FISHERIES AND AQUATIC ECOLOGY
BIO-WEST is well known for its aquatic endangered species expertise in the Colorado River basin—including razorback sucker, Virgin River chub, woundfin, and Colorado pikeminnow—in the southwestern United States. This expertise allowed us to become involved with rare aquatic species in other areas of the United States.
Methods and Gear Types
Our fisheries biologists and technicians have extensive experience in:
- instream flow incremental methodology (IFIM)
- general aquatics and wildlife surveys
- habitat evaluation procedures (HEP)
- habitat quality index (HQI)
- Hankin and Reeves
- population estimation and mark/recapture techniques
They use a variety of fish sampling gear including:
- electrofishing
- fyke nets
- gill and trammel nets
- hoop nets
- light traps
- minnow traps
- seines
They use radio and sonic telemetry, surgically implant transmitters with internal or external antennae, track sonic-tagged fish (via air, ground, and water), and establish and maintain remote telemetry stations.
Familiar with fish species throughout the western United States, BIO-WEST biologists work in small mountain streams, large reservoirs, Gulf Coast bays, and major rivers.
BIO-WEST provides the following services:
- aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling and identification
- aquatic/wildlife surveys
- biological assessments and investigations
- diversion structure evaluations
- endangered fish studies and recovery activities
- fish aging
- fish sampling
- fish stocking
- fishery impact analyses
- flow recommendations
- habitat evaluation
- habitat improvement structure evaluations
- mechanical fish removal
- monitoring plan development, study design, and research
- National Environmental Policy Act compliance
- Native American Tribe representation
- resource management plans
- Section 7 consultations
- stream restoration
- taxonomic analyses
