The objective of this project is to develop an interactive tool for Great Lakes fishery managers to visualize fish stocking events and recoveries.
Fish stocking is an important tool used by resource management agencies for fishery rehabilitation and supplementation in support of the Fish Community Objectives (FCOs). Over 400 million fish have been stocked into the Great Lakes and their tributaries in the past 10 years alone. While these stocking events are reported to the GLFC and available in a fish stocking database maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the database has a limited interface and no interactivity.
This project will leverage existing tools and data to produce an interactive, web based visualization of stocking events in the Great Lakes. Once completed, managers, agency staff, and the public will be able to visualize and interact with data on stocking events and subsequent recoveries.
Stocking is a high profile fisheries management activity that garners a lot of public interest. The Great Lakes Fish Stocking Database (GLFSD), available at the GLFC website, inventories all agency stocking events and allows users to download raw stocking data. However, the database has a limited user interface and no interactivity, thus limiting its utility by managers and the general public. At present, users must download the database and create their own summaries and graphics, or search for specific stocking events based on some characteristic of interest (year, grid, tag code, fin clip, etc.).
A visualization tool summarizing the dynamics of stocked fish in the Great Lakes would put scientific information at managers’ fingertips and allow for improved stocking program design and decisions. The application will also be a valuable communication tool that managers can use with the public.