Investigators in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (1993) used capture–recapture to estimate the number of fishers in the Monico Study Area in Wisconsin.
a. In the first study, 7 fishers were captured between August 11, 1981 and January 31, 1982. Twelve fishers were captured between February 1 and February 19, 1982; of those 12, 4 had also been captured in the first sample. Give an estimate of the total number of fishers in the area, along with a 95% CI.
b. In the second study, 16 fishers were captured between September 28, 1982 and October 31, 1982, and 19 fishers were captured between November 1 and November 17, 1982. Eleven of the 19 fishers in the second sample had also been caught in the first sample. Give an estimate of the total number of fishers in the area, along with a 95% CI.
c. What assumptions are you making to calculate these estimates? What do these assumptions mean in terms of fisher behavior and “catch ability”?