Lake Erie Pelagic Prey Fish Community Data, 2022-2023

Since 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes Science Center's Lake Erie Biological Station (LEBS) has participated in a collaborative, multiagency effort to assess pelagic prey fish populations in the western (WB), central (CB), and eastern (EB) basins of Lake Erie through a combination of hydroacoustic and midwater trawl sampling. Assessing lake-wide distribution and abundance of pelagic prey species over time facilitates evaluation of large-scale drivers of fish production while also considering food-web dynamics at a smaller sub-basin scale. Information from this survey will support decision making within an ecosystem-based fishery management framework. In support of binational Great Lakes fishery management, the objectives of this survey are to provide density estimates of key pelagic prey species across Lake Erie, to assess spatial distributions of fishes, and annual fluctuations in abundance. A stratified-random sampling approach including 24 strata was carried out during July (Summer), starting in 2022. This data release adds 2023 data to the set for a total of 2 years using the standardized survey design and data processing workflow.