Nonindigenous Fishes

The data set includes information on fish species introductions, including
locations, methods of introduction and status of the introduction. The fishes
database includes information on over 450 species. Most are freshwater
introductions, although a few marine species are included.

The purpose of this data set is to document the introductions and spread of
nonindigenous fishes.

Records are entered into DBase from the sources listed above. Scientific names
are checked against the most current AFS list or more recent literature to
ensure correct taxonomy. The location is verified on a map and used to obtain
the county (if not provided) and related to the smallest possible USGS HUC.
The date of the observation is recorded (if given). If a date is not given,
the publication date of the source is used. When dates are vague, a judgement
is made about what date to enter. i.e., mid 1970's, 1975 is entered. If the
record is from a published source, the reference is given a reference number
and entered into the REF column and into the reference database. Files are
kept of references by number. If the record is the result of a report from
someone, that person is listed as the contact.