Dramatic declines in American eel (Anguilla rostrata) recruitment have
resulted in strong conservation measures being implemented. Recovery actions in Ontario
have included stocking of glass eels. Given the financial costs and imperative to
undertake effective recovery actions, post-stocking monitoring is essential. In this
study, point- and transect electrofishing sampling were compared in terms of eel
detection, catch rates, size-selectivity, and power to detect changes in abundance.
Transect sampling was more likely to detect eels and captured over twice the number of
eels than point-sampling. Differences in catch rates and statistical power were dependent
on the catch-per-unit-effort measure (i.e. sampling unit vs. time). Results support a
transect-based sampling program for stocked eels in Lake Ontario tributaries.