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Sampling Fish in Lakes — Methods to Increase Your Catch

NRTG’s MicroCourses offer a dynamic training pathway that’s as flexible as it is enriching to build expertise. Our Sampling Fish in Lakes — Methods to Increase Your Catch course, spanning four hours, delivers in-depth training in an easily digestible format. It’s designed to maximize your skills for immediate application in lake ecosystems and fisheries management.  

Fish sampling in lakes differs fundamentally from sampling in flowing waters, necessitating distinct techniques and sampling designs. A robust and defensible sampling design starts with a clear objective and a solid understanding of fish distribution in lakes in relation to a lake’s physical and chemical properties. This MicroCourse will explore how to define your objective, assess fish distribution in lakes, and select sites and sampling techniques to effectively address your research questions.  

Sampling Fish in Lakes — Methods to Increase Your Catch is designed for fisheries professionals working in environments where sampling procedures are not strictly dictated by regulatory requirements. This MicroCourse serves as a companion to Evaluating Water Quality of Lakes — Collecting High Quality Samples.  

Course will be 4 hours long.   

Program Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to: 

  1. Describe the key physical and chemical properties of lakes that influence fish distribution and sampling design. 
  2. Define the purpose of a fisheries assessment by clearly stating assessment objectives and target species or populations. 
  3. Select appropriate sampling sites based on lake characteristics, fish distribution, and assessment objectives. 
  4. Select appropriate fish sampling techniques that align with assessment objectives, target species, and site conditions. 

Prerequisites 

Participants are expected to have a working knowledge of fish sampling techniques and lake properties. 

This course is approved for 4 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) under the Society for Ecological Restoration’s (SER) Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) Program. Participants are responsible for uploading their certificates at ser.submittable.com to receive CECs.

Instructor Profile

Jeff Sereda, PhD.

Manager, Ecological and Habitat Assessment, Owner Sereda Environmental 
Headshot of Jeff Sereda, Senior Fisheries Ecologist and NRTG instructor.

Jeff holds a PhD. in Limnology and an Aquaculture Technician Diploma. He served as manager of a commercial salmonid hatchery for 4 years, lectured at the University of Saskatchewan on topics of fish physiology, taxonomy, ecology, conservation, and aquaculture. Currently, Jeff is a Manager of Ecological and Habitat Assessment, and formally an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. 

Jeff’s research has encompassed topics such as assessing the risk of aquatic ecosystems to anthropogenic eutrophication, macrophyte management, fish habitat restoration, and the impacts of water management on species as risk (Bigmouth Buffalo, Chestnut Lamprey, Plains Sucker, and Lake Sturgeon). Jeff’s research has been presented at over 60 national and international conferences and resulted in 20 peer reviewed publications. 

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