Comparison of plankton net and light trap methodologies for sampling larval and juvenile fishes at offshore petroleu platforms and a coastal jetty off Louisiana

Abstract

We sampled ichthyoplankton at artificial structures across the continental shelf (3–219-m depth) of the northern Gulf of Mexico and compared passive plankton net and light trap methodologies at three offshore petroleum platforms (shelf slope, mid-shelf, and inner shelf) and plankton push-net and light trap methodologies at a coastal jetty. Clupeiform fishes dominated collections for all gears (59–97% of the total catch). Plankton nets collected more fish than light traps at two platforms…and jetty push nets collected more fish than light traps.