Sample Sizes for Single Mark and Single Recapture Experiments

Calculation of the sample sizes necessary to attain a desired level of precision should be an important step in the design of a mark‐and‐recapture experiment. Equations that easily can be applied for this purpose have not been available. In this report, simple equations for calculation of the sample sizes necessary to obtain a desired degree of precision with high certainty are developed for direct single mark and single recapture experiments. If the costs of marking and searching for marks are known in terms of dollars or effort, the equations give the optimum allocation of effort between marking and looking for marks.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141743/1/tafs0455.pd