ABSTRACT
Since Karr proposed the Index of Biotic Integrity in 1981, numerous researchers have applied his assessment philosophy to the measurement of a myriad of ecosystem types. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a system that utilizes river miles as a measure of site location on a stream reach or lakeshore. This chapter retains the Ohio EPA river mile system to report site location and uses metric measurements for all other distances. Gill nets were used to sample river mouths that were dredged to accommodate interlake and international freighter traffic. Gill nets were hung vertically, perpendicular to and against the seawall, with the smallest mesh size nearest the wall. The use of hoop nets was confined to shallow wetland embayment areas. This type of habitat was sampled in the Huron River and Old Woman Creek lacustuaries. Electrofishing consistently caught more species and individuals in less time and with less effort than other sampling methods used in this study.
