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Interagency Ecological Program: San Francisco Bay Study Survey for Fish and Mobile Crustaceans 1980-2025

The San Francisco Bay Study (Bay Study) was established in 1980 to determine the effects of freshwater outflow on the abundance and distribution of fish and mobile crustaceans (brachyuran crabs and caridean shrimp) in the San Francisco Estuary, mainly downstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Bay Study survey currently samples 52 open-water stations monthly from a research vessel with two types of trawl gear: a midwater trawl to sample pelagic fishes, and an otter trawl to sample demersal fishes, crabs, and shrimp. Historically, the study also included plankton sampling (1980-1989) for larval fish and crustaceans. Fish collected by the otter and midwater trawl are identified to species, counted, and a representative subsample is measured. In addition, crabs from the otter trawl are identified, counted, sexed, and measured, and gelatinous zooplankton from the midwater trawl are identified and counted. Shrimp are retained from each otter trawl sample and returned to the laboratory for processing, which includes identification, counts, sex, and length. Additional data collected at each station includes water depth, Secchi, and a water column profile of temperature and conductivity. This data publication includes fish, crab, shrimp, gelatinous zooplankton (jellies), and water quality data. Metadata related to the plankton sampling will be included in the future when this data is published. ## About This Federated Record This CNRA Open Data Platform record is based on metadata federated from the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) Data Portal. Its purpose is to improve the discoverability of the data package through the CNRA Open Data Platform. The EDI Data Portal is the repository of record for this data package. Metadata, resource links, and supporting information displayed here may not reflect the latest updates available in EDI. Resources shown here—including Full Metadata, Provenance, and Data Quality Report—are provided to help users understand and evaluate the data package and the supporting information available from EDI. For the current data package, citation, DOI, data files, metadata, provenance, data quality documentation, revision history, and other supporting information, refer to the EDI data package landing page: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/metadataviewer?packageid=edi.2143.4&key=vqSpNwnbe91Bi8trB5RY25CoPD4 Access requirements, permissions, and authorization policies for resources hosted by EDI are established and managed independently of the CNRA Open Data Platform.

Data files

No files available

Supporting files

Data title and descriptionAccess dataFile detailsLast updated

BoatStation

metrics recorded at each station

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

BoatTow

metrics recorded at each tow

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

FishCatch

data related to the number of fish caught in each tow

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

FishLength

data related to length frequency of measured fish and the adjusted length frequency based on the plus count

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

CrabCatch

data related to the number of crabs caught in each tow

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

CrabSize

data related to size frequency of measured crabs and the adjusted size frequency based on the plus count

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

JellyCatch

data related to the number of jellies caught in each tow

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

StationConstants

information related to theoretical station locations

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

SubstrateCodes

lookup table for descriptions of substrate types

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

SpeciesCodes

information related to taxon collected by the survey

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

Shrimp_SexCodes_Lookup

Reference lookup table providing the definitive mapping and descriptions for codes used to identify shrimp sex and reproductive status

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

Shrimp_SpeciesCodes_Lookup

A taxonomic lookup table providing the mapping between alpha-numeric species codes used in the field observations and their corresponding full scientific names and common names for shrimp taxa

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

ShrimpCatch

data related to the number of shrimp caught in each tow

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

ShrimpLength

data related to length frequency of measured shrimp and the adjusted length frequency based on the plus count

CSV (EXTERNAL DOWNLOAD)
09/25/26

SFBS_Metadata

Additional detail related to the metadata.

PDF
09/25/26

Provenance Metadata

This method step describes provenance-based metadata as specified in the LTER EML Best Practices. This provenance metadata does not contain entity specific information.

HTML
09/25/26

Full Metadata

A link to the original metadata web page on the EDI Portal

HTML
09/25/26

Dataset Quality Report

A link to the EDI Quality Metadata Page

HTML
09/25/26

API endpoint

Dataset Name

Use the query web API to retrieve data with a set of basic parameters. Copy the API endpoint you need to start.

Usage documentation