Fish Community and habitat assessment in the Sandusky River, OH, April 2021 through October 2021

Data includes fish abundance and habitat data collected at ten sites in the Sandusky River, OH. Fish were collected using two 3.67 m long hoop nets with an initial hoop diameter of 0.91 m. Nets were set perpendicular to the current, opening toward the shoreline. Nets were set for approximately 24 hours and catch rates for each set were defined as the number of fish caught in the two hoop nets per 24-hour sampling period. Fish were identified to species, measured for total length (mm), and released. Water quality was taken daily at each site at approximately the same time of day with a YSI Exo2 multiparameter sonde. Physical habitat data was recorded at the start of each trial. Vegetation coverage was characterized by type of vegetation and genus (submerged, emerged, or floating) and substrate was also categorized (silt, sand, clay, rock). Physical habitat was recorded as percent and defined as the percentage of the sampling area (e.g. within 50-m of each platform) covered by a feature at the time of data collection. Daily minimum and maximum depths (m) were calculated from data recorded Onset HOBO water level data loggers, which were attached to two of the floating platforms approximately 0.5-m above the substrate. The distance of each site from the confluence of Muddy Creek Bay (m) was estimated from the mid-point of a site using ArcGIS Pro v. 2.7.1. This data was used to assess the fish assemblage in the Sandusky River, focusing on changes in assemblage following the removal of the Ballville Dam in 2018.