
To monitor the health of young salmon and smaller species like the cutthroat trout that are not easily viewed otherwise, we use small minnow traps to temporarily catch these fish. We follow the the protocol in the Streamkeepers Handbook Module 11.
We record the species, numbers of fish trapped, and their sizes. We also collect water to check its quality at the time of the survey. From the time the fish are transferred from the trap into a clear bag, the work is done quickly to minimize the stress on the young fish.
Identification
Identifying which species of salmonids we have captured is sometimes difficult. We use the Habitat and Enhancement: Facts and Figures booklet from Fisheries and Oceans and Field Identification of Coastal Junvenile Salmonids, published by Harbour Publishing in 1997. Click through the images below to see the common species found in Stoney Creek: