This data release includes tabular data files. The dataset consists of four input data tables (Appendices A1-A4) for a Lake Superior EcoPath with EcoSim (EwE; http://ecopath.org) model parameterized to the early 21st century using 2001-2016 collections. The data presented here are primarily intended to development a static ecosystem model representing a snapshot of Lake Superior circa 2005 when the bulk of information was collected. Input data were compiled from multiple federal, state, provincial, and tribal agencies, academic institutions, published reports, theses, and peer review journal articles. This dataset includes results from lake-wide Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative surveys (CSMI; CSMI 2020) of Lake Superior undertaken in 2005-06, 2011 and 2016. We provide results of three lake-wide acoustic surveys (2003-2006, 2011 and 2016) that provided biomass estimates (kg/ha) of pelagic prey (cisco, bloater, kiyi and rainbow smelt); the later two (2011 and 2016) were part of the larger CSMI efforts. Our inputs on fish rely heavily on data included in Isaac (2010) who used USGS bottom trawl samples. These trawl data had been included in a previously released data set (Great Lakes Science Center 2019). We include these samples in the current release because we made a QA/QC effort to verify that the results of Isaac (2010) could be reproduced. We found that biomass estimates were close to that reported by Isaac (2010) for most groups (see associated metadata record process step 8 for details), but not exact. We opted to use biomass estimates as reported in Isaac (2010) for four species because his production to biomass (P/B) we’re using in the EcoPath model are explicitly linked to the biomass estimates provided by Isaac (2010). Collectively, these data represent the best available estimates of lake-wide population characteristics (biomass, production, consumption, diet, harvest, etc.) across trophic levels from bacteria to sea lamprey. Readers interested in learning more details about this data compilation and balancing of this Lake Superior ecosystem model should read the associated manuscript (Matthias, et al.), which is noted in the metadata cross reference section. References: Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). 2020. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-monitoring/cooperative-science-and-monitoring-initiative-csmi [accessed 10/82020] Isaac, E.J., 2010. An Evaluation of the Importance of Mysis relicta to the Lake Superior Fish Community. University of Minnesota - Duluth, Duluth, MN. https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/93161 [accessed 10/8/2020]. Matthias, B.G., T.R. Hrabik, J. Hoffman, M. Seider, D. Yule, M. Sierszen, and P. Yurista. In review. Trophic transfer efficiency in the Lake Superior food web: assessing the impacts of non-native species. Journal of Great Lakes Research. USGS (U.S. Geological Survey), 2019. Great Lakes Research Vessel Operations 1958-2018. (ver. 3.0, April 2019): U.S. Geological Survey data release. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5066/F75M63X0 [accessed 10/8/2020].

This release includes data used to evaluate the structure and function of the Ross Lake and Diablo Lake food webs. This includes data on zooplankton density and production (zooplankton_density.csv and daphnia_region_production_biomass.csv), lake volume estimates used to expand zooplankton density and production data (lake_volume_estimates.csv), fish sampling (FishSampleEvents.csv), fish biological information including diets, age, and stable isotope analysis (FishFullData_formatted.csv, FishPreyLength.csv), scale back-calculations (salmonid_back_calc.csv, rss_back_calc.csv), fish energy density (calorimetry_processed.csv), stable isotope data for invertebrate end members (si_inverts.csv), and hydroacoustic sampling (ross_ha_densities.csv, diablo_ha_densities.csv). Fish and zooplankton sampling and stable isotope analysis were conducted by the USGS in 2019-2021, and hydroacoustics surveys were conducted in 2021. These data were also combined with fish data (species, size, age) from the National Park Service collected in 2005-2017 to evaluate fish size and age structure across a larger period of time. The bioenergetics model and information on running the model including inputs and outputs from our simulations and a user guide can be found the in FB4.zip folder. Please refer to the associated publications for additional details about data collection and processing.

This release includes data used to evaluate the structure and function of the Ross Lake and Diablo Lake food webs. This includes data on zooplankton density and production (zooplankton_density.csv and daphnia_region_production_biomass.csv), lake volume estimates used to expand zooplankton density and production data (lake_volume_estimates.csv), fish sampling (FishSampleEvents.csv), fish biological information including diets, age, and stable isotope analysis (FishFullData_formatted.csv, FishPreyLength.csv), scale back-calculations (salmonid_back_calc.csv, rss_back_calc.csv), fish energy density (calorimetry_processed.csv), stable isotope data for invertebrate end members (si_inverts.csv), and hydroacoustic sampling (ross_ha_densities.csv, diablo_ha_densities.csv). Fish and zooplankton sampling and stable isotope analysis were conducted by the USGS in 2019-2021, and hydroacoustics surveys were conducted in 2021. These data were also combined with fish data (species, size, age) from the National Park Service collected in 2005-2017 to evaluate fish size and age structure across a larger period of time. The bioenergetics model and information on running the model including inputs and outputs from our simulations and a user guide can be found the in FB4.zip folder. Please refer to the associated publications for additional details about data collection and processing.

In 2014, the USGS Lake Erie Biological Station participated in the Coordinated Science and Monitoring Initiative (CMSI) program, a program founded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canada in the 1990s as a means to focus collaborative research attention on one of the five Great Lakes each year (on a rotating schedule) as a means to increase scientific knowledge for Great Lakes restoration. The Lake Erie survey examined the food web across a nearshore to offshore gradient, matching the sampling design the preceding USGS studies of the other four Great Lakes (2010-2013). We sampled all trophic levels in all three lake basins across multiple seasons in order to determine nutrient availability and trophic energy transfers from nearshore to offshore across the lake’s west-east production gradient. In each basin two transects, each consisting of replicate nearshore, mid, and offshore sites were sampled. The lower trophic food web (water nutrients, zooplankton, and benthos) was sampled monthly, and the fish community (via bottom trawl and hydroacoutics) was sampled bi-monthly (May, July, and September). By examining the trophic interactions and energy transfer in all three basins, this data may be of interest to anyone interested in examining some of Lake Erie’s principal environmental and ecological issues such as sedimentation and nutrient loading (western basin), seasonal hypoxia (central basin), and strong nearshore to offshore production gradients (eastern basin).

In 2014, the USGS Lake Erie Biological Station participated in the Coordinated Science and Monitoring Initiative (CMSI) program, a program founded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canada in the 1990s as a means to focus collaborative research attention on one of the five Great Lakes each year (on a rotating schedule) as a means to increase scientific knowledge for Great Lakes restoration. The Lake Erie survey examined the food web across a nearshore to offshore gradient, matching the sampling design the preceding USGS studies of the other four Great Lakes (2010-2013). We sampled all trophic levels in all three lake basins across multiple seasons in order to determine nutrient availability and trophic energy transfers from nearshore to offshore across the lake’s west-east production gradient. In each basin two transects, each consisting of replicate nearshore, mid, and offshore sites were sampled. The lower trophic food web (water nutrients, zooplankton, and benthos) was sampled monthly, and the fish community (via bottom trawl and hydroacoutics) was sampled bi-monthly (May, July, and September). By examining the trophic interactions and energy transfer in all three basins, this data may be of interest to anyone interested in examining some of Lake Erie’s principal environmental and ecological issues such as sedimentation and nutrient loading (western basin), seasonal hypoxia (central basin), and strong nearshore to offshore production gradients (eastern basin).

This Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) model was developed for the North West Shelf and the food web upon which it is based. The fishery of the area has been variable over the years. Bulman attempts to capture the trophic flows and biomasses during the late 1980s. At this time, the foreign fishery had reduced considerably following closures and the domestic fisheries were expanding. Fifteen years of catch and effort data were used to tune the model, i.e., annual fishing effort data were input in order to try to recreate the actual changes in the system caused by fishing.