Sample tbl

<div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'><span>Ichthyoplankton (larval fish) surveys are a component of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (LGLFWCO) Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Early Detection and Monitoring (EDM) program. Larval fish surveys were included in the EDM program starting in 2014 with the hopes of increasing AIS detections by focusing on sampling the most abundant life-stage of fishes. Surveys occurred annually from 2014 - present, excluding 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions which prevented sampling for that year. Sampling focuses on harbors and rivers of the lower Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario) as determined by a </span><a href='https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_Report.cfm?dirEntryId=350136&amp;Lab=CCTE' rel='nofollow ugc' target='_blank'>risk-based prioritization framework for AIS in the Great Lakes</a>.</div><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'><span><br /></span></div><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'><span>Samples are collected using larval seine nets </span><span style='font-family:inherit; color:rgb(105, 105, 105);'>(500 </span><span style='font-size:15px; color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:ARIAL;'>µm) </span>and plankton nets <span style='font-family:inherit; color:rgb(105, 105, 105);'>(500 </span><span style='font-size:15px; color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:ARIAL;'>µm)</span> that are towed from the stern or pushed from the bow of a vessel for a short duration (usually 5 minutes). At one point, light traps were also used but are no longer apart of the current sampling gear suite. Samples are preserved using 95% ethanol (EtOH) which allows for tissue and DNA preservation. Samples are processed for fish identification in a few different ways: ethanol decant, tissue homogenate and taxonomically. Ethanol decant and tissue homogenizing are genetic identification methods that are provided by the Northeast Fishery Center (NEFC). Taxonomic identifications are conducted in-house (LGLFWCO) using available keys for larval fishes of the Great Lakes region. Recently, ethanol decants have been the primary method of identification due the efficiency of sample processing.</div><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'><br /></div><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'>The information within this dataset is geospatial in nature and documents larval fish sampling events. Both abiotic and biotic data is collected for each individual sampling event. Taxonomic and genetic identifications of eggs and larvae are to the lowest possible taxa. Genetic identification results only represent presence/absence of a species detection. Taxonomic identification results could include the number of species in the sample. Although infrequent, some early stage juvenile fish are represented in this data set. This data set contains survey information from 2017 - present (excluding 2020). Although collections began in 2014, the early years of implementation resulted in inconsistencies requiring their exclusion here.<br /></div>