Data Management Plan (Deprecated)

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for marine, estuarine, anadromous, and freshwater fish species in coastal Louisiana and the lower Mississippi River. Vector polygons in this data set represent fish distribution, concentration areas and nursery areas. 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 Louisiana. 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.

This geographic extent includes the entire coastal Louisiana and Lower Mississippi River ESI study area. The spatial extent of individual layers or feature classes may vary.

Lineage Statement:
Process Step 1 refers to the ESI FISH data developed for Coastal Louisiana. Process Step 2 refers to the ESI FISH data developed for the Lower Mississippi River.

Process Steps:

• 2013-12-01 00:00:00 - This process step refers to the ESI data developed for Coastal Louisiana. The mapping extent was dependent upon information availability and location of mapped coastal habitats and shorelines. Sources of data used to depict fish distribution and seasonality for this data layer include Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) fishery independent monitoring data, published information, digital data from Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-CIMAS) and anecdotal information from resource experts from LDWF and NMFS. Polygons representing gulf sturgeon distribution were derived from the USFWS/NMFS critical habitat shapefiles and divided into seasonal concentration areas based on published literature. Polygons representing pallid sturgeon distribution were provided by LNHP. Nursery areas for lemon sharks are depicted in the Chandeleur Islands. Polygons representing marine and estuarine fish distribution were based on sub-basin boundaries provided by LDWF. These polygons are clipped to waters connected to the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent wetlands. This was done to reduce the spatial complexity of the dataset. Species concentration and abundances are based on 2003-2012 fishery independent monitoring datasets provided by LDWF. Some species were grouped for the purpose of the ESI, including anchovies, bream (bream and sunfishes), buffalo (smallmouth and black buffalo), herrings and sardines (Clupeid spp.), crappie (black and white crappie), croakers (Atlantic croaker and spot), forage fish (butterfishes, harvestfish, leatherjacket, lookdown), kingfishes (southern and Gulf kingfish), killifish and white trout (sand and sliver seatrout). For these resources, monthly catch per unit effort (CPUE) was calculated for each sub-basin and used to derive concentration values. Seasonality was created by considering a species present in all months with higher than 10 percent occurrence in an area. Life history information was added based on expert knowledge and published literature. All information was reviewed by LDWF staff and adjusted as needed. Other species were added to sub-basins based on published information, NFMS EFH shapefiles and anecdotal information. Please note, the life history stages for sharks do not match the standard ESI life history stages for fish and should be interpreted as follows: spawning = parturition and larvae = neonates. The LDWF-LNHP provided information for some of the federally and state listed species and species of conservation concern for display in the ESI atlas and accompanying digital data in 2013. The available LNHP data sets are to be used for oil spill response and spill response planning only. These data represent existing information known to the LNHP at the time of the request and should never be substituted for consultation with the LNHP.
• 2014-05-01 00:00:00 - This process step refers to the data developed for the Lower Mississippi River study area. Sources of data used to depict fish distribution and seasonality for this data layer include Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) fishery independent monitoring data, published information, and anecdotal information from resource experts at LDWF, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Water bodies were grouped by LDWF into areas with similar species assemblages. A combination of fishery independent monitoring data and expert opinion was used to derive species concentration and seasonality information for each defined water body. Additional information on Gulf sturgeon was included based on published literature.
• 2014-05-01 00:00:00 - The above digital and/or hardcopy sources were compiled by the project biologist to create the FISH data layer. Depending on the type of source data, three general approaches are used for compiling the data layer: 1) information gathered during initial interviews and from hardcopy sources are compiled onto U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 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 data layer 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).