A fish’s diet is the integrated response of multiple ecological interactions including habitat use, foraging behavior, prey community characteristics, and inter-specific interactions. Fish diet samples have quantified how the invasion of white perch into Lake Erie in the early 1950s has influenced interactions with native yellow perch, which are similar in morphology and habitat use. Early research largely concluded that given the high foraging efficiency of white perch there is both high potential for inter-specific competition and that the invasion of white perch has negatively affected yellow perch. As part of a biannual (spring and autumn) Lake Erie Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment, the USGS Lake Erie Biological Station collected and analyzed diets of age-2-and-older yellow perch and white perch from 2012-2016 to assess possible inter-specific ecological interactions. Information collected from the diets (presence/absence of prey and dry weight of prey (g)) and effort data (coordinates of fish capture) have been uploaded. Information on how fish were captured and how diets were processed can be found in the meta data document provided.

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 2019 data to the set for a total of seven 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 2019 data to the set for a total of seven 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.

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 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 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 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 2024 data to the set for a total of twelve years observation using the same gear and sampling design.