Bonita Creek Fish Monitoring June 2015
Marsh & Associates (M&A) with assistance from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) visited lower Bonita Creek, Graham Co., Arizona to sample fishes June 23 – 26, 2015. This monitoring is part of a long-term program initiated by BLM to evaluate relationships between populations of native and non-native fishes.
Total effort was 300, 300, and 28 overnight sets for Gee, Promar, and hoop nets, respectively and 10 seine hauls. Total catch (all netting methods combined) was 1235 western mosquitofish, 380 yellow bullhead, 343 Gila chub, 341 fathead minnow, 137 green sunfish, 108 Sonora sucker, 12 Sonora mud turtle, and 1 Northern crayfish. Total catch per unit effort (CPUE) was 4.1 fish per net set. Catch per unit effort for combined native fish species (Sonora sucker and Gila chub) was 0.7 per net set and CPUE for targeted non-native fish species (yellow bullhead and green sunfish) was 0.8 fish per net set. Supplemental seine catch was 49 fathead minnow, 33 western mosquitofish, 28 Gila chub, and 4 Sonora sucker.