Fyke-Net and Gill-Net Size Selectivities for Yellow Perch in Green Bay, Lake Michigan

We estimated a fyke-net selectivity function for yellow perch Perca flavescens in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, by comparing length-frequency distributions of yellow perch captured in fyke nets with different mesh sizes in 1986. Using a length—girth relationship for Green Bay yellow perch, we expressed selectivity as the ratio of girth (G) to effective mesh perimeter (P), which was 5–7% less than nominal mesh perimeter. Then, fitting an existing gill-net selectivity function to the Green Bay yellow perch fishery, we found fyke-net and gill-net selectivities were similar, with similar G /P ratios, but fyke nets had smaller effective mesh perimeters and thus were more efficient at capturing smaller yellow perch for any given mesh size, The derived fyke-net selectivity function can be used to determine mesh sizes that minimize the sublegal catch of yellow perch in this fishery and could be applied to entrapment gear in other yellow perch fisheries, given data on the length–girth relationships and effective mesh perimeters.