Box 1088 - Swift Current - SK - S9H 3X3 - 306.778.5007

The SCCWS staff and representatives perform two types of fish sampling at 5 sites along the Swift Current Creek during the summer. The purpose of the sampling is to collect data on fish populations and communities in our watershed in an effort to assist us in determining watershed health.
For population sampling, we will be fishing for two species: fathead minnow and white sucker. Each of these species is expected to have healthy populations occuring throughout our watershed, and should be relatively easy to catch and identify. We need to catch a minimum of 100 individuals of each of the two fish species at each site. Should we, in an individual catch, catch over 100 individuals, we will process all the individuals in the catch.
For each site, we are trying to document what kinds of fish live there and in what numbers each species is occuring. In community sampling we are less interested in individual fish and are more interested in the number or count of the individuals per species.

FISH SAMPLING

For each individual fish, we need to record: fork length, total length and weight. In addition to these measurements, we should also note the condition of the fish (fungal infection, missing body parts etc.). Total and fork length are measured to the nearest millimeter. Weight is measured to the nearest one-hundredth of a gram.

Measuring fork and total length

Weighing