Image and biometric data were collected for 22 species of fish from Great Lakes Tributaries in Michigan and Ohio, and the Illinois River for the purpose of developing a fish identification classifier. Data consists of a comma delimited spreadsheet that identifies image file names and associated fish identification number, common name, species code, family name, genus, and species, date collected, river from which each fish was collected, location of sampling, fish fork length in millimeters, girth in millimeters, weight in kilograms, and personnel involved with image collection. Biometric data are saved as .csv comma delimited format and image files are saved as .png file type.

The Large River Monitoring Forum compiled fish assemblage data for five large rivers in the U.S. as a part of a coordinated effort to compare and contract river monitoring efforts in large river systems. Fish community data from five monitoring programs were integrated to create the standardized dataset. Authors: Timothy D. Counihan1, Ian R. Waite2, Andy Casper3, David Ward4, Jennifer Sauer5, Elise Irwin6, Colin Chapman7, Brian Ickes5, Craig Paukert8, John Kosovich9, and Jennifer M. Bayer10 1- United States Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, 5501A Cook-Underwood Road, Cook, WA 98605; email:tcounihan@usgs.gov; Phone:509-538-2299; Fax:509-538-2843 2- United States Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, 2130 S.W. Fifth Avenue Portland, OR 97201 3- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, 704 N. Schrader, Havana IL 62644 4- United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603 5- United States Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, 2255 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1637 6- United States Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5418 7- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Regional Office, 17330 SE Evelyn Street, Clackamas, OR 97015 8- United States Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 9- U.S. Geological Survey, Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, & Libraries, Lakewood, CO 10- United States Geological Survey, Northwest Region & Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership, 909 1st Ave, 8th Floor Seattle, WA 98104

The Large River Monitoring Forum compiled fish assemblage data for five large rivers in the U.S. as a part of a coordinated effort to compare and contract river monitoring efforts in large river systems. Fish community data from five monitoring programs were integrated to create the standardized dataset. Authors: Timothy D. Counihan1, Ian R. Waite2, Andy Casper3, David Ward4, Jennifer Sauer5, Elise Irwin6, Colin Chapman7, Brian Ickes5, Craig Paukert8, John Kosovich9, and Jennifer M. Bayer10 1- United States Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, 5501A Cook-Underwood Road, Cook, WA 98605; email:tcounihan@usgs.gov; Phone:509-538-2299; Fax:509-538-2843 2- United States Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, 2130 S.W. Fifth Avenue Portland, OR 97201 3- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, 704 N. Schrader, Havana IL 62644 4- United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603 5- United States Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, 2255 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1637 6- United States Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849-5418 7- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Regional Office, 17330 SE Evelyn Street, Clackamas, OR 97015 8- United States Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 9- U.S. Geological Survey, Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, & Libraries, Lakewood, CO 10- United States Geological Survey, Northwest Region & Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership, 909 1st Ave, 8th Floor Seattle, WA 98104

Data represent physical (water quality) and biological (fish, macroinvertebrate, and vegetation community) collections as indicators for Pool 1A and the Maankiki Marsh North and South units at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, MI, USA. The Maankiki North and South units were recently reconnected to the Shiawassee River in 2018, whereas Pool 1A represents a historically reconnected wetland. All data were collected in 2020.

Data represent physical (water quality) and biological (fish, macroinvertebrate, and vegetation community) collections as indicators for Pool 1A and the Maankiki Marsh North and South units at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, MI, USA. The Maankiki North and South units were recently reconnected to the Shiawassee River in 2018, whereas Pool 1A represents a historically reconnected wetland. All data were collected in 2020.

Freshwater lake and stream fish data were collected as part of cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. National Park Service which began in 2021. Data was primarily collected from 22 sites within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The number of sites sampled each year as well as the types of data collected and sampling methods varied during each visit. This data release includes data collected between 2021 and 2022. Please review the associated metadata file(s) before using these data.

Freshwater lake and stream fish data were collected as part of cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. National Park Service which began in 2021. Data was primarily collected from 22 sites within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The number of sites sampled each year as well as the types of data collected and sampling methods varied during each visit. This data release includes data collected between 2021 and 2022. Please review the associated metadata file(s) before using these data.

An eDNA-based sampling approach used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for bigheaded carp Hypophthalmichthys spp. in the upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Basins that collects hundreds of water samples per event. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service detected a single positive sample for bighead carp _H. nobilis_ during the spring 2021 sampling event in the Kinnickinnic River within the Milwaukee River Basin, and detected a second single positive sample for bigheaded carp during the fall 2021 sampling event in the Milwaukee River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not detect any bigheaded carp or bighead carp in previous years (2015 to 2020) or in either the spring or fall 2022 sampling events. These detections lacked perspective such as detection numbers for other species. We reanalyzed the 2021 and 2022 samples for four existing species of fish: two fairly common species (common carp Cyprinus carpio and gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum) and two fairly rare species (burbot Lota lota and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella). This dataset contains the eDNA-base detection and nondetection data from the 2021 and 2022 sampling events.

The data includes dates, places, and times of sampling events for eggs of invasive Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in tributaries to the Great Lakes in 2014, 2023 and 2024. Reference data on locations and dates sampled, gears used, and effort are included. Developmental stages for a subset of undamaged, fertilized eggs are provided. Tables include common fields to allow for integration into a relational database to aid data extraction and associating data among tables.

The data includes dates, places, and times of sampling events for eggs of invasive Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in tributaries to the Great Lakes in 2021 and 2022. Reference data on locations and dates sampled, gears used, and effort are included. Developmental stages for a subset of undamaged, fertilized eggs are provided. Tables include common fields to allow for integration into a relational database to aid data extraction and associating data among tables. First posted: September 2023 Revised: November 2023 (version 1.1)