Metadata

Fishes of Minnesota Observations Database


Go to Section:
1. Overview
2. Data Quality
3. Data Organization
  4. Coordinate System
  5. Attributes
  6. Distribution - Get Data
  7. Metadata Reference
 
  
Section 1 Overview
OriginatorMinnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR)
TitleFishes of Minnesota Observations Database
AbstractThe Fishes of Minnesota Observations  database  is a large  Postgres database developed to support the online MNDNR Fishes of Minnesota Mapper application. The database contains records of fish species observations from lakes, streams and wetlands collected by a variety of sources over the time period 1808-2012. 
 

The majority of lake-related records come from the MNDNR Fisheries Lake Survey database, while the majority of stream-related records come from the MPCA Biological Monitoring Program.  Other major sources include:  USGS, USFWS and the Bell Museum.
 

The true locations of fish species observations are represented in the database, with the following exceptions:
 
 
  • MNDNR Fisheries Lake Survey observations are shown as lake centerpoint to protect net set locations from tampering
 
  • The locations of protected species have been obscured to protect sensitive species and their habitats 

The point observations are available for download from the web application in .csv, shapefile and species list format.  The shapefile is also available from the MN Geospatial Commons website (see Section 6: Distribution.)
 

The Fishes of Minnesota database and web application are the result of a collaborative effort between MNDNR Ecological and Water Resources, MNDNR Fisheries, and MNDNR Management Resources divisions.
PurposeTo provide access to a comprehensive collection of Minnesota fish species observation data to researchers, agency staff, anglers and other interested parties. The online mapper allows users to query and map the data without need for GIS software or knowledge. (Note that the shapefile is also available for download by GIS users).  
 

Users of the online Fishes of MN Mapper can:
 
 
  • Query the database by a variety of criteria such as species name, protection status, watershed and date range
 
  • View tabular records associated with point observations
 
  • Generate species lists for particular waterbodies, watersheds, counties or DNR management areas
 
  • Download data records in .csv (comma-delimited text for Excel) or .shp (ESRI shapefile for GIS)
 
  • Move interactively between the map interface and tabular results
 
  • Map the distributions of different fish species across Minnesota
 
  • Export queried map data as an image 
 
  • Create a map based on a custom query

Important note:  In general, the data is not suitable for comparing the abundance of fish species across waterbodies due to the different methods/efforts/gears used to collect the data. An exception are records collected by DNR Fisheries Lake Survey (see [Source] attribute), which may be compared to each other because standardized methods were used.  However, users must understand that lakes of different types and in different regions inherently vary in the presence and abundance of certain species and must be compared to others of similar types/geographic regions  in order to make true comparisons.  It is best to contact a Fisheries professional when making interpretations about fish species distributions/abundances and specific waterbodies.
Time Period of Content Date12/31/2012
Currentness ReferenceThere are records extending back to 1808, although these are few. DNR Fisheries Lake Survey data has been added from 1953 through 2012. MPCA stream data spans from 1966-2012.  We plan to update the database annually with MNDNR and MPCA data from the current year's field surveys.  Other data will be added as it becomes available.
ProgressIn work
Maintenance and Update FrequencyAnnually
  Spatial Extent of DataMinnesota, including some records of fish species in border waters (Iowa, Wisconsin, N/S Dakota, Canada)
Bounding Coordinates-97.252252
-89.406737
49.340250
43.098198
Place KeywordsMinnesota, upper Midwest, lake, stream, wetland
Theme Keywordsfish, species, distribution, range, catch, gear, sampling, survey
Theme Keyword ThesaurusISO 19115 Category
  Access ConstraintsNone
  Use ConstraintsComparisons of catch should generally not be made between records  due to differences in sampling effort and gears used. An exception to this rule is that records from [SOURCE] = DNR Fisheries Lake Survey may be compared because standardized methods were used. (See Important Note under Purpose, Section 1, above).
 

Note that absence of a fish species in a particular waterbody doesn't guarantee that it isn't present, only that it wasn't observed in the survey(s) performed. This may be due to many factors, including the type of gear used, time of day or year, purpose of the survey, species targeted, etc.)  Conversely, presence of a fish species in a particular year doesn't guarantee that it is still present today.
  Contact Person InformationLyn Bergquist,
GIS Data Contact
Minnesota DNR - Fisheries Unit
500 Lafayette Rd
Saint Paul,
MN 
55155
Phone: 651-259-5189
  Browse Graphic 
 
  Associated Data SetsDNR Fisheries Lake Survey - Fish Species Presence
  
  
Section 2 Data Quality
Attribute Accuracy 
  Logical Consistency Species point observations fall on waterbodies (polygons) and on/near watercourses (lines) as intended.  Spatial joins have been performed to ensure that observations fall on/near the listed water feature.
  CompletenessThis is the most comprehensive fish species database maintained in Minnesota.  However, there are likely to be smaller data holdings that are not represented here. We welcome contributions from external sources. See Contact Information (Section 1, above).
  Horizontal Positional AccuracyData are represented as points. For lakes, the records are positioned at the lake centerpoint. For streams, actual locations were used if available. For many records, locations were moved from the Township-Range-Section recorded in the original database to the closest position on the referenced stream.
  Vertical Positional AccuracyNot Applicable
  Lineage Generated from GPS-collected UTM locations or moved to waterbody/watercourse from Township-Range-Section locations recorded in the original Fishes of MN database.   Observations collected by source DNR Fisheries Lake Survey were moved to the lake centerpoint from the actual sampled location.  Observations of protected species were "obscured", either by calculating UTMS to NULL or moving points to lake and stream centerpoints. All other lake and stream observations appear at their original locations.
  
  
Section 3
 
Spatial Data Organization (not used in this metadata)
 
 
  
  
Section 4 Coordinate System
  Horizontal Coordinate Scheme Universal Transverse Mercator
  UTM Zone Number 15
  Horizontal Datum NAD83
Horizontal Units meters
  
  
Section 5 Attributes
  OverviewThis is a large Postgres database which holds fish species observation records for the DNR Fishes of MN Mapper application. 
 
 
  • The attributes listed below appear in the Fishes of MN  shapefile export (available from the Tabular Results page of the mapping application).
  •   
 
  • Attributes marked with (*) appear in the Tabular Results display window.
  •   
 
  • Attributes marked with (^) appear in the species list export from the Tabular Results display window.
  •   
 
  • (Note:  field names in web export products may differ from those listed below).
  •  
  Detailed Citation 
Table Detail: 
biota_fishes_of_mn
- MNDNR Fishes of MN DB
(MNDNR Fishes of MN DB)
 
Field NameValid ValuesDefinitionDefinition Source
FOM_iD* 1 to 500000 Unique sequential ID that links data records back to the original Ecological Resources Filemaker Pro database MNDNR Fishes of MN DB
SP_SNAME*^
-
Fish species scientific name  
SP_CNAME*^
-
Fish species common name  
GROUP_SNAM^
-
Fish group scientific name  
GROUP_CNAM^
-
Fish group common name  
SP_CER_DES enumerated Species certainty: level to which species was identified  
 ID to species Identified to species level (e.g., Lepomis gibbosus)  
 ID to genus Identified to genus level (e.g., Lepomis sp.)  
 ID to group Identified to group level (e.g., Small cyprinids)  
 ID as hybrid Identified as hybrid (e.g., Lepomis x Lepomis)  
HABGUILD_A^ enumerated Habitat guild of adult stage of this species EWR Stream Habitat Group
 DP Deep Pool  
 FR Fast Riffle  
 MP Medium Pool  
 RW Raceway  
 SP Shallow Pool  
 SR Slow Riffle  
SP_STATUS enumerated Protection status of species  
 F Listed as a Federally Endangered species. This is a federal designation.  
 E Listed as a Minnesota  Endangered Species. This is a state designation.  
 G Listed as a Minnesota Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This is a state designation.  
 N Species is non-native to Minnesota  
 T Listed as a Minnesota Threatened Species. This is a state designation.  
WB_TYPE enumerated Waterbody type  
 Lake Lake, pond, reservoir  
 Stream Stream, river or ditch  
 Wetland Wetland, marsh, bog, swamp, slough  
WB_NAME*
-
Waterbody name  
FW_ID
-
Fisheries Waterbody ID: unique, sequential number that links data to DNR Fisheries Lake Survey Oracle database  
DOW_NUM*
-
Division of Waters unique lake ID number that links to DNR Waters Lakes DB (Oracle database)  
LAKE_NAME
-
Division of Waters lake name from DNR Waters Lakes DB (Oracle database)  
ALT_NAME
-
Division of Waters alternate lake name from DNR Waters Lakes DB (Oracle database)  
KITTLE_NUM
-
DNR Fisheries unique watercourse ID  
KITTLE_NAM
-
DNR Fisheries watercourse name  
RIVER_MILE
-
River mile or stretch of river (mile to mile) corresponding to a data record.  
GEN_LOC
-
General location description corresponding to data record  
HABITAT
-
Habitat description corresponding to data record  
FSH_OFFICE
-
DNR Fisheries area office name  
REGION_NAME enumerated DNR Region  
 Northwest Northwest Region 1 (Bemidji)  
 Northeast Northeast Region 2(Grand Rapids)  
 Central Central Region 3 (St. Paul)  
 Southern Southern Region 4 (New Ulm)  
STATE_NAME enumerated State or province.  
 Iowa Iowa  
 Manitoba Manitoba, Canada (province)  
 Minnesota Minnesota  
 North Dakota North Dakota  
 Ontario Ontario, Canada (province)  
 South Dakota South Dakota  
 Wisconsin Wisconsin  
COUNTY_NAME*
-
County name  
TOWN_NAME*
-
Town name  
TOWNSHIP*
-
Township number  
RANGE*
-
Range number and direction (E/W)  
SECTION*
-
Section number  
UTM_X*
-
X coordinate of point location in projection UTM NAD83 Zone 15 meters  
UTM_Y
-
Y coordinate of point location in projection UTM NAD83 Zone 15 meters  
MINOR_ID
-
DNR Minor watershed number (5 digits). First 2 digits represent DNR Major watershed number  
MINOR_NAME
-
DNR Minor watershed name  
MAJOR_ID
-
DNR Major watershed number  
MAJOR_NAME
-
DNR Major watershed name  
PROV_NAME
-
DNR Level 1 Watershed Name (formerly known as DNR Province name)  
HUC02_ID enumerated USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 1 (Region)  
 04 Great Lakes Region  
 07 Upper Mississippi Region  
 09 Souris-Red-Rainy Region  
 10 Missouri Region  
HUC04_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 2 (Sub-Region)  
HUC04_NAME
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) Name - Level 2 (Sub-Region)  
HUC04_MN_N*
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) Minnesota-specific Name - Level 2 (Sub-Region)  
HUC06_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 3 (Basin)  
HUC08_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 4 (Sub-Basin)  
HUC10_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 5  
HUC12_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 6  
HUC14_ID
-
HUC level not implemented  
HUC16_ID
-
USGS HUC (Hydrologic Unit Category) ID - Level 8  
DATE*
-
Date (YYYY-MM-DD)  
DATE_DESC
-
Date certainty description: certainty of survey date  
CATCH*
-
Catch (number of fish of a single species caught in survey effort)  
GEAR* enumerated Gear type used during survey effort  
 Angling Angling  
 Electroshocker All types of electroshockers (backpack, boat)  
 Gill net All types of gill nets  
 Minnow trap All types of minnow traps  
 Miscellaneous Miscellaneous method  
 Seine All types of seines  
 Trap net All types of trap nets  
 Trawl All types of trawls  
 Trotline All types of trotlines  
 Commercial Gears used by commercial operations  
 Multiple Gear Multiple gears used  
 Observation Fish was observed  
 Other Gear All other types of gear (net, gaff, etc.)  
 Unknown Unknown gear or method  
SOURCE*
-
Source of data record  
COLLECTOR
-
Collector of fish during survey effort  
IDENTIFIER
-
Identifier of fish during survey effort  
MUSEUM enumerated Museum name; refers to vouchered specimens only  
 No museum No museum (specimen not vouchered).  
 CNHM Canada Natural History Museum (CNHM)  
 INHS Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS)  
 JFBM Bell Museum (JFBM)  
 JFBM, UT Bell Museum, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (JFBM, UT)  
 MPM Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM)  
 ROM Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canada  
 UF University of Florida-Gainesville (UF)  
 UMMZ University of Michigan - Museum of Zoology (UMMZ)  
 USNM US National Museum (USNM)  
 UWSP University of Wisconsin-Steven's Point (UWSP)  
 UWZM University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum-Madison (UWZM)  
 UT University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UT)  
 CMN Canada Museum of Nature (CMN)  
 INBS Indiana Biological Survey (INBS)  
 MCBS University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences (MCBS)  
 OSUM Ohio State University Museum (OSUM)  
 SU San Francisco University (SU)  
SPNAT_DESC enumerated Nature (method) of vouchered specimen  
 not preserved Not preserved (voucher = F only)  
 alcohol Preserved in alcohol  
 display mount Specimen mounted in display  
 not extant Specimen not extant (i.e., no longer exists) (voucher = F only)  
 photographed only Specimen photographed only  
 preserved Specimen preserved - method not recorded  
 released Specimen released (voucher = F only)  
 skeleton Skeleton preserved  
 unknown Specimen preservation method unknown  
VOUCHER* enumerated   
 True Voucher = True: Specimen was preserved AND has a catalog number. See SPNAT_DESC (nature of specimen) and MUSEUM (museum having vouchered specimen).  
 False Voucher = False: Specimen was not preserved OR specimen was preserved but DOES NOT HAVE a catalog number. See SPNAT_DESC (nature of specimen).  
OBSCURED* enumerated   
 Y Original location of observation has been obscured to protect species (all federally and state protected species) and net sets (Fisheries Lake Survey data).  For lakes, obscured locations are placed at the lake centerpoint.  For streams, they are usually placed at the centerpoint of the stream segment within the same HUC12 watershed as the original location.  If UTMs are NULL, the original UTMs have been removed and not yet (but will eventually be) replaced with obscured UTMs.  
 N Original location of observation  
 
  
  
Section 6 Distribution
  Publisher MNDNR - Division of Fish and Wildlife - Fisheries Unit
  Publication Date 11/01/2014
  Contact Person InformationZeb Thomas,
GIS Data Systems Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul,
MN 
55155-4011
Phone: 651-259-5637
  Distributor's Data Set Identifier biota_fishes_of_mn.gdb/biota_fishes_of_mn
  Distribution Liability Please read accompanying document: Minnesota DNR Data and Software License Agreement.pdf
Ordering Instructions Visit the web site noted in the online linkage section, or send an email to the Distribution Contact listed in this metadata record
 

Download data from the MNDNR Fishes of MN Mapper website at the URL below. Available in .csv (comma-delimited text for Excel) and .shp (ESRI shapefile for GIS) formats from the Tabular Results page.
 
Online LinkageNone available
 
  
  
Section 7 Metadata Reference
  Metadata Date 06/04/2015
  Contact Person InformationZeb Thomas,
GIS Data Systems Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Rd
St. Paul,
MN 
55155-4011
Phone: 651-259-5637
  Metadata Standard Name Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
  Metadata Standard Version 1.2
  Metadata Standard Online Linkage http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/committee/standards/mgmg/metadata.htm

 


This page last updated:
06/04/2015

 

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