Delivering Local and Regional Trend Data on Stream Fishes to Facilitate Collaborative Management of Great Lakes and Inland Fisheries

Management and protection of fisheries resources would be enhanced by greater sharing of data among partners.  For example, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is required to share fisheries assessment data with tribal governments located within the 1836 Treaty-ceded territory, Great Lakes fisheries are managed collaboratively by multiple agencies, and MDNR collaborates with numerous partners and publics to manage stream fisheries.  In 2002, the MDNR Fisheries Division initiated a statewide Status and Trends Program (STP) to assess fish populations and aquatic habitat in Michigan rivers.  A key component of the STP is a network of over 40 index sites on streams which are rotationally sampled over the long term to assess trout, salmon, and smallmouth bass population trends.  To facilitate data-sharing and collaborative management, we developed a web-based product that links fish survey data from the index sites with a Michigan map to enable users to view spatial patterns in trends in fish abundance, growth, and survival, and to access graphs and data for individual sites.  Automated data update queries will enable partners to better understand current local and regional trends for Great Lakes salmonids and important stream fishes, and facilitate co-management of Great Lakes tributaries and inland streams.