Use of the Size–Frequency (Hynes) Method to Estimate Annual Production of a Stream Fish Population
Previously developed and accepted methods of fish production estimation, such as instantaneous growth (G method), require aging of sampled individuals. Hynes' size–frequency method, however, does not require cohort separation. Annual production and approximate 95% confidence intervals are presented and compared for populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Salmo trutta, and Salmo gairdneri) in Valley Creek, Minnesota, 1977–78, using the size–frequency and G methods. No significant difference was found between production values calculated by the two methods. It is proposed that the size–frequency method provides a reliable determination of annual production of fish populations and will be especially useful where accurate aging of individuals is not possible or where aging represents excessive labor.