Efforts to improve water quality by changing the amount of nutrients in the water can affect fish habitats and fisheries. This makes it important to coordinate fishery management and water quality efforts, taking into account how fish behave in response to changes in their habitat. This data set combines information from acoustic telemetry, which tracks the movements of native lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), with forecasted water quality factors, such as temperature and dissolved oxygen levels, across Lake Erie during seasonal hypoxia (periods of low oxygen). Lake whitefish were tagged between 2015 and 2019, and their detection locations were recorded using the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) from 2017 to 2021, with annual data collected from 2015 to 2021. The abiotic (non-living) water quality parameters for each detection were provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. The migrations of lake whitefish across different jurisdictions lead to seasonal changes in exploitation risk, underscoring the importance of focused fishery management strategies. Understanding how this risk changes along their migration paths supports time-area based management, though measuring this risk is challenging due to different fishing methods and bycatch species in various locations. This data set uses unique acoustic telemetry data to study lake whitefish migrations through different management areas that experience seasonal hypoxia and support various fisheries.

This data release contains passive detection of acoustic telemetry tags that were implanted in walleye Sander vitreus to investigate habitat selection in the dimensions of depth and temperature, and seasonal cross-lake migration in Lake Erie. The data also include continuous archive records of temperature and depth that were obtained from tags that were surrendered by fishers who reported recaptures of tagged fish.

This data release contains passive detection of acoustic telemetry tags that were implanted in walleye Sander vitreus to investigate habitat selection in the dimensions of depth and temperature, and seasonal cross-lake migration in Lake Erie. The data also include continuous archive records of temperature and depth that were obtained from tags that were surrendered by fishers who reported recaptures of tagged fish.

Acoustic Telemetry is gaining popularity for use in fisheries research as a method to estimate survival and observe behaviors of native fish species. Methodology for capture and tagging of fish is typically context and species-specific, requiring a case by case basis for best practices to maximize survival of tagged individuals. This dataset includes acoustic detection data from 320 adult Lake Trout, Salvelinus namaycush, captured and acoustic-tagged in Lake Ontario during April-June of 2023. Biological data (total length), capture data (surface water temperature, capture depth), capture location, and capture gear (angling, bottom trawls, gillnets) are also included in the dataset as covariates that can be analyzed to determine if any of these factors affect post-release survival of tagged Lake Trout. Acoustic detection data is available from April 2023 to November 2024. Survival of acoustic-tagged Lake Trout was estimated through acoustic telemetry detections indicating the status of the Lake Trout (alive vs. dead).

Hydroacoustic estimates of fish density are used for fisheries management in central Lake Erie. Hydroacoustic data were collected along up to four cross-lake transects in central Lake Erie July 2010 through July 2019. Software-generated raw variables used for calculating estimates of hydroacoustic fish densities are presented here.

Hydroacoustic estimates of fish density are used for fisheries management in central Lake Erie. Hydroacoustic data were collected along up to four cross-lake transects in central Lake Erie July 2010 through July 2019. Software-generated raw variables used for calculating estimates of hydroacoustic fish densities are presented here.

Hydroacoustic estimates of fish density are used for fisheries management in central Lake Erie. Hydroacoustic data were collected along 10, randomly-selected, 5-kilometer transects and two cross-basin transects between the US and Canadian shorelines in central Lake Erie during July 2021. Software-generated raw variables were used for calculating estimates of hydroacoustic fish densities presented here in tabular form. These data are related to a longer-term data set from 2010-2019, and a data set from 2020.

While recording fish habitat use via electronic sensors, biologgers can also be viewed as autonomous environmental monitoring systems with the organism as a vehicle. This dual perspective has provided novel results from marine ecosystems but has not been applied to freshwater ecosystems. To understand limitations in freshwater, we evaluated miniature depth and temperature recorders, as aquatic monitoring systems in Lake Erie. As part of an acoustic telemetry study, biologgers were implanted in a subsample of walleye, Sander vitreus in 2014. Biologgers were equipped with sensors capable of measuring water temperature and depth at half-hour intervals for up to a year. Recaptures provided six biologgers for analysis of seasonal temperature patterns and lake stratification, which are key variables for understanding dimictic lakes.

While recording fish habitat use via electronic sensors, biologgers can also be viewed as autonomous environmental monitoring systems with the organism as a vehicle. This dual perspective has provided novel results from marine ecosystems but has not been applied to freshwater ecosystems. To understand limitations in freshwater, we evaluated miniature depth and temperature recorders, as aquatic monitoring systems in Lake Erie. As part of an acoustic telemetry study, biologgers were implanted in a subsample of walleye, Sander vitreus in 2014. Biologgers were equipped with sensors capable of measuring water temperature and depth at half-hour intervals for up to a year. Recaptures provided six biologgers for analysis of seasonal temperature patterns and lake stratification, which are key variables for understanding dimictic lakes.

We initiated a project in 2011 to identify lake-wide movement patterns and spawning areas of invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, WY. We implanted acoustic transmitters in lake trout and established a network of stationary telemetry receivers in Yellowstone Lake. Lake Trout tagged with acoustic transmitters (Vemco V - series) were tracked with stationary acoustic receivers (Vemco VR2W - 69 kHz) from 2011 to 2015. The number of active receivers ranged from 17 - 65 as short term goals of the project changed. Coordinates for each detection represent the location of the receiver reading the transmitter. Additionally, detection ranges can vary from apporximately 500 - 1200 meters (but see Vemco.com for more details). In total, the dataset consists of more than 24 million detections from 470 Lake Trout and 21 Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout that were tagged over the course of the study. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.