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FWS R5 FR LGLFWCO AIS ErieCanal Fish Surveillance Public [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Department of the Interior Full Details

Full Details

Title
FWS R5 FR LGLFWCO AIS ErieCanal Fish Surveillance Public [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]
Description
Juvenile and adult fish surveys are a component of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (LGLFWCO) Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) New York State Canal System (Erie Canal) surveillance program. Juvenile and adult fish surveys of the Erie Canal began in 1998 with the goal of detecting novel AIS fish species that could possibly be using the canal system to move between the Great Lakes and Hudson River drainages. Surveys occurred annually from 1998 - present, excluding 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions which prevented sampling for that year. Sampling focuses on sections of the NYS Canal System from Tonawanda, NY to Waterford, NY.Juvenile and adult fish are collected using boat-based electrofishing transects. These transects have a standardized duration of 500 seconds. For the most part, each general sampling location along the Erie Canal has a few legacy transects which electrofishing occurs. These surveys occur biannually, typically targeting early and late summer conditions. Electrofishing parameters are analyzed and designed to capture the maximum species richness at locations with the assumption that capturing an abundance of species, including singletons and doubletons, could lead to detecting rare novel AIS species if present. All fish collected are counted and identified to species in the field using taxonomic keys. If an identification cannot be made in the field, the specimen or some of its tissue is preserved using 95% ethanol (EtOH) and identifications are made in the laboratory either taxonomically or genetically (recent survey years; Northeast Fishery Center). A subset of individuals from each species are measured (total length; mm) in the field. Any significant AIS detections are reported to partners following an internal communications protocol. The information within this dataset is geospatial in nature and documents juvenile and adult fish sampling events. Both abiotic and biotic data is collected for each individual sampling event. It is possible that over time, the tools and instruments used to collect information have changed or been modified. Also, although infrequent, some fish identifications within this data set may be inaccurate and without photographs or preservation of the individual to confirm identification, those records will remain within this data set unless otherwise detected and removed.
Creator
Department of the Interior
Temporal Coverage
Last modified 2021-05-03
Date Issued
2021-04-15
Access Rights
Public
Format
File
Language
English
Date Added
August 28, 2025

Location

Links

Cite and Reference

  • Citation
    Department of the Interior (2021). FWS R5 FR LGLFWCO AIS ErieCanal Fish Surveillance Public [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]. . https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/maps/fws::fws-r5-fr-lglfwco-ais-eriecanal-fish-surveillance-public (web service)
  • BTAA Geoportal Link

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