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RE: Has anyone out there ever used a pushnet?
Well Bruce, that pushnet sounds really interesting, but you could get into
legal trouble with your local game warden. In Illinois and Wisconsin the
law stipulates what methods can be used for catching "minnows" and I don't
think the pushnet is on the list. Better check out the law where you live.
Maybe you could argue that it's a seine...
Regards,
George Morris
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce J. Turner [mailto:fishgen at amnh_org]
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 5:05 PM
To: aquarium at listserv_cc.emory.edu; killies at mejac_palo-alto.ca.us;
killietalk at aka_org
Subject: Has anyone out there ever used a pushnet?
(Please pass this on to the NANFA list and to anybody else who might be
interested.)
Sometimes I need to collect fish when I am by myself, or when the person I
am with is less than totally delighted at the prospect of immersing
her(him)self in some murky killifish habitat with an ill-defined bottom. I
suspect that this situation is not unique to me... It can be quite
frustrating, for it presents one with four choices, none of them optimal:
1. Use an umbrella net and wait around for the fish to swim over it and
nibble at the bait. This can take a long time, and, especially when the
net is conspicuously different from the background in color, fish can be
very reluctant to swim to the center of the net where they can be caught.
And you can play this tune to the sound of your companions honking the horn
and eventually driving away to get a burger or grab a cool one...
2. Use a one-person seine or a small two-person seine shortened by rolling
it up on the polls. Often clumsy (particularly when you're tired) and
frequently ineffective...
3. Use a dipnet. Dipnets are good for working against banks or in areas
with heavy plant cover, but I've never been impressed with them in more
open situations...
4. Use a castnet. Hard to do thise consistently without practice. See
also choice no. 2, above.
A "pushnet" is sort of a cross between a seine and a lawn mower (the old
fashioned, totally manual, push-it-yourself kind, not a riding mower);it
can be used by a person working alone. I saw one in use many years ago, by
a shrimp fisherman near Myrtle Beach, SC. His catch included shrimp and
large numbers of killies. I was impressed, but he wouldn't sell it at any
price I was willing to pay... I have never seen one since, nor have I ever
used one or talked with anyone else who has used one... I would guess
though, that a properly designed pushnet would be quite effective at
collecting killies, particularly in coastal habitats. It would be even
nicer if it were made to be collapsible.
To the best of my knowledge, the kind of pushnets I am talking about were
first described by the American ichthyologist Kirk Strawn, in an article
published in Copeia 1954 (3): 195 - 197. Strawn provides plans for two
basic models, one with a beveled front edge (more or less like a sledge,
pushed along the bottom like a trawl) and the other with rollers. The
frames of Stawn's nets were made of wood, but I would bet that pvc tubing
would work at least as well. Obviously, many design modifications are
possible.
I would be interested in corresponding with anyone who has ever used a
pushnet, either of Strawn's design or some other. I would like to know how
effective and practical (in terms of field use) such a net might be, its
advantages, disadvantages, etc. I would also like to hear about other
devices for collecting fish "by one's lonesome."
If anyone is interested in building a pushnet, I would happily send her/him
a xerox copy of Strawn's article, complete with plans and photos of a happy
ichthyologist collecting fish with same... Just send me your mailing
address...
******************************************************************
Bruce J. Turner
Visiting Scientist
Dept. Ichthyology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024
(212)-769-5436
fishgen at amnh_org
Permanent address:
Dept. Biology
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406
(540)-231-7444 (V)
(540)-231-9307 (F)
fishgen at vt_edu
Rivulus marmoratus webpage: http://www.bsi.vt.edu/rivmar/
******************************************************************
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