NEW: Annual Report - George Mason University

126
Seines
The mean annual catch per seine at Stations 4, 6, and 11 combined for the 19 years we have
sampled are gathered in Table 18. Annual means are shown for all species combined and
separately for six typically abundant species. The mean catch of all species combined is lower
than most previous years, but is not by much. Again, most of the decline is because of the low
catch of white perch, which is lower than all previous years, though it is almost the same as the
seine catch in 1993. The 2003 seine catch of spottail shiner and inland silverside were also lower
than that of most previous years, but again, not very much lower than the catch of several years.
The seine catch of banded killifish was comparable to some of the highest of previous years’
catches. The catches of blueback herring and alewife were typical of many previous years.
The number of seines made each month at the three stations in each year are shown in Table 19.
The frequency of seine sampling in 2003 was similar to recent years, but had one less seine at
each station in August and September. Over most of the entire study period the sampling regime
has been consistent, although in a few years such as 1994 and 1986-87, there were some missing
months or individual samplings. The mean catch per seine in each year at each seine station is
presented in Table 20. The catch at Station 4 was lower than all but two previous years, but the
catch at Station 6 was generally typical of most previous years, and the catch at Station 11 was
higher than 12 of the 18 previous years.
To summarize the seine catch data, the abundance of white perch was very low, primarily
because of fewer YOY in the catch. The catch of inland silverside YOY was also low. Blueback
herring, alewife, and spottail shiner were caught in numbers comparable to most previous years.
The catch of banded killifish remained very abundant and dominated the numbers of other
species. The growth of more extensive beds of submersed aquatic vegetation (mostly Hydrilla) at
Station 4 and, to a lesser degree, at Station 6, was much greater than in previous years. It was
mentioned in the field notes as interfering with the seining process at Station 4 on October 9, but
certainly was present there since early summer.