatory fish removed included black basses, Striped Bass, catfish, and sunfish. However, sunfish were removed opportunistically and were not specifically fished for. Fieldwork was scheduled for four days a week, Monday through Thursday, each week. However, fieldwork was canceled if the weather presented unsafe working conditions. In total, fieldwork was conducted on 55 days during the field season.