Description
The Fish Inventory Techniques (FIT) course is an applied three-day, field-based training program suited for technicians and field biologists conducting fish inventory, salvaging and population estimation programs. This course trains participants to conduct fish inventories and fish salvaging using a wide variety of fish capture techniques and methods. Course participants will also learn to conduct standard adult and juvenile fish biological sampling and fish population estimates using minnow trapping, pole seining, fyke, floating and hoop nets and backpack electrofishing.
The Fish Inventory Techniques course is one in a series of NRTG fish ‘inventory-related’ training programs, including: backpack Electrofishing Certification, Boat Electrofishing, Snorkel Survey Methods and longer Certificate programs: Fisheries Field Skills Certificate program and Environmental Skills Certificate program.
Each NRTG course includes free, lifetime admission. Enrol once – come back anytime.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion, participants will be able to:
- Plan and conduct a detailed fish inventory program
- Identify and contrast a wide variety of fish inventory tools and procedures
- Conduct standard minnow trapping procedures
- Conduct standard pole seining procedures
- Conduct standard backpack electrofishing procedures
- Conduct multi-pass backpack electrofishing
- Install and operate a fyke net
- Install and operate a hoop net
- Collect field data and calculate basic fish population estimates
- Conduct fish husbandry and biological sampling
- Complete fish collection data requirements
Who enrols in the Fish Inventory Techniques course?
Course participants may include technicians, Indigenous stewards, field biologists and other field personnel involved in fish salvaging, fish inventory and fish population estimation projects.
Pre-requisites
Current and valid backpack Electrofishing Certification is recommended, but not mandatory.
Personal Protective Equipment
This course is both classroom and field based. Participants are required to bring/supply writing pad, pen/pencils and refreshments (lunch is not provided), as well as suitable field clothing, field transportation and own personal protective equipment, including: leak-free chestwaders, wading belt, hat with brim, non-slip footwear and polarized glasses. Note: NRTG will provide lineman’s gloves for all Electrofishing certified course participants. Non-certified students will be required to watch this demonstration or participate in other field training activities. For further information, please contact NRTG.
How do I Attend?
This course is available via our website Schedule Page, or on contract to organizations/community groups. The Fish Inventory Techniques course is regularly scheduled for community-based deliveries throughout the year. Interested groups or organizations can also arrange for an ‘in-house’ or contract delivery of this course. In either scenario, contact NRTG for further information.
If you would like to have this course delivered to your group or community, please consider the following:
- Contact us well in advance of your preferred course start date
- If applicable, secure program funding
- Recruit course participants (most NRTG courses have minimum enrollments of 10-12 participants)
- Coordinate course participant equipment, classroom facility and contractual agreement with NRTG.
Check our course Schedule page for upcoming course deliveries.
Frequently Asked Questions
We offer this course beginning in February in coastal regions and March in interior regions throughout North America. Please refer to our Schedule page for course timing and locations.
This course includes a ½ day online presentation and a two-day instructor-led field practicum. The online session may be scheduled in advance of the two-day field practicum, allowing participants time to travel to the field site location.
Course participants are required to provide chestwaders, waterproof field notebook, own transportation, and bag lunch and refreshments each day.
You can purchase chestwaders from Canadian Tire, any flyfishing shop across Canada, Cabela’s, or industry suppliers such as Dynamic Aqua Supply (Surrey, BC), IRL Supplies (Prince George, BC), Winners Edge (Lillooet, BC), Surplus Herby’s (Williams Lake, Kamloops, Vernon BC), Forestry equipment suppliers across Canada, and other outdoor equipment outfitters.
First, always ensure your chestwaders do not leak! You can do this easily by holding a flashlight (or your phone) in your waders in a dark room. Beams of light coming out in small pinholes might indicate a small hole. Patch using Aqua seal or Shoe Goo.
Neoprene chestwaders are appropriate for spring, fall and winter conditions but may be too warm for summer field work. Nylon chestwaders and Gore-Tex ® or breathable chestwaders are excellent choices for most seasons, where crew members wear warm layers (e.g., fleece, polypropylene) underneath during colder field conditions.
Felt soles can offer stable footing in most types of stream substrates but may be poor choices when working in areas of extensive clay stream bottoms or snowy banks. Felt soles will provide poor traction on clay and snow will stick to and accumulate on felt-soled wading shoes. Wading shoes with cleats (aluminum or tungsten) will provide stable footing in a variety of substrates (gravels, cobbles, clay, large boulders) and are less likely to transfer invasive species from waterbody to waterbody.