APRIL RALSTON LAYHER, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, #2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA

WILLIAM G. LAYHER, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University, Box 4912, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71611, USA

Orangebelly darters were collected from the Ouachita River by electrofishing. Due to the obvious number of mortalities from this collection method subsequent collections from riffles were made using a short burst of electricity as opposed to continuous current. Other specimens were collected by physically disturbing substrate and collecting fish in a seine. Fish were held for thirty days in aquaria and determined to be in good health by ocular inspection with no noticeable signs of physical damage or disease. Fish were placed in an ichthyonatometer to assess velocities at which they could no longer maintain their positions in a clear PVC pipe. Flow levels at which fish could not maintain position were compared for the two groups. Electrofished specimens failed at lower velocities than kick-seined fishes (PROB>T=0.05) suggesting that mechanical injury may have occurred to either skeletal, muscular or nervous tissue. No attempt was made to determine physiological damage. This experiment does provide evidence to stimulate further research on long term physiological effects of electrofishing on small fishes.