An updated survey of freshwater fishes within Letchworth State Park and surrounding areas of the Genesee River
Data files
Apr 15, 2024 version files 21.33 KB
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ECE-2023-09-01703.xlsx
18.79 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
The goal of this study was to gather information about freshwater fishes in Letchworth State Park (42.615275°N, -77.992825°W), a portion of New York State-owned land located in the Genesee River watershed that lacks known data about its fish diversity. The fish collection took place between 2017 and 2019 in the Genesse River upstream and downstream of the falls using gill, hoop, and seine netting and electrofishing. This was the first attempt at a comprehensive survey of this portion of the river, which allowed for a baseline to be established regarding fish biodiversity in the region. The updated total number of species found in this portion of the Genesee River was 25, 22 of which were newly identified downstream of the falls, in Letchworth State Park. We encourage further collection and continuation of this survey with consistent sampling techniques to promote ongoing field surveys and fish collection that inform freshwater fish diversity in stream ecosystems across the globe.
README: An updated survey of freshwater fishes within Letchworth State Park and surrounding areas of the Genesee River
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3gq
Order of columns in Table 1: Fish species, Scientific name, year of capture, location of capture denoted as A, B, or C (see Figure 1 in manuscript for location of sites A, B, C), whether the fish captured at site B is novel to site B based on Carlson and Daniels 2016 Atlas of Inland Fishes of New York (identified with 'Y').
Order of columns in Appendix 1: Fish species, Scientific names, previously captured in the Genesee Watershed (identified with 'X'), previously captured in Genesee River (identified with 'X')
Any cells that are filled with 'N/A' represent a lack of fish capture in that year for that species (Table 1), that fish were not novel to site B (Table 1), or that fish species were not surveyed in the Genesee Watershed or Genesee River (Appendix 1).
Description of the data and file structure
Table 1 shows the fish that were captured in this fish survey, and can be used to identify which species was caught at field site locations A, B, or C upstream of Letchworth State Park in New York state (site A), downstream of Letchworth State Park falls in the park (site B), downstream of Letchworth State Park, past the park boundaries (site C). The column 'Novel to Site B (Carlson et al., 2016)' shows which fish species were first identified at site B, in the park. This conclusion is based off of the data organized in Appendix 1, a review of Carlson and Daniel's atlas of fishes of New York, described next.
Appendix 1 can be used as an index of fish species that were previously surveyed over three time periods in New York's Genesee watershed. Specifically, we noted which species were observed in the Genesee Watershed (X) and Genesee River (X). The total tally of fish in the watershed (103), river (89), upstream of the falls (77), and downstream of the falls (98) are noted in the manuscript as well. This data also helped us determine which fish were novel to site B, our field site downstream of the falls in Letchworth State Park, as collection sites in the Genesee River are marked for each species in the Atlas if they were caught there.
Appendix 1 data was derived from the following sources:
- Carlson, D. M., Daniels, R. A., & Wright, J. J. (2016). Atlas of inland fishes of New York. published jointly by the New York State Education Department and the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Methods
Fish were captured between 2017 and 2019 at 3 locations along the Genesee River in western New York; upstream of Letchworth State Park, downstream of the falls in Letchworth State Park, and downstream (outside) of Letchworth State Park. Out of 25 total species captured, 22 were first documented below the falls in Letchworth State Park. Fish were captured using hoop, gill, and seine nets as well as electroshocking. Fish images were photographed at the time of capture and identified using markings and published sources and NYSDEC personnel for identification. The first Table (Table 2 in the manuscript) is a list of species captured, year of capture, site of capture (see Figure 1 in the manuscript for map), and whether it was novel to site B, which is the site below the falls in Letchworth State Park. Novelty to site B was based on Carlson & Daniels Atlas, if the fish hadn't been identified at this site already, it was denoted as 'novel' with a 'Y'.
Appendix 1 is a review of Carlson & Daniels 2016 Atlas of Inland Fishes of New York that details fish species and scientific names of fish that were previously found either in the Genesee Watershed or Genesee River. A review of Carlson & Daniel's Atlas is the source of this data, as the Atlas is a review of three survey periods and documents in which fish had been captured in respective watersheds of New York.
Carlson, D. M., Daniels, R. A., & Wright, J. J. (2016). Atlas of inland fishes of New York. published jointly by the New York State Education Department and the Department of Environmental Conservation.