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<br />Although data are not conclusive, it is suggested that repeated exposure <br />to electroshock can change the probability of capture of trout and affect <br />population estimates. Evidence elsewhere (Cross and Stott, 1975) indicates <br />the effect in population estimates is caused by a learned avoidance behavior <br />of shocked but not captured trout. Whether this effect is caused by decreas- <br />ed catchability of shocked but not captured fish or an increased catchabil- <br />ity of shocked and captured fish, the result is population estimates that are <br />biased low. The 7 to 10 day resting period used here is proposed as an ade- <br />quate amount of time for a fish after being shocked to return to its normal <br />preshock capture probability. More work needs to be done to more accurately <br />determine the minimum resting period length necessary for equal capture prob- <br />ability of marked and unmarked fish. <br />Obtaining unbiased population estimates is the ultimate goal, however, <br />in those studies where mark and recapture runs were made with an inadequate <br />resting time, population estimates, although biased, will still be comparable <br />if no change in methods has occurred in population size and age structure. <br />If estimates are biased and methods have changed differences in population <br />estimates may be more related to changes in methods than actual changes in <br />population size and great care should be taken when comparing estimates. <br />in addition to the mark/recapture estimates, bias caused by a change in <br />catchability after exposure to electroshock in any of the estimators assuming <br />constant catchability (e.g., DeLury, Seber-LeCren, Zippin) should be investi- <br />gated. <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />Length of time between electrofishing mark and recapture runs can have <br />considerable effect on resulting population estimates. Population estimates <br />made with 0 to 3 days between mark and recapture runs (within week estimates) <br />averaged only 75.1 and 54.0% of population estimates made with 7 to 10 days <br />between mark and recapture (between week estimates). Although several of <br />the underlying assumptions may have been violated, violation of the equal <br />catchability assumption best explained the difference between the within <br />week and between week estimates. <br /> <br />ACKNOWLEDGMENTS <br /> <br />I thank Mark Fowden, Jim Sherman, <br />Game and Fish Department personnel who <br />ing of trout collected in this study. <br />would have been possible. <br /> <br />Jim Shelley, and all the other Wyoming <br />aided in the electrofishing and mark- <br />Without their help none of this work <br /> <br />LITERATURE CITED <br /> <br />Chapman, D. G. 1951. Some properties of the hypergeometric distribution <br />with applications to zoological sample censuses, University of Cali- <br />fornia Publ. Stat. 1(7). 131-160 pp. <br /> <br />Cormack, R. M. 1979. Models for capture-recapture, in R. M. Cormack, <br />G. P. Patil, Co-operative Publishing House, Fairland, MD. 217-255 pp. <br /> <br />27 <br />