Fish Surveys

2001 and 1954 fish surveys
The data shown in the file below, Data Summary of 2001 and 1954 Fish Surveys, is from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife 2001 survey of the SuAsCo Watershed and from the Division of Fisheries and Game 1954 survey of the Merrimack and Ipswich Drainages. Note that this state agency is now called the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, or MassWildlife.

The results are not directly comparable, because survey techniques have changed over the years and because the level of effort for each survey is difficult to compare. However some trends are noticeable in the summary below. For example: the number and percentage of chain pickerel, fallfish, and creek chubsuckers have decreased since 1954; smallmouth bass are no longer found but the number and percent of largemouth bass increased between 1954 and 2001; common carp were not reported in 1954 but are found in 2001.

  Total Count by Species
Species 2001 Survey 1954 Survey Habitat
Use*
American eel 154 4 MG
Banded sunfish 6 21 MG
Black crappie 32 17 MG
Blacknosed dace 262 77 FS
Bluegill 354 619 MG
Brook trout 177 340 FS
Brown bullhead 41 134 MG
Brown trout 30 42 FS
Chain pickerel 73 235 MG
Common carp 29 0 MG
Creek chubsucker 22 387 FS
Fallfish 98 316 FS
Golden shiner 99 186 MG
Green Sunfish 0 7 MG
Largemouth bass 166 13 MG
Longnose Dace 0 9 FS
Pumpkinseed 339 579 MG
Rainbow trout 16 12 FS
Redbreast sunfish 88 90 MG
Redfin pickerel 148 461 MG
Small mouth bass 0 50 MG
Spottail shiner 11 0 MG
Tesselated darter 0 16 FS
White perch 0 22 MG
White sucker 456 198 FD
Yellow bullhead 137 34 MG
Yellow perch 27 381 MG
       
Total Fish Count 2766 4251  
* FS= fluvial specialist, FD= fluvial dependent, MG= macrohabitat generalist
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fishsummary_1954_2001.xls21.5 KB