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An Experimental Gill Net Based on the Principle of the Latin Square
Author(s) -
Houser Alfred,
Ghent Arthur W.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1964)93[233:aegnbo]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - net (polyhedron) , sample (material) , square (algebra) , latin square , population , fish <actinopterygii> , distributive property , statistics , sampling (signal processing) , sampling scheme , econometrics , mathematics , ecology , fishery , computer science , biology , estimator , geometry , demography , sociology , rumen , chemistry , food science , filter (signal processing) , chromatography , fermentation , pure mathematics , computer vision
The inadequacies of population studies based on captures from gill nets have been apparent to fishery biologists for many years. In an effort to overcome some of their deficiencies, we have incorporated the latin‐square principle in a new net. Tests reveal that the quality of the sample compares favorably with that of conventional gill nets, although the latin‐square net appears to catch slightly fewer fish per unit of area. However, the distributive positioning of mesh sizes provides a more representative sample than any single standard net. In addition, representative samples may be obtained with smaller nets. Its application to ecological studies, including both lateral and depth distribution as well as to associative groupings, allows for much more definitive interpretations of fish behavior. Although the labor of constructing a latin‐square net by hand methods is substantial, the increased efficiency in population sampling, especially in small bodies of water, is an adequate compensation.