Long Term Resource Monitoring Element - Graphical Fish Database Browser

The Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program represents one of the world's largest river-related monitoring and surveying effort. Annual observations are made on key ecologic traits of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), using a scientific sampling design and highly standardized sampling methodologies, from six study reaches representing nearly 2000km of river. The UMRR functions as a multi-agency partnership, including four federal agencies and five state agencies. Data collected by the LTRM is used to guide scientific, river management, and governmental policy interests throughout the UMRS basin.

The UMRR LTRM Graphical Fisheries Database Browser was initially conceived and constructed in 2003 (Ickes et al. 2003) to serve graphical and tabular data summaries of LTRM fish community observations. Since 1993, data collection has been achieved under highly standardized and documented sampling methods (Ratcliff et al. 2014), and using a statistically coherent and scientifically valid sampling design (Ickes et al. 2014). Additional details on sampling methods and design can be found by navigating the links referenced immediately above.

The goal of the Graphical Fisheries Database Browser is to provide easy to navigate and intuitive graphical and tabular data summaries of UMRS fish community observations 1993 - present. River managers, laymen, policymakers, scientists, US citizens, and others can use this application to simply regard the status and trends of 136+ fish species within the UMRS, as well as to determine full fish community responses over time. This site provides access to thousands of graphical and tabular summaries of LTRM fish community data. As such it represents a resource for identifying and prioritizing river management activities, generating scientific hypotheses regarding the status and trends of the richest freshwater fish fauna at temperate latitudes on the planet, or just figuring out how a favored species is doing in an area before planning a recreational fishing trip.

If you should have questions or concerns regarding the browser, its contents, or its use, please contact Brian S Ickes (bickes@usgs.gov; 608-781-6298) or Ben Schlifer (bschlifer@usgs.gov; 608-781-6359) at the U.S. Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.