Log in links for this page

MassGIS Data: Diadromous Fish

January 2023

Diadromous fish passageways, impediments, habitat, species presence and sampling stations along coastal rivers and in lakes and ponds.

Table of Contents

Downloads

Overview

These data layers represent diadromous fish passageways, impediments, habitat, species presence and sampling stations along coastal rivers and in lakes and ponds. The data layers include time-of-year recommendations to avoid impacts to present species and on restoration priorities and actions. Diadromous fish species travel between salt water and fresh water as part of their life cycle.

These five layers were produced and will be maintained by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), with datalayer name in parentheses:

Restoration Projects

(DF_RESTORATION_PROJECTS_PT)

Restoration Projects refer to diadromous fish passage projects listed in the DMF Diadromous Fish Restoration Priority List. The first version of the priority list was prepared as an Excel file in 2005. The 5th version, updated in May 2022, is the data source and Related Table for this GIS feature layer. It contains over 475 coastal river locations where structural features can influence fish passage. The status of each location is described by the attributes below and recommended restoration or maintenance actions are scored to derive rankings for a regional priority list. DMF will update this feature annually, and possibly each 6-months depending on number of location changes. See the DMF memo on the integration of the priority list to the Diadromous Fish GIS datalayer in References for more details (link below). Contact Brad Chase or Kate Frew for more information. Also see the Diadromous Fisheries Project page.
 

Sampling Stations

(DF_SAMPLING_STATIONS_PT)

DMF maintains sampling stations in different coastal rivers to monitor the migrations and populations of river herring, American eel, American shad and rainbow smelt. This feature layer reports on the location and type of each sampling stations. Users of the GIS datalayer can request site specific data from DMF. DMF intends to link monitoring and water quality data associated with the sampling stations to future updates of the datalayer.
 

Migratory Habitat

(DF_MIGRATORY_HABITAT_ARC)

Migratory habitat refers to the presence of 10 species of diadromous fish in reaches of coastal rivers in Massachusetts. The migratory data was assembled for the DMF technical report TR-47 in 2016. River reaches are coded based on the occurrence of the diadromous species during their migrations as influenced by their specific life history and ability to pass over various impediments. Appendix B from TR-47 contains this presence information. This was updated during 2020 and coded into the GIS Diadromous Fish Datalayer with the addition of information on sea lamprey and two sturgeon species. DMF will update this feature as needed annually.

Time-of-year source TR-47 - https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/ry/tr-47.pdf
 

Rainbow Smelt Spawning Habitat

(DF_RAINBOW_SMELT_SPAWNING_HABITAT_ARC)

Rainbow smelt spawning habitat refers to specific locations in coastal rivers where rainbow smelt egg deposition was documented during their spring spawning runs by the DMF technical report TR-30 (2006). Field observations recorded the latitude/longitude for the upstream and downstream limit of smelt egg deposition for Gulf of Maine coastal rivers. These data are not available for Buzzards Bay where smelt presence was assigned in Appendix B of TR-47 based on historical documents.

Source TR-30 - https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/no/tr30-smelt-spawning-habitat.pdf
 

River Herring Spawning and Nursery Habitat

(DF_RIVER HERRING_SPAWNING_NURSERY_HABITAT_POLY)

The ponds and lakes that have been identified by DMF as providing river herring spawning and nursery habitat are recorded, and color coded as green. Ponds and lakes that river herring cannot access are color coded as red. These classifications were derived from historical documents, and the following DMF technical reports: TR-15, 16, 17, 18, and 47 and river herring habitat assessments conducted under TR-42 and 73. DMF will update this feature annually, and possibly each 6-months depending on number of changes as restoration projects improve passage and access.

Attributes

The DF_RESTORATION_PROJECTS_PT layer contains the following fields:

RIVER River name
TOWN City or Town name
REGION Coastal drainage areas where the restoration project is located. Derived from DMF Technical Reports on "A Survey of Anadromous Fish Passage in Coastal Massachusetts", Boston Harbor/North Shore = 1 (TR-18); South Shore = 2 (TR-17); Cape Cod and the Islands = 3 (TR-16); and SE Massachusetts = 4 (TR-15). See https://www.mass.gov/info-details/marine-fisheries-technical-reports
WATERSHED The watershed where the restoration project is located. See the Diadromous Fish Restoration Priority List Attribute Table below for list of watershed names.
LOCATION_NAME Location of restoration project
LOCATION_STATUS Location status refers to present condition of location relative to fish passage. See the Diadromous Fish Restoration Priority List Attribute Table below for options.
PROJECT_TYPE The Project Type attribute is the remediation recommended by DMF to address the condition listed under Location Status. In some cases, there is more than one possible Project Type. An existing fish ladder that is listed as fishway maintenance could change to a dam removal or fishway improvement project with a change in ownership goals or manifestation of a funding source. The management of the Priority List allow updates in Location Status and Project Type as needed with concurrent adjustments in valuations.
LAKE_POND Associated lake or pond that provides river herring spawning and nursery habitat (if applicable). Project locations occurring in downstream stream channels are labeled "main stem".
TARGET_SPECIES Primary diadromous fish species that would benefit from restoration project
SECONDARY_SPECIES Secondary diadromous fish species that would most benefit from restoration project.
RIVER_HERRING_HABITAT_ASSES Was a River Herring Spawning and Nursery Habitat Assessment conducted (Yes/No, and status of reporting)?  Refers to DMF river herring habitat assessments described in TR-42 and TR-73.
STREAM_MAINTENANCE_PLAN Was a DMF Stream Maintenance Plan prepared for the River (Yes/No and status of reporting)? See links in References for DMF protocol and DEP/DMF policy document. See

https://www.mass.gov/doc/guidelines-for-stream-channel-maintenance/download and https://www.mass.gov/doc/dep-dmf-stream-maintenance-policy-april-2022/download

FISHWAY_O_M_PLAN Was a DMF Fishway Operation and Maintenance Plan prepared for this location (Yes/No and status of reporting)?
WATER_SUPPLY Is the project location within a municipal water supply (Yes/No)?
DAM_HEIGHT Crest height of location dam in feet, if applicable
ACREAGE_SCORE The scores for this metric are neutral (0) or positive (>0) and increase with the size of river herring spawning and nursery habitat:  <5 acres = 0 points; 5 to <10 = 1-2; 10 to <30 = 3-4; 30 to <50 = 5-6; 50 to <100 = 7-8; 100 to <200 = 9-10; 200 to <300 = 11-12; 300 to <400 = 13-14; and >400 = 15 pts.
OBSTRUCTION_NUMBER A negative score is assigned for each barrier in the river system between coastal waters and upstream spawning/nursery habitat.  A  -1 value is assigned for each barrier with a functional fishway and -2 for impassible obstructions, with the allowance to assign no negative value for highly efficient fishways such as low gradient weir and pool.
ACRES The number of acres of spawning and nursery habitat
POPULATION_STATUS A positive score running from 0 (no run present) to 10 (one of the largest river herring runs in the coastal drainage area) is awarded to sites for this metric. The focus is on river herring, although the population status of other diadromous species can be considered for scoring. Documented records of historical populations can allow the assignment of positive scores of 1-3 despite "no run present" depending on access to and the suitability of migratory/spawning/nursery habitat.
STREAM_FLOW A negative score (-10 to 0) is awarded to sites for this metric based on the ability of the watershed flows to support the different life stages of river herring and other diadromous fish. The sites with the lowest flows (i.e., that are least able to support fish) are given the lowest score. Sites with routinely adequate flows to support upstream and downstream migrations are given a score of zero.
PUBLIC_ACCESS A positive score (0 to 5) is provided for this metric based on the existing or potential of the location to provide public access for river herring harvest (not presently allowed), passive and active recreation and natural resource viewing. Sites with no existing or potential access are given a score of zero; scores increase with the number and quality of potential and/or existing public access sites.
WATER_QUALITY Scores for this metric decrease from 0 to -7 as water quality decreases. Sites with a score of 0 have water quality that is considered adequate for spawning and nursery habitat for the target fish populations. Water quality conditions that do not support successful
WATER_USE_CONFLICT This score ranges from -5 to 0 and decreases as the number or severity of water use conflicts increase. Sites with no known conflicts related to diadromous fish passage or habitats are given a score of 0. Examples of water use conflicts include recreation (e.g., impoundment dams that impede fish passage and water level and outflow maintained for boating, swimming etc.), water supply (e.g., surface and groundwater withdrawals that can influence fish passage), water withdrawals for farming, and flood control operations.
PROJECT_FEASIBILITY This score ranges from -5 to 0 with the lowest scores given to sites with property, structural or community factors that are at odds with project implementation or construction feasibility.
ENVIRONMENTAL_BENEFITS This score ranges from 0 to 5 and increases with additional environmental benefits of a given project beyond improvements to river herring migratory habitat, such as river connectivity, and benefits to other aquatic life, habitats, and multiple species of diadromous fish.
EXISTING_FUNDING This score ranges from 0 to 5 and increases with the degree of funding available to advance the restoration project. A score of 0 is given for sites with no identified funding and a score of 5 is awarded to sites with funding that would fully cover the project through construction.
LOCAL_SUPPORT This score ranges from 0 to 5 and increases with the degree of non-monetary support and interest from public interests, local groups, property owners and Towns
PASSAGE

Scores for this metric increase (from 0 to 10) as the severity of the impediment to fish passage increases. Depending on the species present and level of blockage, no obstruction = 0 points; a minor obstruction = 1-3 points; restricted passage = 4-6 points; severe impediment = 7-9 points; and 10 points for no possible passage. A classification of Impaired for a given structure will result in a score of ≥4, and a classification of Suitable will be scored ≤3 for MassDEP applications (see 2022 DMF/DEP memo). If available, a site-specific river herring spawning and nursery habitat assessment will document with repeated field observations the conditions of passage impediments using the impairment list below.

1. Excess vertical rise or grade change
2. Excess water velocity at outlet
3. High turbulence or irregular flow
4. Low or no flow (via stream flow)
5. Low or no flow (due to diversion/operations)
6. Inadequate attraction flow for passage
7. Shallow water depth for passage (<6")
8. Sediment impacts
9. In-stream debris / excessive plant growth
10. Beaver dam blocking passage
11. Vegetation blocking passage
12. Degraded passage structure

COST Scores for this metric decrease with the magnitude of the project implementation and construction costs:  <$10,000 = 0 points;  $10,000 to <$50,000 = -1; $50,000 to <$100,000 = -2; $100,000 to <$500,000 = -3 to -4; >$500,000 = -4 to -5 points
SCORE
RANK
Scoring and ranking values assigned to the 13 parameters are added in the DMF Diadromous Fish Restoration Priority List spreadsheet. Scores are then sorted by rank in each of the four regions to generate the Priority List. Locations with completed projects since the first version are listed as Complete under project status and remain on the list but are removed from the ranking. The future status of completed projects can be updated as infrastructure ages and property use or restoration goals change.
REVIEW_DATE The month/year of most recent review of each location by DMF staff
PROJECT_STATUS Present status of project: dormant, conceptual, planning, construction, maintenance, or completed
PROJECT_SCOPE Indicates the present or recent status of whom is leading the project development
HISTORY Relevant history
NOTES Relevant notes
CREATIONDATE Date when station data was added
CREATOR Staff name for original entry
EDITDATE Date when station data was edited
EDITOR Staff name for station data editing
FISH_PASSAGE_STATUS Partially Impaired - Fish passage possible with partial impairment, Fully Impaired - Fish passage not possible. No Impairment - Suitable fish passage.
POINT_X Longitude
POINT_Y Latitude

 

Valuation Parameters: All Valuation Parameters are scored based on the Best Professional Judgement (BPJ) of the DMF Diadromous Fish Project except Obstruction Number and Acreage are numerical. See the Diadromous Fish Restoration Priority List document for details.

 

The DF_SAMPLING_STATIONS_PT layer contains the following fields:

STATID Station ID
RIVER River name
STATION_TYPE Station type: Eel ramp, River Herring, Smelt fyke net, YOY eel trap
LOCATION Station location
TOWN City or Town name
YEAR_INSTALLED Date of installation
HAS_TEMP_LOGGER Yes/No flag for temperature logging
HAS_WATER_CHEMISTRY_STATION  Yes/No for water chemistry station
CREATIONDATE Date when station data was added
CREATOR Staff name for original entry
EDITDATE Date when station data was edited
EDITOR Staff name for station data editing
POINT_X Longitude
POINT_Y Latitude

 

The DF_MIGRATORY_HABITAT_ARC layer contains the following fields:

NAME River or stream name
ACCESSIBLE Yes/No flag for public access
FALL_RESTRICTION Fall time of year (TOY) based on TR-47
SPRING_RESTRICTION Springtime of year (TOY) based on TR-47
ALEWIFE Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) occurrence
BLUEBACK_HERRING Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) occurrence
RAINBOW_SMELT Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) occurrence
AMERICAN_EEL American eel (Anguilla anguilla) occurrence
WHITE_PERCH White perch (Morone americana) occurrence
ATLANTIC_TOMCOD Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) occurrence
SEA_LAMPREY Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) occurrence
SHORT_NOSE_STURGEON  Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) occurrence
ATLANTIC_STURGEON Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) occurrence
AMERICAN_SHAD American shad (Alosa sapidissima) occurrence
CREATIONDATE Date when station data was added
CREATOR Staff name for original entry
EDITDATE Date when station data was edited
EDITOR Staff name for station data editing

 

The DF_RAINBOW_SMELT_SPAWNING_HABITAT_ARC layer contains the following fields:

RIVER River name
FISH_SPECIES Diadromous fish name (presently on rainbow smelt documented)
DOWNSTREAM_LATITUDE Latitude of documented downstream limit of smelt egg deposition
DOWNSTREAM_LONGITUDE Longitude of documented downstream limit of smelt egg deposition
DOWNSTREAM_LANDMARK Stream bank landmark at downstream limit of smelt egg deposition
UPSTREAM_LATITUDE Latitude of documented upstream limit of smelt egg deposition
UPSTREAM_LONGITUDE Longitude of documented upstream limit of smelt egg deposition
UPSTREAM_LANDMARK Stream bank landmark at upstream limit of smelt egg deposition
CITATION All data presently cited with TR-30
CREATIONDATE Date when station data was added
CREATOR Staff name for original entry
EDITDATE Date when station data was edited
EDITOR Staff name for station data editing

 

The DF_RIVER_HERRING_SPAWNING_NURSERY_HABITAT_POLY layer contains the following fields:

NAME Lake or pond name
ACCESSIBLE Yes/No flag for public access
FALL_RESTRICTION Fall TOY based on TR-47
SPRING_RESTRICTION Spring TOY based on TR-47
CREATIONDATE Date when station data was added
CREATOR Staff name for original entry
EDITDATE Date when station data was edited
EDITOR Staff name for station data editing

References

  • Chase, B.C. 2006.  Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) spawning habitat on the Gulf of Maine Coast of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Technical Report TR-30. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/no/tr30-smelt-spawning-habitat.pdf
  • Chase, B.C. 2010. Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for Water Quality Measurements Conducted for Diadromous Fish Habitat Monitoring. Version 1.0, 2008-2012.  Mass. Div. of Mar. Fish Tech. Report No. TR-42. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/tm/tr-42.pdf
  • Chase, B. C., J. J. Sheppard, B. I. Gahagan, and S. M. Turner. 2020. Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for Water Quality Measurements for Diadromous Fish Monitoring, Version 2.0. Mass. Div. Mar. Fish., Tech. Report No. TR-73. https://www.mass.gov/doc/tr-73-quality-assurance-program-plan-qapp-for-water-quality-measurements-for-diadromous-fish-monitoring/download
  • Evans, N.T., K. H. Ford, B. C. Chase, and J. J. Sheppard. 2011. Recommended Time of Year Restrictions (TOYs) for Coastal Alteration Projects to Protect Marine Fisheries Resources in Massachusetts. Mass. Div. Mar. Fish., Tech. Rep. TR-47. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/ry/tr-47.pdf
  • Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLauglin, and C.G. Milliken. 2004a. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts: Part 1. Southeastern Massachusetts.  Mass. Div. of Mar. Fish., Tech. Report No. TR-15. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/marine-fisheries-technical-reports
  • Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLauglin, and C.G. Milliken. 2004b. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts: Part 2. Cape Cod and the Islands. Mass. Div. of Mar. Fish., Tech. Report No. TR-16.
  • Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLauglin, and C.G. Milliken. 2005a. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts: Part 3. South Coastal. Mass. Div. of Mar. Fish., Tech. Report No. TR-17.
  • Reback, K.E., P.D. Brady, K.D. McLauglin, and C.G. Milliken. 2005b. A survey of anadromous fish passage in coastal Massachusetts: Part 4. Boston and North Coastal. Mass. Div. of Mar. Fish., Tech. Report No. TR-18.

Memoranda

Maintenance

DMF staff will update the data as needed on a yearly basis. Contact Brad Chase or Kate Frew for more information.

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback