Quote:
Originally Posted by Duck Butter
A creel survey is NOT in any way shape or form an accurate way to draw conclusions for the overall health of a fisheries or any species. It only shows what is being caught and does not show what is actually in the lake itself.
Only an idiot would suggest otherwise  |
We've compared our creel survey data with fishery independent data many times, and there is never a significant difference between condition factors determined from angler catches and that from net sampling.
The peer-reviewers on our published papers also had no trouble accepting our results from several hook-and-line studies.
Also, the USGS conducted a study in Big Lake using hook and line to catch fish to assess condition in the same way we are. Are they idiots too?
Assessments of fish condition based on hook and line sampling are widely accepted in the fisheries science community.
There is just no evidence to support your biased claim that fish caught by hook and line are not a representative sample, and there is a lot of evidence refuting it.