Data

The U.S. Geological Survey-Great Lakes Science Center (USGS-GLSC) began annual bottom trawl surveys of the Lake Huron prey fish community in 1976 to provide prey fish data for the Lake Huron fishery management community. The first full bottom trawl survey covering Michigan waters of Lake Huron was conducted in 1976. An integrated acoustics-midwater trawl survey was started by the USGS...

This data release contains detection and positional data from acoustically tagged fishes used to determine if fish species in the Sandusky River migrate through a location proposed for an invasive species deterrent. Five species—Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum), White Bass (Morone chrysops), Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and...

This data release contains the methodology and results of research focused on helping refine grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) removal efforts in Lake Erie. This research includes information regarding acoustic telemetry receivers deployed in Lake Erie and its tributaries during the study time frame, temperature data collected from stations previous research has shown grass carp...

This dataset contains hydroacoustic and environmental data collected by a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LRAUV) in U.S. waters of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan during August 2022. Data were collected to evaluate bias in fisheries hydroacoustic surveys associated with the surface acoustic dead zone (SADZ; 0–5 m depth), where near-surface fish often go undetected, leading to

Bloater (Coregonus hoyi) are an extirpated deepwater fish species in Lake Ontario. Bloater were reintroduced to Lake Ontario starting in 2012 from a donor population in Lake Michigan. Despite annual stocking, Bloater have yet to establish a self-sustaining population and success of stocking has been limited. Acoustic telemetry studies have identified that post-release survival of stocked...

This dataset contains net tow and hydroacoustic data collected in the summer of 2021 in lakes Michigan and Huron to assess the spatial distribution and areal abundance of nighttime pelagic mysids (Mysis diluviana). This dataset also contains long-term secchi depth measurements collected in all five Great Lakes from 1996-2021 as environmental context to test hypotheses driving mysid...

This data release includes Lake Ontario gillnet catch and biological data from individual fish from the Lake Ontario adult lake trout survey, from 1983 to 2025. Data from gillnets fished in Canadian waters are included from 1985 to 1995, 2008, and 2024. Details about the vessel and gear descriptions, sampling protocols, and fish processing protocols are provided in the associated...

This dataset includes information from a yellow perch (Perca flavescens) tagging experiment, where the goal was to evaluate tag retention rates, and impact of tagging on growth, condition, and survival. Fish were held in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) over a 168-day period to evaluate four external tag types including loop, ring, streamer, and T-bar anchor tags. Data were...

Assessing the distribution and abundance of both predator and prey (forage) fish species is a cornerstone of ecosystem-based fishery management and supports decision making that considers food-web interactions. In support of binational Great Lakes fishery management, the objectives of this survey were to: provide estimates of densities of key forage and predator species in the western...

Impacts of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.) on Great Lakes ecosystems are well documented, but a better understanding of mechanisms that cause variation in mussel abundance is needed. An outstanding question is how much mussel biomass is consumed by predation. To date, attention has mainly focused on invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) predation of mussels. Biomass of native

This dataset records physical (photosynthetically available radiation, currents, wave action, and temperature) and physicochemical (specific conductivity, turbidity, pH, phycocyanin, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen) data from sensors moored during the winter season of 2024-2025 at two lake whitefish spawning reefs – Good Harbor Bay in Lake Michigan and Thunder Bay in Lake Huron. The...

This dataset includes fish community data collected during the annual nearshore and offshore surveys for Lake Superior from 1978-2025. The data includes: the number, weight, number per hectare, and kg per hectare of fish caught at each location from 1978-2025; annual age-1 numerical density estimates for select species in the nearshore region (1978-2025) and offshore region (2011-2025)...