From 16 June to 30 July, 2021, a Virginia Tech team of 4-6 sampled the fish community in 30 Shenandoah Valley streams (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. The fish community team also sampled three additional bonus streams (SiteID's FOLL, NAKE, and TUMB) during 19-22 August, 2021. These 33 streams had upstream drainage areas of 7 to 46 sq. km and included 4 James River tributaries (SiteID's POAG, MLRB, CEDR, PISG), 1 Potomac River tributary (HARL), and 28 Shenandoah River tributaries. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and percent of the reach comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From 20 May - 8 June 2021, a Virginia Tech team of 2-3 sampled the macroinvertebrate community in 30 Shenandoah Valley streams (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature,fish community, and fish health at the same 30 streams. The macroinvertebrate community team also characterized the habitat units sampled for macroinvertebrates. At each stream, we sampled macroinvertebrates in two ways:1) in each stream we took 5 slack samples in riffles according to NAWQA protocol, and 2) we selected the most available and productive habitat where we used the Slack sampler to collect 5 additional samples in wood debris accumulations, undercut banks or leaf packs. Mesh size was 250 micrometer and samples were all taken for a known area. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and percent of the reach comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From 20 May - 8 June 2021, a Virginia Tech team of 2-3 sampled the macroinvertebrate community in 30 Shenandoah Valley streams (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature,fish community, and fish health at the same 30 streams. The macroinvertebrate community team also characterized the habitat units sampled for macroinvertebrates. At each stream, we sampled macroinvertebrates in two ways:1) in each stream we took 5 slack samples in riffles according to NAWQA protocol, and 2) we selected the most available and productive habitat where we used the Slack sampler to collect 5 additional samples in wood debris accumulations, undercut banks or leaf packs. Mesh size was 250 micrometer and samples were all taken for a known area. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and percent of the reach comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage areas of 9 to 54 sq. km. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and streambed area comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage areas of 9 to 54 sq. km. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity, and streambed area comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From May 27 to June 21, 2024, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 streams spanning a gradient of the developed landscape, including Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, USA. These fish surveys were part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30 streams. Upstream drainage area of these 30 streams ranged from approximately 7 to 32 sq. km, and width from 2 to 10 m. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity.

From May 27 to June 21, 2024, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 streams spanning a gradient of the developed landscape, including Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, USA. These fish surveys were part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30 streams. Upstream drainage area of these 30 streams ranged from approximately 7 to 32 sq. km, and width from 2 to 10 m. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, and clarity.

From 2-27 June, 2023, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 Piedmont streams (lower Susquehanna River and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries, Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA) spanning a gradient of agricultural intensity as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30 streams. Upstream drainage area of these 30 streams ranged from approximately 10 to 50 sq. km, and width from 2 to 10 m. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and clarity, and streambed area comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

From 2-27 June, 2023, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 Piedmont streams (lower Susquehanna River and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries, Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA) spanning a gradient of agricultural intensity as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30 streams. Upstream drainage area of these 30 streams ranged from approximately 10 to 50 sq. km, and width from 2 to 10 m. At each stream, we sampled fish from two reaches using two-pass backpack electrofishing and seining. Reach A was the main reach surveyed by all the interdisciplinary teams; Reach B was surveyed for fish communities only. Reach length was 20 wetted channel widths, capped at 150 meters. Fish were identified to species, assigned to a length class, inspected for anomalies, and released. Other measurements included water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and clarity, and streambed area comprising pool, riffle, and run habitats.

This data release contains calculated metrics which summarize various biodiversity and functional/life history trait information about fish communities sampled across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well as ancillary data related to time/place of sampling and sampling methodology. The fish sampling data used to compute these metrics were compiled from various fish sampling programs conducted by state and federal agencies, county governments, universities, and river basin commissions across the watershed. Prior to computation of community metrics data from individual fish sampling programs were investigated for completeness and data entry errors. Subsequently, desired fields were extracted from each individual dataset and manipulated into a common form and compiled, including standardization of species names and conversion of coordinates, to similar datum. Following compilation of the disparate datasets, fish species were linked to species-specific trait information including native status, tolerance, habitat preferences, and life history using a combination of the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA; USEPA, 2020), the FishTraits database (Frimpong and Angermeier, 2008), and the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (NAS; USGS, 2020). Using trait designations from these sources a number of different summary metrics were calculated including those used by the EPA NRSA program and the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) 2015 Fish Habitat Assessment (Crawford et al., 2016).