This study briefly examined the simultaneous use of 2 gear types, single underwater video and hook-and-line, for sampling black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in Mid-Atlantic waters off the Maryland (USA) coast. Fish were sampled from 4 July to 3 August 2012 at two locations with varying bottom habitats ranging from sand and mud to natural hard bottom. First, the relationship between estimates of abundance of black sea bass sampled with the two gear types was examined using least-squares regression analysis. Second, abundance estimates were compared using linear mixed-effects models to determine whether abundance differed between the two sampling locations. In general, positive linear relationships were found between abundance estimates produced by underwater video and hook-and-line sampling methods. Abundance estimates of fish sampled with both gears was also found to be greater for the location with more complex bottom habitat. The results suggest that, if utilized together, both gear types have the potential to provide useful information about the abundance of black sea bass in Mid-Atlantic coastal waters.

https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v51.m725

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