There are three datasets associated with the manuscript ‘Experience matters: Commercial fishing can reduce biomass of invasive bigheaded carps’. The first dataset represent harvest from the invasive carp harvest program in Kentucky and Tennessee from 2009-2021 only in Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake where the majority of harvest occurs. The second data are length data from a subset of those fish harvested in 2018-2021. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency conduct observations onboard commercial vessels. During these observations total lengths are collected from a subset of that capture which we have used to develop a length-based stock assessment. The last dataset are the results from a survey delivered to fishers participating in the invasive carp harvest program in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Data tables represents a telemetry study assessing the efficacy of sound and electricity used to herd Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). The study occurred in Jonathan Creek Embayment of Kentucky Lake, Kentucky using 10 telemetered Silver Carp and 46 passive acoustic receivers. Two herding boats traveled at 2.22 meters per second along bank-to-bank transects through the study area (longitudinal progression rate = 0.37 meters per second) emitting sound and electricity (“stimulus”) or no added stimuli (“control”). Fish movement responses included fish presence in the refuge-zones located at either end of the embayment, fish presence fore of herding boats, and fish presence within 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and 800 meters of the herding boats, and fish velocity.

Data tables represents a telemetry study assessing the efficacy of sound and electricity used to herd Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). The study occurred in Jonathan Creek Embayment of Kentucky Lake, Kentucky using 10 telemetered Silver Carp and 46 passive acoustic receivers. Two herding boats traveled at 2.22 meters per second along bank-to-bank transects through the study area (longitudinal progression rate = 0.37 meters per second) emitting sound and electricity (“stimulus”) or no added stimuli (“control”). Fish movement responses included fish presence in the refuge-zones located at either end of the embayment, fish presence fore of herding boats, and fish presence within 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and 800 meters of the herding boats, and fish velocity.

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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes in tandem with water quality information, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled via bottom trawl during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2023 data to the set for a total of eleven years observation using the same gear and sampling design.

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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes in tandem with water quality information, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled via bottom trawl during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2023 data to the set for a total of eleven years observation using the same gear and sampling design.

This data release presents catch and effort data for Cisco Coregonus artedi and Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis commercial gill net fisheries in State of Michigan waters of Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron during 1929-1970. The data were used to determine if Cisco and Lake Whitefish relative abundance (commercial gill net catch per effort) were correlated (positive and negative) during the historical period. The file is in .csv format and contains columns for: (1) lake (LAKE); (2) commercial fishery management unit (MU); (3) year (YEAR); (4) gill net material used to target Lake Whitefish (WF_MAT); (5) gill net material used to target Cisco (CS_MAT); (6) gill net conversion factors (multipliers) used to convert effort into linen and cotton gill net equivalents for Lake Whitefish (WF_CF); (7) gill net conversion factors (multipliers) used to convert effort into linen and cotton gill net equivalents for Cisco (CS_CF); (8) catch (kg) of Lake Whitefish (WF_KG); (9) catch (kg) of Cisco (CS_KG); (10) corrected effort (km of net) for Lake Whitefish (WF_KM); (11) corrected effort (km of net) for Cisco (CS_KM); (12) corrected catch per effort (kg per km of net) for Lake Whitefish (WF_CPE); (13) corrected catch per effort (kg per km of net) for Cisco (CS_CPE); (14) loge-transformed corrected catch per effort for Lake Whitefish (LN_WF_CPE); (15) loge-transformed corrected catch per effort for Cisco (LN_CS_CPE); (16) standardized Z-scores based on loge-transformed corrected catch per effort for Lake Whitefish (WF_Z); (17) standardized Z-scores based on loge-transformed corrected catch per effort for Cisco (CS_Z); and (18) whether individual data points were removed prior to analyses based on values of corrected effort for either species (i.e., WF_KM or CS_KM) that fell outside the 2.5-97.5 percentile range for all available unit- and species-specific effort data pooled (E_FILTER). Gill net conversion factors were required because different gill net materials with different efficiencies were used throughout the historical period. Efficiencies increased over time with the introduction of each new gill net material (i.e., linen and cotton to nylon-multifilament to nylon-monofilament). All corrected data were expressed as linen and cotton gill net equivalents. To express data as linen and cotton gill net equivalents, nylon-monofilament and nylon-multifilament gill net effort were multiplied by species-, lake-, and year-specific gill net conversion factors (WF_CF and CS_CF). Efficiency curves can be generated for each species and lake by plotting gill net conversion factors over time (i.e., WF_CF and CS_CF vs. YEAR). It is worth noting that gill net conversion factors (WF_CF and CS_CF) were based on data collected prior to increases in water clarity throughout all three lakes and relative efficiencies may have changed in recent years. We encourage users to exercise caution when applying these conversion factors to more recent data (post-1970s). The effort filter was used to ensure that individual data points used for analyses (i.e., paired Cisco–Lake Whitefish catch per effort) were not based on unusually high or low levels of targeted effort for either species.

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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes in tandem with water quality information, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled via bottom trawl during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2020 data to the set for a total of eight years observation using the same gear and sampling design.

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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes in tandem with water quality information, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled via bottom trawl during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2022 data to the set for a total of ten years observation using the same gear and sampling design.

Assessing the distribution and abundance of both predator and prey (forage) fish species is a cornerstone of ecosystem-based 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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2018 data to the set for a total of six years observation using the same gear and sampling design.

Assessing the distribution and abundance of both predator and prey (forage) fish species is a cornerstone of ecosystem-based 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 basin of Lake Erie, to assess seasonal and spatial distributions of fishes, and to assess year class strength. A systematic grid sampling approach with 41 stations was sampled during June (Spring) and September (Autumn), starting in 2013. This data release adds 2018 data to the set for a total of six years observation using the same gear and sampling design.