Long-term monitoring tracks fish species assemblages across seven primary lakes in Wisconsin's Northern Highland Lakes District. Data includes species identification, lengths, weights, and derived metrics like catch per unit effort and growth rates. The dataset is maintained by the North Temperate Lakes site, affiliated with the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Use Cases
- Analyze species distribution and dominance (e.g., perch, bluegill, walleye) across seven distinct lakes.
- Model fish growth and size/age distribution by species, lake, and year using length and weight data.
- Calculate and compare catch per unit effort (CPUE) metrics to assess relative abundance over time.
- Study the presence and impact of introduced species like rainbow smelt in two of the monitored lakes.
- Investigate differences between littoral and pelagic fish communities using data from seine, trap, gill net, and electroshocking samples.
Strengths
- Long-term annual sampling provides a multi-year time series for trend analysis.
- Covers seven distinct lakes with varied limnological conditions (size, depth, fertility).
- Employs multiple standardized sampling methods (seine, traps, nets, electroshocking) for comprehensive community assessment.
- Includes derived metrics like catch per unit effort, growth, and size/age distributions.
Limitations
- Sample size is limited to seven primary lakes, which may not represent all lake types in the region.
- Rows, columns, and exact temporal range are unspecified, making dataset scale unclear.
- Data collection methods, while standardized, may introduce gear-specific biases for certain species.
Provenance
- Source
- North Temperate Lakes (NTL) LTER site, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
- Collection Method
- Annual sampling using seine, minnow/crayfish traps, fyke nets, boat-mounted electroshocker, vertically hung gill nets, and trammel nets at specified littoral and pelagic sites.
- Time Range
- Annual collection; specific start and end years are unknown.
- Freshness
- Data is collected annually; specific last update date is unknown.
- Geography
- Seven primary lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, Trout, and bog lakes 27-02 and 12-15) in the Northern Highland Lakes District of Wisconsin, USA.