William F. Loftus Jerome J. Lorenz (National Audubon Society) 2005 spreadsheet and database http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy The Big Cypress national Preserve Fish Inventory database contains records of the inventory of freshwater fishes of the Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) conducted by the National Audubon Society's Tavernier Science Center as part of the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Project. The database includes data from October 2002 through April 2004. The Big Cypress National Preserve Fish Monitoring and Assessment data collections for aquatic animals from BICY were begun in July 2004. The spreadsheet contains worksheets for Raccoon Point, L28, and Bear Island. Although a major ecosystem of the South Florida area, the Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY), is poorly understood in biological terms. To detect changes in natural and artificial habitats resulting from Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) restoration programs, baseline data on constituent aquatic communities and their ecology are needed before and after restoration actions. Fishes and aquatic invertebrates serve as indicators of the health of these wetlands. These organisms are also important because they are major prey for many of the characteristic South Florida predatory species, especially alligators and wading birds. This project has several objectives, the foremost of which is to continue a program of aquatic study in BICY begun in 2002. Work will be performed in partnership with National Audubon Society (NAS) and the National Park Service to design and implement a spatially and temporally explicit, quantitative sampling program for aquatic animals in BICY. This program will 1) provide baseline data which may be used to track changes in hydrology as a result of CERP projects 2) document the distribution, composition, and habitat use by native and introduced aquatic animals to evaluate the effects of CERP on BICY aquatic habitats, and 3) provide ecological data for use in the ATLSS fish simulation model used to plan and evaluate restoration actions during CERP (presently, inappropriate data from the Everglades are being used in the model for cells that lie in BICY). The strategy used to accomplish these goals will be to employ techniques used by the co-principal investigators in establishing monitoring programs in the Everglades (since 1977) and the mangrove zone of Florida Bay (since 1989). 200210 2004 ground condition Complete None planned Big Cypress National Preserve -81.5 -80.75 26.3 25.75 none biology fish monitoring ecology aquatic animals ISO 19115 Topic Category biota environment inlandWaters 002 007 012 Department of Commerce, 1995, Countries, Dependencies, Areas of Special Sovereignty, and Their Principal Administrative Divisions, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4, Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology United States US U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the outlying areas of the United States, and associated areas (Federal Information Processing Standard 5-2): Washington, D. C., NIST Florida FL Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas, FIPS 6-3, Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology Collier County USGS Geographic Names Information System Everglades National Park Big Cypress National Preserve none SW Big Cypress Raccoon Point Bear Island L28 none fish multiple species animals Turgeon, D. D., Quinn, J. F., Jr., Bogan, A. E., Coan, E. V., Hochberg, F. G., Lyons, W. G., Mikkelsen, P. M., Neves, R. J., Roper, C. F. E., Rosenberg, G., Roth, B., Scheltema, A., Thompson, F. G., Vecchione, M., Williams, J. D. 1998 book Special Publication 26 Bethesda, MD American Fisheries Society Sampling was conducted according to a stratified design based on habitat type. The majority of sites were located within 250 meters of roads or trails passable by truck to simplify access. Sites were also reached by boat, all-terrain vehicle, helicopter, and airboat when these means of transportation were available. Habitat heterogeneity made random selection of sites difficult, particularly during the dry season, as no sufficiently detailed hydrology data existed to insure that randomly selected sites would be inundated. In those cases, sites were haphazardly selected to insure the presence of standing surface water. The diversity of habitat types in Big Cypress presents considerable challenges to the development of a comprehensive sampling regime, as the effectiveness of any given methodology varies between habitats. To compensate for this, numerous techniques were employed during this study. A variety of fish traps have been used extensively, as well as electrofishing gear, gill nets, cast nets, dip nets, and angling. The location of each sampling site was recorded as universal transverse mercator (UTM) coordinates using a Garmin Etrex Vista GPS. Project personnel collected and curated representative vouchers for all captured species whenever practical. Specimens too large to effectively preserve have been documented photographically using a digital camera. Vouchers have been collected independently for each habitat type sampled. Additionally, to ensure complete spatial coverage of the preserve, vouchers of each species have been collected from the north, central, and southern regions of Big Cypress. Information regarding each voucher was entered into the project Access database, and each was assigned a unique identifier to link with related sampling information. Voucher collection is an ongoing process and will continue for the duration of the study. Upon completion of this project, vouchers will be transferred to an NPS-identified repository. For each sample, all specimens were identified to species, and total catch per species recorded. Total lengths.were measured for the first 20 randomly selected individuals of each species to obtain a representative size distribution. Water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were measured for each site when possible, however, instrumentation problems precluded this for much of the year. Project personnel borrowed a Hydrolab 4a minisonde and datalogger from the BICY hydrology department to resolve these problems. For electrofishing expeditions, water conductivity was determined using a YSI-33 conductivity meter. Specimens were identified to species. Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Superclass Osteichthyes Class Actinopterygii Subclass Neopterygii Infraclass Teleostei Superorder Acanthopterygii Order Atheriniformes Family Atherinopsidae Subfamily Menidiinae Genus Labidesthes Species Labidesthes sicculus brook silverside crayon d'argent Genus Menidia Species Menidia beryllina inland silverside tidewater silverside Order Beloniformes Suborder Belonoidei Superfamily Scomberesocoidea Family Belonidae Genus Strongylura Species Strongylura marina Atlantic needlefish silver gar Species Strongylura notata agujón de aletas rojas redfin needlefish Species Strongylura timucu longjaw timucu timucú Order Cyprinodontiformes Suborder Cyprinodontoidei Family Cyprinodontidae Subfamily Cyprinodontinae Tribe Cyprinodontini Genus Cyprinodon Species Cyprinodon variegatus pipón sheepshead minnow sheepshead pupfish Genus Floridichthys Species Floridichthys carpio goldspotted killifish ocellated killifish Genus Jordanella Species Jordanella floridae American flagfish flagfish Family Fundulidae Genus Adinia Species Adinia xenica diamond killifish Genus Fundulus Species Fundulus chrysotus golden topminnow Species Fundulus confluentus marsh killifish Species Fundulus grandis Gulf killifish Species Fundulus seminolis Seminole killifish Species Fundulus similis longnose killifish Genus Lucania Species Lucania goodei blue-fintop minnow bluefin killifish Species Lucania parva rainwater killifish Family Poeciliidae Subfamily Poeciliinae Genus Belonesox Species Belonesox belizanus pike killifish piketop minnow Genus Gambusia Species Gambusia holbrooki mosquitofish eastern mosquitofish Genus Heterandria Species Heterandria formosa dwarf livebearer least killifish Genus Poecilia Species Poecilia latipinna sailfin molly Order Mugiliformes Family Mugilidae Genus Mugil Species Mugil cephalus black mullet gray mullet lisa striped mullet Order Perciformes Suborder Elassomatoidei Family Elassomatidae Genus Elassoma Species Elassoma evergladei everglades pygmy sunfish Suborder Gobioidei Family Gobiidae Genus Bathygobius Species Bathygobius soporator frillfin goby gobio mapo Genus Lophogobius Species Lophogobius cyprinoides crested goby gobio encrestado Genus Microgobius Species Microgobius gulosus clown goby Suborder Labroidei Family Cichlidae Genus Astronotus Species Astronotus ocellatus oscar Genus Cichlasoma Species Cichlasoma bimaculatum black acara twospotted cichlid Species Cichlasoma urophthalma Species Chiclasoma managuensis Genus Oreochromis Species Oreochromis aureus blue tilapia Genus Tilapia Species Tilapia mariae spotted tilapia Suborder Percoidei Family Carangidae Genus Caranx Species Caranx hippos crevalle jack jiguagua Family Centrarchidae Genus Lepomis Species Lepomis macrochirus bluegill crapet arlequin Species Lepomis marginatus dollar sunfish Species Lepomis microlophus redear sunfish Species Lepomis punctatus spotted sunfish Species Lepomis gulosus warmouth Genus Micropterus Species Micropterus salmoides achigan à grande bouche largemouth bass Genus Pomoxis Species Pomoxis nigromaculatus black crappie marigane noire Family Centropomidae Subfamily Centropominae Genus Centropomus Species Centropomus undecimalis common snook róbalo común snook Family Echeneidae Genus Echeneis Species Echeneis naucrates guaicán sharksucker Family Gerreidae Genus Eucinostomus Species Eucinostomus harengulus mojarra plateada spotfin mojarra Species Eucinostomus gula mojarra de ley silver jenny Genus Eugerres Species Eugerres plumieri patao rayado striped mojarra Family Lutjanidae Subfamily Lutjaninae Genus Lutjanus Species Lutjanus griseus caballerete gray snapper grey snapper Family Percidae Genus Etheostoma Species Etheostoma fusiforme swamp darter Family Sciaenidae Genus Sciaenops Species Sciaenops ocellatus red drum Family Sparidae Genus Archosargus Species Archosargus probatocephalus sheepshead Genus Lagodon Species Lagodon rhomboides chopa espina pinfish Order Pleuronectiformes Suborder Pleuronectoidei Family Achiridae Genus Achirus Species Achirus lineatus acedía rayada lined sole Genus Trinectes Species Trinectes maculatus hogchoker Order Synbranchiformes Suborder Synbranchoidei Family Synbranchidae Genus Monopterus Species Monopterus albus rice eel swamp eel white ricefield eel Superorder Clupeomorpha Order Clupeiformes Suborder Clupeoidei Family Engraulidae Subfamily Engraulinae Genus Anchoa Species Anchoa mitchilli anchoa de caleta bay anchovy Superorder Elopomorpha Order Anguilliformes Suborder Anguilloidei Family Anguillidae Genus Anguilla Species Anguilla rostrata American eel anguila anguila americana anguille d'Amérique Order Elopiformes Family Elopidae Genus Elops Species Elops saurus banano ladyfish machete del Atlántico Family Megalopidae Genus Megalops Species Megalops atlanticus sábalo tarpon Superorder Ostariophysi Order Cypriniformes Superfamily Cobitoidea Family Catostomidae Subfamily Catostominae Tribe Moxostomatini Genus Erimyzon Species Erimyzon sucetta lake chubsucker Superfamily Cyprinoidea Family Cyprinidae Genus Notemigonus Species Notemigonus crysoleucas golden shiner méné jaune Genus Notropis Species Notropis maculatus taillight shiner Species Notropis petersoni coastal shiner Order Siluriformes Family Ariidae Genus Arius Species Ariopsis felis bagre boca chica hardhead catfish Family Callichthyidae Subfamily Callichthyinae Genus Hoplosternum Species Hoplosternum littorale brown hoplo Family Clariidae Genus Clarias Species Clarias batrachus clarias catfish walking catfish Family Ictaluridae Genus Ameiurus Species Ameiurus natalis bagre torito amarillo barbotte jaune yellow bullhead Species Ameiurus nebulosus barbotte brune brown bullhead Genus Ictalurus Species Ictalurus punctatus bagre de canal barbue de rivière channel catfish graceful catfish Genus Noturus Species Noturus gyrinus chat-fou brun tadpole madtom Superorder Protacanthopterygii Order Esociformes Family Esocidae Genus Esox Species Esox americanus brochet d'Amérique (vermiculé) grass pickerel redfin or grass pickerel redfin pickerel Species Esox niger brochet maillé chain pickerel Order Amiiformes Family Amiidae Genus Amia Species Amia calva bowfin poisson-castor Order Semionotiformes Family Lepisosteidae Genus Lepisosteus Species Lepisosteus platyrhincus Florida gar none none William F. Loftus U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336

Homestead FL 33034 USA 305 242-7835 305 242-7836 bill_loftus@usgs.gov http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy/loftus_bicylocation.html Big Cypress National Preserve monitoring sites location map GIF Project personnel include Greg Ellis and Mark Zokan of the National Audubon Society Data are available as an MS Access database (.mdb) and an MS Excel spreadsheet (.xls) Ellis, Greg Zokan, Marcus Loftus, William F. Lorenz, Jerome J. 2005 report This is the final project report to the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystems Science Program http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/reports/fish_bcnp/ Duever, M. J. Carlson, J. E. Meeder, J. F. Duever, L. C. Gunderson, L.H. Riopelle, L. A. Alexander, T. R. Myers, R. L. Spangler, D.P. 1986 report New York, NY National Audubon Society Sampling was conducted according to a stratified design based on habitat type. The majority of sites were located within 250 meters of roads or trails passable by truck to simplify access. Sites were also reached by boat, all-terrain vehicle, helicopter, and airboat when these means of transportation were available. Habitat heterogeneity made random selection of sites difficult, particularly during the dry season, as no sufficiently detailed hydrology data existed to insure that randomly selected sites would be inundated. In those cases, sites were haphazardly selected to insure the presence of standing surface water. Only the June/July 2004 sampling was conducted due to funding being redirected. The location of each sampling point was recorded using a Garmin Etrex Vista GPS unit. Field A variety of fish traps were used extensively as well as electrofishing gear, gill nets, cast nets, dip nets, and angling. Opportunistic sampling was conducted using light-tackle, hook-and-line fishing with a variety of lures and live or dead baits. Lines of baited hooks were also occasionally deployed in canals in attempts to catch catfish, although hoop nets proved substantially more effective. Finally, sight records were kept for any species observed in the field that could be positively identified without being captured. Sampling was conducted according to a stratified design based on habitat type. The majority of sites were located within 250 meters of roads or trails passable by truck to simplify access. Sites were also reached by boat, all-terrain vehicle, helicopter, and airboat when these means of transportation were available. Habitat heterogeneity made random selection of sites difficult, particularly during the dry season, as no sufficiently detailed hydrology data existed to insure that randomly selected sites would be inundated. In those cases, sites were haphazardly selected to insure the presence of standing surface water. The diversity of habitat types in Big Cypress presents considerable challenges to the development of a comprehensive sampling regime, as the effectiveness of any given methodology varies between habitats. To compensate for this, numerous techniques have been employed during this study. A variety of fish traps have been used extensively, as well as electrofishing gear, gill nets, cast nets, dip nets, and angling. TRAPS: Traps provide a means of sampling with a standardized unit of effort and are suitable for use in virtually any habitat. They are also relatively portable, and therefore suitable for work in remote locations. They have the disadvantage of having inherent selection biases, based both on trap construction, and size and behavior of targeted species. To attempt to minimize these, we deployed a variety of small-fish traps simultaneously. These included Gee-type minnow traps, box traps, collapsible mesh traps, and Breder traps. Soak times were generally 24 hours, although one-hour sets were also performed. Small-fish traps were consistently fished unbaited and relied on passive encounters to generate captures. Hoop nets were used to sample larger fishes in deeper water. They were fished unbaited with or without leads, and were also baited with cheese to selectively target catfish species that had proved difficult to obtain otherwise. The hoop nets used here were 1.4 meters in overall length and were constructed from four 50-cm diameter fiberglass hoops and tar-coated twine with a 2.5 cm mesh size. The nets had two throats and an approximately 15 cm diameter aperture. Typically, hoop nets were deployed for 24-hour intervals. Electrofishing: Electrofishing was conducted in locations where habitat composition allowed. Two electrofishing setups were used. The first utilized a boat-mounted Smith-Root type 6A electrofisher with a maximum current output of 1008 volts DC at 120 pulses per second or 720 volts AC at 60 hertz. It was used extensively for sampling in canals but was too large to penetrate into other habitats. Effort was generally standardized by conducting 100-meter transects, although opportunistic sampling around structures such as bridge pilings was conducted as well. Forested habitats and marshes were sampled using a small barge carrying a Smith-Root model 2.5 GPP electrofisher with a maximum current of 1000 volts at either 120 pulses per second DC or 60 hertz AC. The barge drew only several centimeters of water and was only a meter wide, but still could not penetrate into heavily vegetated habitats. Samples were standardized to 300 seconds of total shock time. NETS: Experimental gill nets were used to sample canal fishes. Two nets each composed of 4 242 cm deep x 180 wide cm panels were fished in tandem. The first had mesh sizes of 1.2, 2.5, 3.7, and 5 cm while the second was composed of panels with mesh of 6.2, 7.6, 8.8, and 11 cm. Nets were typically set from 1 to 4 hours. Reptile entanglements were problematic when using these nets. Encounters with alligators were particularly damaging, precluding longer sets. While unsuitable for providing quantitative data, cast nets were used extensively in an opportunistic fashion to capture species sighted in canals. The cast nets had a radius of 180 cm and a 1.2 cm mesh size. Dip nets were used for sampling in dense vegetation. These nets had fine mesh (<1mm) and were the most effective method for collecting small species, such as least killifish (Heterandria formosa) and Everglades pygmy sunfish (Elassoma evergladei). OTHER: Opportunistic sampling was conducted using light-tackle, hook-and-line fishing with a variety of lures and live or dead baits. Lines of baited hooks were also occasionally deployed in canals in attempts to catch catfish, although hoop nets proved substantially more effective. Finally, sight records were kept for any species observed in the field that could be positively identified without being captured. Measurements We recorded the location of each sampling site as universal transverse mercator (UTM) coordinates using a Garmin Etrex Vista GPS. For each sample, all specimens were identified to species, and total catch per species recorded. We measured total lengths for the first 20 randomly selected individuals of each species to obtain a representative size distribution. Water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were measured for each site when possible, however, instrumentation problems precluded this for much of the year. We borrowed a Hydrolab 4a minisonde and datalogger from the BICY hydrology department to resolve these problems. For electrofishing expeditions, water conductivity was determined using a YSI-33 conductivity meter. Voucher Specimens We collected and curated representative vouchers for all captured species whenever practical. Specimens too large to effectively preserve have been documented photographically using a digital camera. Vouchers have been collected independently for each habitat type sampled. Additionally, to ensure complete spatial coverage of the preserve, vouchers of each species have been collected from the north, central, and southern regions of Big Cypress. Information regarding each voucher was entered into the project Access database, and each was assigned a unique identifier to link with related sampling information. Voucher collection ws an ongoing process and continued for the duration of the study. Upon completion of this project, vouchers will be transferred to an NPS-identified repository. 2004 William F. Loftus U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336

Homestead FL 33034 USA 305 242-7835 305 242-7836 bill_loftus@usgs.gov Big Cypress National Preserve Point Point 3 North American Datum of 1983 Geodetic Reference System 80 6378137 298.257 Admin_units Administrative units of the Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress National Preserve Catch Info Records of all individuals captured. An individual record represents a single species present in an sample. Information collected includes the Sample_ID, Species_ID, total number of individuals of the species present, and the length of up to 20 individuals of the species captured. project personnel Habitat_Types List of the habitat categories used to define the communities sampled in BICY. Duever, M. J., J. E. Carlson, J. F. Meeder, L.C. Duever, L. H. Gunderson, L.A. Riopelle, T. R. Alexander, R. L. Myers, and D. P. Spangler. 1986. The Big Cypress National Preserve. National Audubon Society, New York Sample_Info Identifies a single sampling event including: Sample_ID, Gear_ID, Trip_ID, Repitition Number, Total Repititions, Duration, Water Depth, and Notes project personnel Sampling Locations Data describing the physical location of each sampling site including Site_ID, UTM Northing and Easting for the site, BICY admin unit, habitat identification, and the geographic region of Big Cypress in which a site was located. project personnel Sampling Expedition Info Physical data for each site including Trip_ID, Site_ID, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, water column salininty, pH, date and time of sampling trip, and notes project personnel Sampling Gear Types List of all sampling methods employed during the study including Gear_ID, method (name of sampling technique, and a fuller description of ech sampling method project personnel Speciestable Master list of all species that were expected to occur in BICY including the scientific name of each species, genus and family of the species, and the common name of each species project personnel Voucher Info Table contains information of all voucher specimens collected during this project including the Voucher_ID, Species_ID from the Speciestable, and Sample_ID to identify the cample from which each voucher was drawn project personnel Heather S.Henkel U.S. Geological Survey mailing address

600 Fourth St. South

St. Petersburg FL 33701 USA 727 803-8747 ext 3028 727 803-2030 hhenkel@usgs.gov Big Cypress Fish Inventory and Monitoring Data No warrantees are implied or explicit for the data Access 1997 1.52 http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy Log onto the SOFIA website at http://sofia.usgs.gov Excel 2000 0.023 http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/loftus_bicy Log onto the SOFIA website at http://sofia.usgs.gov none 20060422 Heather Henkel U.S. Geological Survey mailing and physical address

600 Fourth Street South

St. Petersburg Fl 33701 USA 727 803-8747 ext 3028 727 803-2030 sofia-metadata@usgs.gov Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Part 1: Biological Data Profile FGDC-STD-001.1-1999