USGS Ohio Water Science Center - Ohio Aquatic GAP project

Ohio Aquatic GAP Project

Final Report:	Ohio Aquatic Gap Analysis—An Assessment of the Biodiversity and Conservation Status of Native Aquatic Animal Species. Open-File Report 2006–1385. *Includes GIS data.

Data CD:	Fish distribution and valley segment type data from Ohio Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (GAP). Open-File Report 2003-194.

Poster:	presented at the 2004 American Fisheries Society: Ohio Aquatic GAP: Assessing Fish, Crayfish, and Bivalves in Relation to Conservation Lands (*.pdf 11.4 mb)

Factsheet:	What is the Ohio Gap Analysis Program (GAP)? Fact Sheet FS-093-01 (*pdf 1.3 mb)

The Ohio Aquatic GAP project modeled the potential distributions of crayfish, bivalves, and fish in Ohio streams.

The goal of the GAP Analysis Program is to keep common species common by identifying those species and habitats that are not yet adequately represented in the existing matrix of conservation lands. The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is sponsored by the Biological Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Ohio Aquatic GAP (OH-GAP) is a pilot project that is applying the GAP concept to aquatic—specifically, riverine—data. The mission of GAP is to provide regional assessments of the conservation status of native animal species and to facilitate the application of this information to land-management activities. OH-GAP accomplished this through

mapping aquatic habitat types
mapping the predicted distributions of fish, crayfish, and bivalves
documenting the presence of aquatic species in areas managed for conservation
providing GAP results to the public, planners, managers, policy makers, and researchers
building cooperation with multiple organizations to apply GAP results to state and regional management activities.

Contact: S. Alex. Covert