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Does anyone share collection data with the local fisheries management?

Started by Guest_joefish72_* , Jul 19 2012 08:32 PM

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12 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_joefish72_*

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 08:32 PM

I live on the west coast of Florida and I do a lot of collecting. I started to keep a log of what/where I find at each location. I called FWC (the Florida version of DNR) to ask if they would like the data I collect. They were quite excited to hear from me and said they didn't have much data from my area at all.

I feel that as a person who is taking stock from the local resource the least I can do is offer to share what I find. Many times it's hard to determine how threatened a species is because historical data is lacking. I hope my little contributions help in keeping a record of our native fishes and how they are, or are not being impacted.

I have also begun to try and spawn every wild species of fish I can find in my state. I plan to compile all the data into a book that can be used as a refrence for species reintroduction if and when it is ever needed. I know in some areas natives have been wiped out by invasive species, sadly I belive one day my data may be used to save some of the species I have collected.

Does anyone else share thier collection data? Are there groups of volunteers in your area that catalog the advancements or decline of local fish species? If you would like to start a group I'd be happy to help get you started.

Edited by joefish72, 19 July 2012 - 08:33 PM.

#2 Guest_Orangespotted_*

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 09:18 PM

Does anyone else share thier collection data? Are there groups of volunteers in your area that catalog the advancements or decline of local fish species?

I keep detailed records of my personal fish samplings, but if I told my local DNR about this they'd probably giggle at me. All right, since I know some of their fisheries guys they'd probably pay attention if I had pictures of a rare species from a location that said fish was not previously known, but honestly, the DNR office I volunteer at gets so many "flop" calls (Hello? I's found a beeg watuh mawkuhsin een my bagyard, wut shood I's do wid it? *protip: there are no water moccasins in IA*), I think that they feel like the parents in "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I'm not sure how it is in other places (granted, the Iowa DNR focuses almost solely on game fish since it's the anglers who fund it) but if they are more interested in information and the reports are sound, then who's to shrug off free info? Science and study is expensive and laborous my friend! It's awesome to hear that the FWC wants your reports.

The second question: I sure wish! I believe an extremely low number of people here care about the water quality and species diversity in Iowa, because it's already so muddied (half of the former 12" of topsoil are now gone) and nutrient saturated (Des Moines is home to the largest nitrate removal plant in the U.S.) that it seems like a pointless battle. :sad2:

Most of the time you need to travel to the extreme northeast to see any streams or waterbodies that approach snorkelable. It also pains me to see otherwise well-managed wildlife preserve areas that have carefully monitered and restored native terrestrial species turn a blind eye towards the potentially productive watershed they lie upon. Bluegill/Bass/Crappie/Channel Cat is not diverse.

To end on a lighter note, it would be great to start an organization encouraging study, but wouldn't it be wise to check around for ones that already exist? I know I've heard of such groups existing in many of the southern states. Plus... isn't that what NANFA is really about?

#3 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 09:49 PM

I have also begun to try and spawn every wild species of fish I can find in my state. I plan to compile all the data into a book...

Yay

I applaud your efforts. I too try to breed every fish I keep. I've currently got Elassoma gilberti, guppies, and am getting mandarin dragonettes soon (their 150 total gallon breeding setup is almost done, so exciting!). You would be surprised how difficult it is to find information on successful spawns for certain species. *coughs* Leptolucania ommatta... *cough* And I personally am surprised at how few people care about breeding the fish that they keep. I think the best life for a fish in captivity is a life where it can have the chance to go ahead and breed if it is so inclined. To me the most entertaining aquarium fish is an animal that is acting natural and behaving how it would in the wild. A big part of that natural behavior is patrolling a territory, wooing a mate, and spawning.

Well, anyway, if you ever want to talk spawning or fry raising, yup, hi.

Part of NANFA is the spawning and sharing of spawning tips for our native fish. That's one of the reasons we're here.

Edited by EricaWieser, 19 July 2012 - 09:50 PM.

#4 Guest_jblaylock_*

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 10:14 PM

I share my collection data with the KDFWR. I hold an educational collection permit with the state and I'm not required to, but they have a website where you enter your collection informaion.

#5 Guest_CATfishTONY_*

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 12:52 AM

i would like to add a + or is it positive here.
in our area we have found 5 or 6 ascending fish life forms.
BUT those in charge do not look at our data.
we are just not on the list

#6 Guest_rjmtx_*

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 08:15 AM

I'll weigh in as someone who works on the resource management side. Reports of strange, rare, or downright baffling occurrances are extremely important to us. Almost all of our fish kill reports come from the public, too. We deal with a number of invasions (plant and animal), and sometimes native fishes pop up in strange places, and since we can't be everywhere at once, we do benefit from our eyes and ears throughout the area. Sure, as Orangespotted mentioned, we get a bunch of bunk call about snakeheads (bowfin), water moccasins (usually just a water snake of some sort), and all kinds of normal behaviors and animals that people usually just don't notice (i.e. chestnut lampreys). So yes, we wade through a bunch of scientifically worthless reports from the public, but it's worth it to get the gems that pop up every once in a while. Either way, we are here to not only serve the ecology/fisheries of the region, but the people. So if you approach us with something, we are there to help you by telling you just what it is you are seeing.

As far as the "worth" of unsolicited data... well it depends. The real worth I see in it is just presence data (that is, if there are photos or vouchers of some sort). We also benefit from growth data and/or DNA from certain individual fish. To make calls about population structure, declines, etc., we need standardized sampling techniques, and generally unsolicited data don't strictly follow scientific protocol.

Personally, I'd really appreciate if I had someone in my neck of the woods that would just give me in-depth species lists of what they catch at specific sites. Anyone in Louisiana pick up crawfish or ID mussels on a regular basis for fun with good spatial and habitat data and numbers? I just figure I'd throw that one out there...

Anyway, we do appreciate people that help out or make our jobs easier. Just understand that most fisheries biologists have large areas they cover, limited staff, limited time, and primary obligations that they must meet before taking on datasets unrelated to research that is underway,

#7 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 20 July 2012 - 08:42 AM

It takes time to build a relationship, because like was said, the DNR are busy and get a lot of calls that are not as professional as what you are wanting to provide. But once you develop a little bit of a relationship they are interested. Here in Georgia there is a non-game division of our DNR. It is where I send some collecting reports (if there is anything worth sending, or if the event was a large one with a lot of people in attendance). I have also even documented other non-game wildlife and they were appreciative (ex.: and undocumented location of state endangered gopher tortoise that we saw from the road and were able with a GPS feature on my camera, document burrow locations which were later confirmed by DNR).

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#8 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 09:36 AM

Does anyone else share thier collection data? Are there groups of volunteers in your area that catalog the advancements or decline of local fish species? If you would like to start a group I'd be happy to help get you started.

I never kept detailed logs but tried sharing my finds with a Fish and Game Fisheries Biologist once. He didn't seem to know or care much about non game fish,

I have debated making a "fish map" for a while but ended up suffering from three setbacks. First was laziness, second was fish change locations in a river over the year, third is I often don't catch species I know should be their so my collection methods may be flawed,

#9 Guest_mmyers1976_*

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 09:40 AM

I email TPWD if I catch or spot something rare, even if it is not a fish. I've had a house on West Bay Galveston since 1983, and have only seen a river otter once, about three years ago, so I reported that, and a wildlife biologist there sent me a very nice response.

I have also reported disturbing changes, like a cove that reliably had juvenile spadefish every summer for years, and then never seeing them again.

#10 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 20 July 2012 - 05:35 PM

I have been welcomed completely by state agencies/universities when I report something odd, or a new locality on a fish not previously documented.

#11 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 21 July 2012 - 06:57 AM

Also being on both sides of the coin I will say that your information can be highly valuable and important. The common theme from everyone though seems to point out that several things matter as to whether or not you should bother to share data including 1) the quality, 2) the relevance (from a biodiversity/conservation standpoint), and 3) the presentation/context of your data. We got a picture of what was likely a convict cichilid caught be a fly fisherman several weeks ago with zero accompanying information. Not very helpful. However last year, I got a call from a landowner who found a single 15 mm zebra mussel attached to their floating dock and already had compiled detailed information information about its collection. Incredibly helpful. Just a few minutes for careful attention to that sort of information goes a long way. Great examples by Michael and Matt.

#12 Guest_joefish72_*

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Posted 24 December 2012 - 07:05 AM

Since I have developed a relationship with FWC they are happy to get my date. I think in most areas the local fish and game welcomes reports and as stated the more detailed the better. In my dealings I've found tha each agency has a "format" that they prefer so that is always a good place to start. In my area they like to know location (GPS is a bonus), collection date, method used, a complete count of all fish caught.

I found an old watershed study and copied the format they used in the study. The FWC guys have been quite happy with the information I've provided and have found that there have been areas where native populations are making a come back.

#13 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 26 March 2013 - 02:59 PM

I don't exactly share data, but I used to be tight with a number of the guys at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. We would swap collecting locations and stuff, and they had some oddball stuff (Hybrid-like in appearance) in their preserved collection. I haven't talked to any of them in a good while, but we helped each other on several occasions.