Delaware / New Jersey / Pennsylvania 2014 ESI FISH Polygons, Lines

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for marine, estuarine, anadromous, and freshwater fish species in Delaware/New Jersey/Pennsylvania. Vector polygons in this data set represent fish distribution, concentration areas, spawning areas, and anadromous fish spawning runs. Species specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set comprises a portion of the ESI data for Delaware/New Jersey/Pennsylvania. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. See also the FISHL data layer, part of the larger Delaware/New Jersey/Pennsylvania ESI database, for additional fish information.

The ESI data were collected, mapped, and digitized to provide environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources.

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Prepared by Research Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division, Seattle, Washington.

Data content is considered static once published. However, if issues with the Geodatabase linkages or table contents are identified, the Geodatabase and/or the associated Map Document may be updated. Assure most current data is being used by downloading from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download and/or comparing modification dates provided at this site.

The primary attribute tables associated with the ESI biology data are BIOFILE, SOURCES, and BREED_DT. The geographic data layer containing biological resource information (in this case, FISH and FISH LINES) is linked to the BIOFILE using the RARNUM field. There is a many-to-many relationship from the data layer to the BIOFILE, as an RARNUM may be repeated in several geographic features. Likewise, in the BIOFILE, the same RARNUM may appear in multiple records, representing a unique combination of species found in that region. To be represented by the same RARNUM, these species groups must also share the same seasonality, concentration, mapping qualifier, and source information.

The items in the BIOFILE are ELEMENT, SUBELEMENT, NAME, GEN_SPEC, S, F, STATE, S_DATE, F_DATE, GRANK, GRANKDATE, MAPPING_QUALIFIER, CONC, JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, BREED1, BREED2, BREED3, BREED4, BREED5, RARNUM, G_SOURCE, S_SOURCE, and BREED. The G_SOURCE and S_SOURCE fields provide links to the SOURCES table, where object level source information is available. The BREED field is the link to the BREED_DT table, where searchable breed information is provided. The links to both of these tables are also many-to-many.

During the collection of the ESI data, six relational data tables are used to store the attribute data. These are the BIORES, BREED, SEASONAL, SOURCES, SPECIES, and STATUS tables. When we create new ESI data, we populate these tables to maintain the integrity of the data collected. Once completed, all information populating these tables is collapsed into the BIOFILE to ease data queries and general usability of the final product.

NOAA ESI Guidelines

Although these data have been processed and used successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format. If problems are encountered either in downloading the ESI data or if any file appears corrupted, please contact the ESI manager.

Data can be accessed by downloading the zipped ArcGIS geodatabase from the Download URL (see Distribution Information). Questions can be directed to the ESI Program Manager (Point Of Contact).

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DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Management boundaries are not to be considered legal boundaries. Edges may have been altered for cartographic processes. Besides the above warnings, there are no use constraints on these data. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARC/INFO(R) (version 10.2) and SQL SERVER(R) (version 2005). The hardware configuration is PCs with Windows Operating System 7.

A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, hardcopy data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, contact the sources listed in the Lineage section.

Spatial components for the biological data layers can come from expert interviews, hardcopy, or digital sources. Some of the spatial components of the biological data layers may have been developed using regional experts who estimate concentration areas. It is difficult to estimate the positional accuracy of such data, except to state that they are compiled on hardcopy base maps with a scale of 1:45,000. Some of the spatial components of the biological data sets are developed from pre-existing digital or hardcopy sources and reflect the positional accuracy of these original data. Note that biological resource data by their very nature are considered "fuzzy", and this should be understood when considering the positional accuracy of vector digital objects representing these resources. See the Lineage and Process_Description sections for more information on the original source data and how these data were integrated or manipulated to create the final data set.

These data represent a synthesis of expert knowledge, survey data, and digital data on fish distribution, concentration areas, spawning areas, and anadromous fish spawning runs. See also the FISHL data layer, part of the larger Delaware/New Jersey/Pennsylvania ESI database, for additional fish information. These data do not necessarily represent all fish occurrences in Delaware/New Jersey/Pennsylvania. The following species are included in this data set: (Species_ID, Common Name, Scientific Name [n/a if not applicable]): 65, Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix; 74, Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; 81, Spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias; 85, Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus; 86, Blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis; 87, American shad, Alosa sapidissima; 88, Winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus; 97, Tautog, Tautoga onitis; 98, American eel, Anguilla rostrata; 100, Brown trout, Salmo trutta; 101, Shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum; 102, Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus; 104, Striped bass, Morone saxatilis; 105, Hickory shad, Alosa mediocris; 108, Summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus; 110, Black sea bass, Centropristis striata; 113, Bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli; 115, Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus; 121, Spot, Leiostomus xanthurus; 122, Black drum, Pogonias cromis; 123, Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus; 138, Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis; 145, White perch, Morone americana; 146, Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus; 147, Atlantic mackerel, Scomber scombrus; 148, Silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis; 149, Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua; 150, Scup, Stenotomus chrysops; 152, Yellow perch, Perca flavescens; 153, Northern kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis; 157, Goosefish, Lophius americanus; 158, Butterfish, Peprilus triacanthus; 160, Windowpane, Scophthalmus aquosus; 163, Gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum; 179, Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; 180, Smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu; 200, Blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus; 201, Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; 257, Flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris; 290, Striped anchovy, Anchoa hepsetus; 294, Spotted hake, Urophycis regia; 318, Atlantic sharpnose shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae; 332, Tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier; 365, Rare fish, n/a; 477, Cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus; 522, Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares; 620, Endangered fish, n/a; 792, Skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis; 946, Albacore, Thunnus alalunga; 967, Sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus; 1089, Little skate, Leucoraja erinacea; 1107, Sand tiger, Carcharias taurus; 1108, Smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis; 1126, Shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus; 1130, Dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus; 1131, Winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata; 1146, Bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus; 1172, Tilefish, Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps; 1238, Thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus; 1239, Bullnose ray, Myliobatis freminvillei.

A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute Accuracy Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, before the final Geodatabase and metadata are created. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to several consistency checks, and processed into the final delivery format.

For each species, the mapping extent was dependent upon information availability and location of mapped coastal habitats and shorelines.