Great Lakes Fish Distribution and Spawning Areas for Oil Spill Sensitivity Analysis

GL_StClair_Detroit_River 2019 ESI FISH data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contains vector polygons, lines, and points representing freshwater fish distribution, concentration, and spawning areas in the St. Clair/Detroit River System. The data characterize biological resources by their sensitivity to spilled oil and include species-specific abundance, seasonality, and life history information in associated tables. This dataset covers a portion of southern Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and western Lake Erie.

Use Cases

• Modeling oil spill sensitivity and impact on freshwater fish populations based on distribution and concentration area data.
• Analyzing seasonal patterns of fish spawning and abundance based on stored seasonality and life history information.
• Mapping critical fish habitats for conservation planning within the St. Clair/Detroit River System based on polygon, line, and point features.

Strengths

• Data is part of a structured Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) framework designed for oil spill sensitivity analysis.
• Includes associated data tables with species-specific attributes like abundance, seasonality, and life history.
• Covers a defined study area including Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and Lake Erie.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific Great Lakes region covered.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Likely collected through environmental monitoring and biological surveys for the ESI program.

Time Range

2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:29:09.375863; freshness should be verified.

Geography

St. Clair/Detroit River System in southeastern Michigan, including parts of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, and connecting rivers.