MassGIS Data - Anadromous Fish

March 1997

Overview

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) GIS Program working in conjunction with biologists from the MA Division of Marine Fisheries and the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife compiled and automated a point coverage of anadromous fish data. The data include all known coastal anadromous fish runs spawning habitat and runs for three major inland rivers - the Nashua, the Concord and the Shawsheen. Note, this data layer should not be considered definitive in determining the presence or absence of fish runs, spawning habitat, barriers or fishways. It is the DFG GIS Program’s best current representation of these features. Neither should this layer or its derived maps be used for making site specific regulatory decisions. Rather, its appropriate use is for education and regional planning. This is a transition coverage. When MASSGIS completes its "hydro centerline" project, producing a complete hydro network for the Commonwealth, inherently linear features such as fish runs and many of the spawning habitat features will be represented as such. The layer is stored in ArcSDE as ANADFISH_PT.

Also in ArcSDE are five "views", to facilitate display and query and based on joins to the related tables listed below, as follows:

• ANADFISH_PT_DAMPRESENCE - presence of a dam
• ANADFISH_PT_FISHWAYEFFECT - based on EFFECTFISH item in ANADFISH_PT_BAR table
• ANADFISH_PT_FISHWAYTYPE - based on FISHWAY item in ANADFISH_PT_BAR table
• ANADFISH_PT_MANBARRIERTYPE - based on TYPEOTHERB item in ANADFISH_PT_BAR table
• ANADFISH_PT_NATBARRIERTYPE - based on TYPENATBAR item in ANADFISH_PT_BAR table

Methodology

During interviews with Division biologists the data points were compiled onto 1:25000 basemaps using the best available hydrographic data. "Heads-up" digitizing was used to automate the data points. Paper forms were completed with information regarding locations of barriers, fishways, beginning and ending of runs and spawning habitat. The information from these forms was used to populate the associated look up tables (RIV, RUN, BAR).

Attributes

The .pat file contains references to (interview) form number, (form) page number and point id number. Form and point id number were combined to form a unique ID. The references to form and page number were designed to facilitate reference back to the appropriate forms during the data checking process.

There are three lookup tables: one to identify the river; one to identify the barriers and fishways; and one to identify the runs and spawning habitats. There is a one to many relationship between the data points and the beginning/ending points of runs and spawning habitats.

Items in the layer's point attribute table (ANADFISH_POLY):

FORM		# of form on which original data written down
PAGE		page # of form
PTID		# on form and on markup map which identifies a feature
COMMENTS		comment on feature
ANADID		concatenation of FORM and PTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate points in the coverage to records in the the .luts

Related Tables

Note: starred items have code definitions included below.

Items in ANADFISH_PT_RIV:

FORM_		# of form on which original data written down
RIVPAGE		page # on form on which data for particular river begins
RIVPTID		# on form and on markup map which identifies the beginning of a river
CLASS*		# defines where river flows into {(1) bay or ocean; (2) into 1; (3) into 2}
NAME		name of river
ALIAS		other name of river
ISCOMMENT		yes or no, simplifies reselect
COMMENTS
ANADRIVID		concatenation of FORM and RIVPTID to produce a unique id which is used to relate to the .pat or .luts

Table relate note:
To identify a river with any point, relate ANADID from the point attribute table to ANADRIVID in ANADFISH_PT_RIV.

Items in the ANADFISH_PT_RUN:

FORM		# of form on which original data written down
RIVPAGE		page # on form on which data for particular river associated with a run begins
RIVPTID		# on form and on markup map which identifies a feature
RUNPAGE		page # on form on which data for particular EVENTTYPE begins
BEGPTID		# on form and PTID on markup map which marks beginning of EVENTTYPE
ENDPTID		# on form and PTID on markup map which marks ending of EVENTTYPE
SPECIES*		species of fish (separate records maintained for each species, even if run is the same)
EVENTTYPE*		Run or Spawning
STATUS1*		existing or historical
STATUS2*		common or rare
STATUS3*		confirmed or unconfirmed
ISCOMMENT		yes or no, comments are rare, useful for finding them.
COMMENTS
ANADRIVID		concatenation of FORM and RIVPTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate to the .pat or luts
ANADBGID		concatenation of FORM and BEGPTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate to the .pat to identify the beginning of an EVENTTYPE
ANADEDID		concatenation of FORM and ENDPTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate to the .pat to identify the end of an EVENTTYPE

Table relate notes:
To identify the beginning of an EVENTTYPE, relate ANADID from the point attribute table to ANADBGID in the ANADFISH_PT_RUN.
To identify the end of an EVENTTYPE, relate ANADID from the point attribute table to ANADEDID in the ANADFISH_PT_RUN.

Items in ANADFISH_PT_BAR:

FORM		# of form on which original data written down
RIVPAGE		page # on form on which data for particular river containing barrier begins
RIVPTID		# on form and on markup map which identifies a feature
BARPAGE		page # on form on which data for a particular barrier is found
BARPTID		# on form and on markup map which identifies a barrier
DAM		yes or no, simplifies reselect
FISHWAY		yes or no, simplifies reselect
TYPEFISHWAY*		what kind of fishway
EFFECTFISHWAY*		{(1) all species pass; (2) some species pass; (3) no species pass} (item named EFFECTFISH in SDE)
NATURALBAR		yes or no, simplifies reselect
TYPENATBAR*		what kind of natural barrier
OTHERBAR		yes or no, simplifies reselect
TYPEOTHERBAR*		what kind of man made barrier (item named TYPEOTHERB in SDE)
ISCOMMENT		yes or no, simplifies reselect
COMMENTS
ISDIAGRAM		yes or no, simplifies reselect
ANADRIVID		concatenation of FORM and RIVPTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate to the .pat or luts to identify a river
ANADBARID		concatenation of FORM and BARPTID to produce a unique coverage id which is used to relate to the .pat to identify the barrier location

Table relate note:
To identify a barrier or fishway, relate ANADID from the point attribute table to ANADBARID in ANADFISH_PT_BAR.

Coding for categorical items underlined above is as follows:

RELATED TABLE	ITEM	DEFINITIONS
ANADFISH_PT_RIV	CLASS	1 - Empties into ocean or bay  2 - Empties into 1  3 - Empties into 2
ANADFISH_PT_RUN	EVENTTYPE	LOC - Local concentration  RUN - Run  SPN - Spawning habitat
	SPECIES	ALW- Alewife  ASH - American Shad  ASM - Atlantic Salmon  ATS - Atlantic Sturgeon  BBH - Blueback Herring  LMP - Lamprey  RBS - Rainbow Smelt  SNS - Shortnosed Sturgeon  WPR - White Perch
	STATUS1	E - existing  H - historic
	STATUS2	C - common  R - rare
	STATUS3	C - confirmed  U - unconfirmed
ANADFISH_PT_BAR	EFFECTFISHWAY	1 - All species pass  2 - Some species pass  3 - No species pass
	TYPEFISHWAY	DN - Denil  EL - Elevator  FL - Fishladder  LO - Locks used by fish  ST - Steps  TM - Temporary  UN - Unknown  VS - Vertical slot  WB - Wooden boards  WD - Weir pool and denil  WF - Weir pool and Fishladder  WP - Weir pool  WS - Weir pool and steps
	TYPENATBAR	NF - Natural falls  BL - Boulders  DRB - Dry river bed  SB - Sand bar  BB - Barrier beach  BD - Bog dam  RAPID - Rapid  VG - Thick growth vegetation  GE - Ground elevation  LF - Low flow
	TYPEOTHERBAR	SW - Sluiceway  TG - Tidegate  CUL - Culvert  DI - Ditch  PP - Power plant  SCREEN

Last Updated 3/29/2010