Environmental Variables and Fish Counts from Underwater Camera Sampling on Pools 7 and 8 on the Upper Mississippi River, Winter 2024 - 2025

The data were collected as part of a study using underwater cameras to describe fish habitat preferences under the ice in four backwaters located in Pools 7 and 8 on the Upper Mississippi River. The dataset contains both environmental data and fish abundance data. The environmental data were collected at each site to describe the conditions and water quality at the time of sampling. The fish abundance data (MaxN) were collected from underwater camera recordings that were viewed in the lab. Each species present in the sampling effort was assigned a MaxN value for each site. The MaxN is defined as the maximum number of a fish species present in a single frame of the recorded video for each sampling site. The dataset also contains the time at which the MaxN was obtained during the video and the total raw count of all fish from each species found at each site. Most MaxN values and identifications were recorded manually by a single observer. Any uncertain MaxN values or identifications were reviewed by a second observer and any differences were reconciled between the two observers.