Data are collected annually to enable us to track the fish assemblages of eleven primary lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, Trout, bog lakes 27-02 [Crystal Bog] and 12-15 [Trout Bog], Mendota, Monona, Wingra and Fish). Sampling on Lakes Monona, Wingra, and Fish started in 1995; sampling on other lakes started in 1981. Sampling is done at six littoral zone sites per lake with seine, minnow or crayfish traps, and fyke nets; a boat-mounted electrofishing system samples four littoral transects. Vertically hung gill nets are used to obtain two pelagic samples per lake from the deepest point. A trammel net samples across the thermocline at two sites per lake. In the bog lakes only fyke nets and minnow traps are deployed. Parameters measured include species-level identification and lengths for all fish caught, and weight and scale samples from a subset. Dominant species vary from lake to lake. Perch, rockbass, and bluegill are common, with walleye, large and smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge as major piscivores. Cisco have been present in the pelagic waters of four lakes, and an exotic species, rainbow smelt, is present in two. The bog lakes contain mudminnows.
Beach seining was discontinued after the 2019 season. The only sampling done in 2020 were a single gill-netting replicate in Sparkling, Crystal, and Trout lakes. Sampling in Fish Lake was missed in 2021 due to significant lake level changes. Data from the two bogs is missing in 2022.
Sampling Frequency: annually Number of sites: 11.
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North Temperate Lakes LTER: Pelagic Prey - Sonar Data 2001 - current
Total pelagic fish abundance data were collected annually in mid-summer using sonar
along a set of transects in each of eight lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal,
Sparkling, Trout, Mendota, Monona, and Fish), from 1981-1999, and in Lakes Monona and Fish
from 1995-1999. This data is not available online (contact gahler@wisc.edu). No data was
collected in 2000. In 2001, collection resumed on Crystal, Sparkling, and Trout. In 2005,
collection resumed on Lake Mendota. This data is included in this dataset as CSV files. The
data represent lake-wide density estimates for abundant pelagic prey species in each lake.
The sampling on each lake was conducted in depths greater than 5 meters to avoid hazards to
equipment. In addition, because of the near field acoustic effects, the upper 2 meters of
the water column is not represented in the data. Although they were rare, large targets
representing predatory species were excluded from the density estimation for pelagic prey
species using the proportion of large targets identified during single target analysis on
each lake. Densities for Sparkling, Crystal and Mendota are for the entire basin of each
lake. The data shown for Trout Lake represent densities in only the south basin. Number of
sites: 4
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- Award ID(s):
- 2025982
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10493151
- Publisher / Repository:
- Environmental Data Initiative
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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This data set is a derived data set based on fish catch and length data. Data are collected annually to enable us to track the fish assemblages of eleven primary lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, Trout, bog lakes 27-02 [Crystal Bog] and 12-15 [Trout Bog], Mendota, Monona, Wingra and Fish). Sampling on Lakes Monona, Wingra, and Fish started in 1995; sampling on other lakes started in 1981. Sampling is done at six littoral zone sites per lake with seine, minnow or crayfish traps, and fyke nets; a boat-mounted electrofishing system samples three littoral transects. Vertically hung gill nets are used to obtain two pelagic samples per lake from the deepest point. A trammel net samples across the thermocline at two sites per lake. In the bog lakes only fyke nets and minnow traps are deployed. Parameters measured include species-level identification and lengths for all fish caught, and scale samples and weight from a subset. Derived data sets include species richness, catch per unit effort, and size distribution by species, lake, and year. Dominant species vary from lake to lake. Perch, rockbass, and bluegill are common, with walleye, large and small mouth basses, northern pike and muskellunge as major piscivores. Cisco have been present in the pelagic waters of four lakes, and the exotic species, rainbow smelt, is present in two. The bog lakes contain mudminnows. Protocol used to generate data: The number of fish caught in each five mm length interval (0more » « less
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This data set is a derived data set based on fish catch data. Data are collected annually to enable us to track the fish assemblages of eleven primary lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, Trout, bog lakes 27-02 [Crystal Bog] and 12-15 [Trout Bog], Mendota, Monona, Wingra and Fish). Sampling on Lakes Monona, Wingra, and Fish started in 1995; sampling on other lakes started in 1981. Sampling is done at six littoral zone sites per lake with seine, minnow or crayfish traps, and fyke nets; a boat-mounted electrofishing system samples three littoral transects. Vertically hung gill nets are used to obtain two pelagic samples per lake from the deepest point. A trammel net samples across the thermocline at two sites per lake. In the bog lakes only fyke nets and minnow traps are deployed. Parameters measured include species-level identification and lengths for all fish caught, and weight and scale samples from a subset. Derived data sets include species richness, catch per unit effort, and size distribution by species, lake, and year. Protocol used to generate data: Day seines were only used in 1981 and have been eliminated from this data set to make sampling effort across years comparable. Number caught for each species is summed over repetitions of a gear within a lake and over depth. For information on fish stocking by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in LTER lakes in Dane and Vilas counties, see https://dnr.wi.gov/fisheriesmanagement/Public/Summary/Index. Beach seining was discontinued after 2019. The only sampling done in 2020 were a single gill-netting sample in Sparkling, Crystal, and Trout lakes. Sampling in Fish Lake was missed in 2021 due to significant lake level changes. Data from the two bogs is missing in 2022. Sampling Frequency: annually. Number of sites: 11more » « less
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This data set is a derived data set based on fish catch data. Data are collected annually to enable us to track the fish assemblages of eleven primary lakes (Allequash, Big Muskellunge, Crystal, Sparkling, Trout, bog lakes 27-02 [Crystal Bog] and 12-15 [Trout Bog], Mendota, Monona, Wingra and Fish). Sampling on Lakes Monona, Wingra, and Fish started in 1995; sampling on other lakes started in 1981. Sampling is done at six littoral zone sites per lake with seine, minnow or crayfish traps, and fyke nets; a boat-mounted electrofishing system samples three littoral transects. Vertically hung gill nets are used to obtain two pelagic samples per lake from the deepest point. A trammel net samples across the thermocline at two sites per lake. In the bog lakes only fyke nets and minnow traps are deployed. Parameters measured include species-level identification and lengths for all fish caught, and weight and scale samples from a subset. Derived data sets include species richness, catch per unit effort, and size distribution by species, lake, and year. Species richness for a lake is the number of fish species caught in that lake during the annual fish sampling. Hybrids captured are only included in the richness value if neither of the two hybridized species are caught in the lake that year. Fish identified only to genus or higher taxonomic level are not included if any fish identified to species within that genus or higher taxonomic level are caught. E.g., Unidentified Chub would be only included in the richness value if no other chub is caught in that lake that year. Sampling Frequency: annually. Number of sites: 11 Notes: Beach seining was discontinued after 2019. 2020 data does not exist due to insufficient sampling. In 2021, sampling in Fish Lake was suspended due to significant lake level changes. Data is missing for the two bogs in 2022. Please consult NTL's website for information on experimental lake manipulations and the DNR's website for management activitiesmore » « less
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