Data Management Plan (Deprecated)

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.

This reflects the extent of all land and water features included in the overall Delaware Bay (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) 2014 ESI study region. The bounding box for this particular feature class may vary depending on occurrences identified and mapped.

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

Process Steps:

• 2014-03-01 00:00:00 - Fish species depicted in this atlas include select marine, estuarine, and freshwater species. Species of conservation interest, commercial or recreational importance, or ecological importance are emphasized. Fish polygons were created based on survey information, digital data, and expert opinion provided primarily by resource experts at Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), New Jersey Department of Environmental Control Bureau of Marine Fisheries (NJDEP BMF) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), but also Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and select published literature. DNREC staff provided independent sampling data for Delaware Bay, Delaware River, and the Inland Bays: Rehoboth and Indian River. NJDEP BMF staff provided independent sampling data for Delaware Bay, Delaware River, and the Atlantic Ocean. Relatively little data was available for Pennsylvania fishes. PFBC provided species lists for a number of Delaware River tributaries, based on electrofishing surveys done during spring to fall months. No data has been collected for the Delaware River by PFBC staff since 1996, so NJDEP BMF data was used as the primary source for species in the Delaware River.
• 2014-03-01 00:00:00 - The presence of a species for a given month in a given geography was based primarily on occurrence rates in the independent sampling data. Species that were caught more than one tenth of the time at sampling stations within a survey area and across the ten year sampling window were marked as 'present' for that month. In special cases the cut-off for presence was lowered, either based on review by DNREC or NJDEP BMF staff or because of low but consistent catch rates across all months. Presence during the winter months, i.e. those not surveyed by DNREC or NJDEP BMF staff, were added based on expert opinion or published literature. Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) data was used to fill in species information within certain geographies and for select species in DE and NJ waters. These geographies include Delaware Bay, the DE Inland Bays, Barnegat Bay, and the other smaller inland bays along the NJ coast. Concentrations and seasonality were adopted as is. Atlantic (FE, SE) and shortnose (FE, SE) sturgeon were mapped to areas where they are known to occur. Polygons were based on data provided by DNREC staff, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), published literature, and expert knowledge from DNREC staff and Dr. Fox, Delaware State University. Emphasis was given to mapping areas known to harbor large concentrations of juveniles, large concentrations of wintering fish, and critical spawning grounds. Spawning runs for anadromous fish in the Delaware Bay region were mapped based on data from the ASMFC and TNC. ASMFC spawning data was used as the primary data source, and TNC data was used to fill in areas where coverage was lacking. Timing of spawning runs was gathered from published literature and reviewed by DNREC and NJDEP BMF staff. All concentration and seasonality information was reviewed by both NJDEP BMF and DNREC staff, and adjusted in some cases to be consistent with expert opinion. Please note, many species can be found in estuarine waters year-round but are significantly less common in the winter months. Where possible, seasonality and concentration information represents months in which a particular species is most likely to be encountered instead of all months a species could potentially be found in a location. For many species, the timing of life history events, i.e. spawning, was added based upon data from the following sources: 1) Able K. W., Fahay M. P. 1998. The First Year in the Life of Estuarine Fishes in the Middle Atlantic Bight.; 2) Dove, L.E. and Nyman, R.M. (eds.), 1995, Living Resources of the Delaware Estuary; or 3) the mid-Atlantic ELMR data.
• 2014-03-01 00:00:00 - FISH LINES: Spawning runs for anadromous fish in the Delaware Bay region were mapped based on data from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). ASMFC data included confirmed spawning areas for alewife, American shad, blueback herring, and hickory shad. TNC data only provided coverage of three species: alewife, American shad, and blueback herring. Data were provided as vector lines corresponding to streams and rivers in the Delaware Bay region. Where these spawning runs overlapped the ESI hydro layer they were converted to polygonal features; otherwise they were left as polylines. ASMFC spawning data was used as the primary data source, and TNC data was used to fill in areas where coverage was lacking. Timing of spawning runs was gathered from published literature and reviewed by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Marine Fisheries (NJDEP BMF) staff.
• 2014-03-01 00:00:00 - The above digital and/or hardcopy sources were compiled by the project biologist to create the FISH and FISH LINES data layers. Depending on the type of source data, three general approaches are used for compiling the data layers: 1) information gathered during initial interviews and from hardcopy sources are compiled onto U.S. Geological Survey 1:45,000 topographic quadrangles and digitized; 2) hardcopy maps are digitized at their source scale; 3) digital data layers are evaluated and used "as is" or integrated with the hardcopy data sources. See the Lineage section for additional information on the type of source data for this data layer. The ESI, biology, and human-use data are compiled into the standard ESI digital data format. A second set of interviews with participating resource experts are conducted to review the compiled data. If necessary, edits to the FISH and FISH LINES data layers are made based on the recommendations of the resource experts, and final hardcopy maps and digital data are created.

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).