DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3qv
title: Blueback Herring <em>Alosa aestivalis</em> phenology: spawning run abundance, sex ratio, and female reproductive investment

description: This dataset supports an investigation into the seasonality of Blueback
 Herring spawning in the Connecticut River. It includes data taken on fish
 specimens caught during 117 boat electrofishing surveys at four sites over
 four years. Each site visit yielded an estimate of catch per unit effort,
 a metric of abundance. The sex of individuals was determined in the field,
 enabling an estimate of female catch per unit effort. The field crew also
 assessed the reproductive status of females, enabling an estimate of the
 abundance of spawner females, i.e. those that were in reproductive
 condition. A subset of individuals collected on each date was euthanized
 and dissected, yielding data on ovary mass; these data enabled estimates
 of ovary tissue abundance. Seasonal change in each of these abundance
 estimates represents a depiction of the population’s reproductive
 phenology, its seasonal timing of spawning. These data provide a
 foundation for inquiries into the processes that influence variability in
 the fitness of offspring produced at different times in the season.
description: We collected Blueback Herring (<em>Alosa
 aestivalis</em>) along the Connecticut River in northern Connecticut
 and southern Massachusetts in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 following the same
 sampling scheme. Four sites (Wethersfield Cove (WET), Lower Farmington
 River (FAR), Lower Westfield River (WES), Lower Chicopee River (CHI); the
 former two sites are designated as belonging to the LOWER region and the
 latter two sites are designated as belonging to the UPPER region) that are
 known spawning areas served as fixed sampling sites. At each site visit, a
 boat electrofishing (Smith-Root Model SR-18) field crew conducted daytime
 sampling using standardized methods; multiple electroshocking runs were
 conducted during each site visit. We collected basic data on Blueback
 Herring captured in all runs. We held captured individuals briefly in a
 live well; before moving to the next site, we measured, sexed, and scored
 females for reproductive stage based on external appearance and expression
 of gametes. Up to 80 fish per day were euthanized, put on ice and
 transported to the lab for further processing the next day.
description: # Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis phenology: spawning run abundance, sex
 ratio, and female reproductive investment Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3qv](10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3qv) This dataset contains
 abundance estimates, sex ratio, length and weight data, reproductive
 stage, and ovary masses for Blueback Herring (*Alosa aestivalis*)
 collected in areas of the Connecticut River known to be spawning sites
 over springtime months of four years 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The data
 support analyses of reproductive activity of this migratory fish. The
 datasets enable reproduction of all tables and figures in Schultz, E.T.,
 Mouchlianitis, F.A., Sprankle, K., and Ganias, K. (2025). Counting eggs
 before they hatch: comparing metrics of spawning seasonality in Blueback
 Herring. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 00, 1–12. We have
 submitted three datasets (**run_data.csv**, **indiv_data.csv**, and
 **dissection_data.csv**, from which all figures and tables were derived.
 Other datasets comprise entries for figures and tables and are organized
 in subdirectories specific to each manuscript element. Code is provided
 for all analyses. In CSV files, missing values are represented as ‘.’ or
 are blank. ## Description of the Data and File Structure ###
 **run_data.csv** This dataset contains information on catch during
 sampling events. Dataset run_data includes the, site (station), the
 electroshocking run number, the number of seconds of the electroshocking
 run (t_sec), and the number of Blueback Herring collected (n_bbh).
 **Variables:** * *Date*: Collection date in MM/DD/YY format (e.g.,
 5/13/2019 = May 13, 2019) * *Station*: Sampling location as a three letter
 code (CHI: Lower Chicopee River; FAR: Lower Farmington River; WES: Lower
 Westfield River; WET: Wethersfield Cove) * *Run*: The number of the
 electroshock sample taken in that station on that date, in integer values
 * *t_set*: The elapsed electroshock time of the run * *n_bbh*: The number
 in integer format of Blueback Herring collected in the run **Sample
 size:** n = 611 electroshocking samples --- ### **indiv_data.csv** This
 dataset comprises information taken in the field on individual Blueback
 Herring collected via electroshocking. **Variables:** * *indiv_id*: Code
 identifying each individual in format IDmmddyyxxxzzz, in which mmddyy
 represents the date of collection, xxx represents the station, and zzz is
 the number of the individual in that sample * *Date*: Collection date in
 DD- mmm-YY format (e.g., 17-apr-19 = April 17, 2019) * *Station*: Sampling
 station code, recorded as a three-letter uppercase abbreviation (e.g.,
 FAR, WET). * *TL*: Total length of the individual, recorded as an integer
 value in millimeters. * *FL*: Fork length of the individual, recorded as
 an integer value in millimeters. * *Weight*: Body weight of the
 individual, recorded as an integer value in grams. * *Sex*: Sex of the
 individual, recorded as a single lowercase letter code (m = male, f =
 female). * *Condition*: Condition or maturity status, recorded as a single
 lowercase letter code (g: gravid; r: ripe/running; ps: partially spent; s:
 spent). * *Sacrificed*: Indicator of whether the individual was sacrificed
 during sampling, recorded as a single uppercase letter (N: no; Y: yes).
 **Sample size:** n = 7912 individuals --- ### **Dissection_data.csv** This
 dataset provides information on individuals that were euthanized and
 dissected. **Variables:** * *indiv_ID*: Code identifying each individual,
 matching the unique identifier used across datasets (alphanumeric code
 indicating collection date, station, and individual number). * *wet_wt*:
 Whole (wet) body weight of the individual, recorded as an integer value in
 grams. * *ovary_wt*: Ovary weight of the individual, recorded in grams.
 **Sample size:** n = 1330 individuals --- ### **entries_figure_2.csv**
 This dataset provides the values that are displayed in Figure 2 of the
 paper, which represents the proportion and standard deviation values of
 Blueback Herring that are female versus calendar week, plotted by year, in
 Lower Region sites of the Connecticut River. **Variables:** * *year*:
 Calendar year in which sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer
 (e.g., 2019). * *region*: Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text
 label (values LOWER and UPPER). * *week*: Week of the year in which
 sampling occurred, recorded as an integer value. * *prop_female*:
 Proportion of individuals that are female in the sample, recorded as a
 decimal value between 0 and 1. * *sd_prop_female*: Standard deviation of
 the proportion of females, recorded as a decimal value. * *n_indiv*: Total
 number of individuals in the sample, recorded as an integer value. --- ###
 **entries_figure_3.csv** This dataset provides the values that are
 displayed in Figure 3 of the paper, which represents the proportion and
 standard deviation values of Blueback Herring females that are spawning
 female versus calendar week, plotted by year, in Lower Region sites of the
 Connecticut River. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which
 sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). *
 *region*: Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values
 LOWER and UPPER). * *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as an integer value. * *prop_spawner*: Proportion of individuals
 classified as spawners in the sample, recorded as a decimal value between
 0 and 1. * *sd_prop_spawner*: Standard deviation of the proportion of
 spawners, recorded as a decimal value. * *n_indiv*: Total number of
 individuals in the sample, recorded as an integer value. --- ###
 **entries_figure_4A.csv** This dataset provides the values that are
 displayed in Figure 4A of the paper, which represents the gonosomatic
 index mean and standard deviation values of all Blueback Herring females
 versus calendar week, plotted by year, in Lower Region sites of the
 Connecticut River. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which
 sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). *
 *region*: Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values
 LOWER and UPPER). * *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as an integer value. * *n_females*: Number of female individuals
 included in the sample, recorded as an integer value. * *GSI*: Mean
 gonadosomatic index of females in the sample, recorded as a decimal value.
 * *SD_gsi*: Standard deviation of the gonadosomatic index, recorded as a
 decimal value. --- ### **entries_figure_4B.csv** This dataset provides the
 values that are displayed in Figure 4B of the paper, which represents the
 gonosomatic index mean and standard deviation values of spawner Blueback
 Herring females versus calendar week, plotted by year, in Lower Region
 sites of the Connecticut River. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in
 which sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). *
 *region*: Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values
 LOWER and UPPER). * *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as an integer value. * *n_females*: Number of spawner female
 individuals included in the sample, recorded as an integer value. * *GSI*:
 Mean gonadosomatic index of spawner females in the sample, recorded as a
 decimal value. * *SD_gsi*: Standard deviation of the gonadosomatic index,
 recorded as a decimal value. --- ### **entries_fig_5.csv** This dataset
 provides the values that are displayed in Figure 5 of the paper, which
 represents five phenology metrics, as mean and standard error values of
 spawning week, plotted by year, in Lower Region sites of the Connecticut
 River. X axis locations represent different metrics of spawning activity,
 and estimates of mean week and SE are weighted differently for each: ‘all’
 by CPUE of all Blueback Herring, ‘females’ by CPUE of all females,
 ‘spawners’ by CPUE of females in spawning condition, ‘all ovaries’ by
 ovary mass of all females, and ‘spawner ovaries’ by ovary mass of females
 in spawning condition.. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which
 sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019, 2021). *
 *n_weeksall*: Number of weeks with data available for all individuals,
 recorded as an integer value. * *mean_week_all*: Mean week weighted by
 abundance of all individuals, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *se_date_all*: Standard error of the mean week weighted by abundance of
 all individuals, recorded as a decimal value. * *n_weeksallfem*: Number of
 weeks with data available for all female individuals, recorded as an
 integer value. * *mean_week_allfem*: Mean week weighted by abundance of
 all female individuals, recorded as a decimal value. * *se_date_allfem*:
 Standard error of the mean week weighted by abundance of all female
 individuals, recorded as a decimal value. * *n_weeks_spawnerfem*: Number
 of weeks with data available for spawning female individuals, recorded as
 an integer value. * *mean_week_spawnerfem*: Mean week weighted by
 abundance of spawning female individuals, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *se_date_spawnerfem*: Standard error of the mean week weighted by
 abundance of spawning female individuals, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *n_weeksallovary*: Number of weeks with ovary data available for all
 females, recorded as an integer value. * *mean_week_allovary*: Mean week
 of occurrence weighted by ovary data for all females, recorded as a
 decimal value. * *se_date_allovary*: Standard error of the mean week of
 occurrence weighted by ovary data for all females, recorded as a decimal
 value. * *n_weeksovary*: Number of weeks with ovary data available for
 spawning females, recorded as an integer value. *
 *mean_week_spawnerovary*: Mean week of occurrence weighted by ovary data
 for spawning females, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *se_date_spawnerovary*: Standard error of the mean week of occurrence
 weighted by ovary data for spawning females, recorded as a decimal value.
 --- ### **entries_for_table_1.csv** This dataset provides the values that
 are displayed in Table 1 of the paper, which represents weekly abundance
 of adult Blueback Herring at four sites in the Connecticut River over four
 years. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *region*: Sampling
 region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). *
 *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *week*: Week of the
 year in which sampling occurred, recorded as an integer value. * *cpue*:
 Catch per unit effort for the given station and week, recorded as a
 decimal value. * *sum_bbh*: Total count of individuals captured for the
 given station and week, recorded as an integer value. --- ###
 **entries_table_2_and_table_T3.csv** This dataset provides the values that
 are displayed in Table 2 and Supplementary Table T3 of the paper, which
 represent temporal change in sex ratio among adult Blueback Herring in
 four sites of the Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** *
 *year*: Calendar year associated with the model results, recorded as a
 four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *region*: Sampling region to which the
 model applies, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code for which the model was fit,
 recorded as an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River,
 FAR for Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield
 Cove). * *Parameter*: Model parameter name, recorded as text (values
 Intercept for the regression intercept, week for the slope). * *Estimate*:
 Estimated coefficient value for the model parameter, recorded as a numeric
 value. * *Standard Error*: Standard error of the parameter estimate,
 recorded as a decimal value. * *Wald Chi-Square*: Wald chi-square test
 statistic for the parameter, recorded as a decimal value. * *Pr &gt;
 ChiSq*: P-value associated with the Wald chi-square test, recorded as a
 decimal value or threshold notation (e.g., &lt;.0001). --- ###
 **sample_size_entries_table_2_and_table_T3.csv** This dataset provides
 additional values that are displayed in Table 2 and Supplementary Table T3
 of the paper, which represent temporal change in sex ratio among adult
 Blueback Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years.
 **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which sampling or analysis
 occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *region*:
 Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *N(weeks)*: Number of
 weeks included in the dataset for the given station and year, recorded as
 an integer value. * *N(observations)*: Total number of observations
 collected for the given station and year, recorded as an integer value.
 --- ### **entries_table_3.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Table 3 of the paper, which represents temporal change in
 reproductive status among female Blueback Herring in two sites of the
 Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year
 associated with the model results, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g.,
 2019). * *region*: Sampling region to which the model applies, recorded as
 an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling
 station code for which the model was fit, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *Parameter*: Model
 parameter name, recorded as text (values Intercept for the regression
 intercept, week for the slope). * *Estimate*: Estimated coefficient value
 for the model parameter, recorded as a numeric value that may be positive
 or negative. * *Standard Error*: Standard error of the parameter estimate,
 recorded as a decimal value. * *Wald Chi-Square*: Wald chi-square test
 statistic for the parameter, recorded as a decimal value. * *Pr &gt;
 ChiSq*: P-value associated with the Wald chi-square test, recorded as a
 decimal value or threshold notation (e.g., &lt;.0001). --- ###
 **sample_size_entries_table_3.csv** This dataset provides additional
 values that are displayed in Table 3 of the paper, which represents
 temporal change in reproductive status among female Blueback Herring in
 two sites of the Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** *
 *year*: Calendar year in which sampling or analysis occurred, recorded as
 a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *region*: Sampling region, recorded
 as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling
 station code, recorded as an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for
 Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for
 Wethersfield Cove). * *N(weeks)*: Number of weeks included in the dataset
 for the given station and year, recorded as an integer value. *
 *N(observations)*: Total number of observations collected for the given
 station and year, recorded as an integer value. --- ###
 **entries_Table_4_and_Table_T6.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Table 4 and Supplementary Table T6 of the paper, which
 represent temporal change in reproductive investment among female Blueback
 Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years.
 **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which the analysis was
 conducted, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *region*:
 Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *Intercept*: Estimated
 intercept value from the statistical model, recorded as a numeric value. *
 *seIntercept*: Standard error of the intercept estimate, recorded as a
 decimal value. * *tIntercept*: t-statistic associated with the intercept
 estimate, recorded as a numeric value. * *pIntercept*: P-value associated
 with the intercept t-statistic, recorded as a decimal value. * *week*:
 Estimated slope (effect) of week from the statistical model, recorded as a
 numeric value. * *seweek*: Standard error of the week effect estimate,
 recorded as a decimal value. * *tweek*: t-statistic associated with the
 week effect estimate, recorded as a numeric value. * *pweek*: P-value
 associated with the week effect t-statistic, recorded as a decimal value.
 * *nweeks*: Number of weeks included in the analysis for the given station
 and year, recorded as an integer value. * *nfemales*: Total number of
 female individuals included in the analysis, recorded as an integer value.
 --- ### **entries_Table_T5.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Supplementary Table T5 of the paper, which provides results
 of statistical modeling of temporal change in reproductive investment
 among female Blueback Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over
 four years.. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling region for the analysis,
 recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). * *Station*:
 Sampling station code where the data were collected, recorded as an
 uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *NAME*: Name of the response variable used in the analysis of variance,
 recorded as text (e.g., GSI). * *SOURCE*: Source of variation in the
 statistical model, recorded as text (e.g., ERROR, week, year, week*year).
 * *TYPE*: Type of sum of squares reported for the effect, recorded as text
 (e.g., ERROR, SS3). * *DF*: Degrees of freedom associated with the source
 of variation, recorded as an integer value. * *SS*: Sum of squares
 associated with the source of variation, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *F*: F-statistic for testing the effect, recorded as a decimal value;
 missing for error terms. * *PROB*: P-value associated with the
 F-statistic, recorded as a decimal value or missing indicator. --- ###
 **entries_table_5_and_table_T8.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Table 5 and Supplementary Table T8 of the paper, which
 represent temporal change in reproductive investment among spawning
 Blueback Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years.
 **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which the analysis was
 conducted, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019–2023). * *region*:
 Sampling region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and
 UPPER, UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an
 uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *Intercept*: Estimated intercept value from the statistical model,
 recorded as a numeric value; missing values (.) indicate the model was not
 fit due to insufficient data. * *seIntercept*: Standard error of the
 intercept estimate, recorded as a decimal value; missing values (.)
 indicate the model was not fit. * *tIntercept*: t-statistic associated
 with the intercept estimate, recorded as a numeric value; missing values
 (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *pIntercept*: P-value associated
 with the intercept t-statistic, recorded as a decimal value; missing
 values (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *week*: Estimated slope
 (effect) of week from the statistical model, recorded as a numeric value;
 missing values (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *seweek*: Standard
 error of the week effect estimate, recorded as a decimal value; missing
 values (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *tweek*: t-statistic
 associated with the week effect estimate, recorded as a numeric value;
 missing values (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *pweek*: P-value
 associated with the week effect t-statistic, recorded as a decimal value;
 missing values (.) indicate the model was not fit. * *nweeks*: Number of
 weeks included in the analysis for the given station, region, and year,
 recorded as an integer value. * *nspawners*: Total number of spawning
 individuals included in the analysis, recorded as an integer value. ---
 ### **entries_Table_T7.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Supplementary Table T7 of the paper, which provides results
 of statistical modeling of temporal change in reproductive investment
 among spawning Blueback Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River
 over four years.. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling region for the
 analysis, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER,
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code where the data were collected,
 recorded as an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River,
 FAR for Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield
 Cove). * *NAME*: Name of the response variable used in the analysis of
 variance, recorded as text (e.g., GSI). * *SOURCE*: Source of variation in
 the statistical model, recorded as text (e.g., ERROR, week, year,
 week*year). * *TYPE*: Type of sum of squares reported for the effect,
 recorded as text (e.g., ERROR, SS3). * *DF*: Degrees of freedom associated
 with the source of variation, recorded as an integer value. * *SS*: Sum of
 squares associated with the source of variation, recorded as a decimal
 value. * *F*: F-statistic for testing the effect, recorded as a decimal
 value; missing values (.) indicate error terms. * *PROB*: P-value
 associated with the F-statistic, recorded as a decimal value or missing
 indicator (.). --- ### **fem_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_1.csv**
 This dataset provides source data that are subjected to permutation
 resampling designed to test prediction 1 in Table 6 of the paper, that
 mean spawning date based on the abundance of all individuals is earlier
 than mean spawning date based on the abundance of females only.
 **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *week*: Week of the year
 in which sampling occurred, recorded as an integer value. * *Station*:
 Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text abbreviation (values
 CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES for Westfield River,
 WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *cpue*: Catch per unit effort for all
 individuals at the given station and week, recorded as a decimal value. *
 *fem_cpue*: Catch per unit effort for female individuals at the given
 station and week, recorded as a decimal value. --- ###
 **both_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_2.csv** This dataset provides
 source data that are subjected to permutation resampling designed to test
 prediction 2 in Table 6 of the paper, that mean spawning date based on the
 abundance of all females is later than mean spawning date based on the
 abundance of spawning females only. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year
 in which sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019).
 * *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred, recorded as an
 integer value. * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an
 uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *fem_cpue*: Catch per unit effort for female individuals at the given
 station and week, recorded as a decimal value. * *spawnerfem_cpue*: Catch
 per unit effort for spawning female individuals at the given station and
 week, recorded as a decimal value. --- ###
 **fem_cpue2_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_3.csv** This dataset provides
 source data that are subjected to permutation resampling designed to test
 prediction 3 in Table 6 of the paper, that mean spawning date based on the
 abundance of all females is later than mean spawning date based on the
 abundance of their ovary mass. **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year in
 which sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). *
 *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred, recorded as an
 integer value. * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an
 uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *fem_cpue*: Catch per unit effort for female individuals at the given
 station and week, recorded as a decimal value. * *ovary_cpue*: Catch per
 unit effort based on ovary data at the given station and week, recorded as
 a decimal value. --- ###
 **femovary_cpue3_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_4.csv** This dataset
 provides source data that are subjected to permutation resampling designed
 to test prediction 3 in Table 6 of the paper, that mean spawning date
 based on the abundance of all spawning females is later than mean spawning
 date based on the abundance of their ovary mass. **Variables:** * *year*:
 Calendar year in which sampling occurred, recorded as a four-digit integer
 (e.g., 2019). * *week*: Week of the year in which sampling occurred,
 recorded as an integer value. * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded
 as an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *fem_cpue*: Catch per unit effort for female individuals at the given
 station and week, recorded as a decimal value. * *spawnerovary_cpue*:
 Catch per unit effort for spawning individuals based on ovary data at the
 given station and week, recorded as a decimal value. --- ###
 **entries_table_T2.csv** This dataset provides values that are displayed
 in Supplementary Table T2 of the paper, which provides results of
 statistical modeling of temporal change in the relative abundance of
 Blueback Herring females in four sites of the Connecticut River over four
 years. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling region to which the model
 applies, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). *
 *Station*: Sampling station code for which the model was fit, recorded as
 an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *Parameter*: Model parameter or effect name, recorded as text (e.g.,
 Intercept, week, year, week*year). * *Estimate*: Estimated coefficient
 value for the model parameter, recorded as a numeric value; zero or
 missing values may indicate reference levels. * *Standard Error*: Standard
 error of the parameter estimate, recorded as a decimal value; missing
 values (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. * *Wald Chi-Square*: Wald
 chi-square test statistic associated with the parameter, recorded as a
 decimal value; missing values (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. * *Pr
 &gt; ChiSq*: P-value associated with the Wald chi-square test, recorded as
 a decimal value or threshold notation (e.g., &lt;.0001); missing values
 (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. --- ###
 **sample_size_entries_table_T2.csv** This dataset provides additional
 values that are displayed in Supplementary Table T2 of the paper which
 provides results of statistical modeling of temporal change in the
 relative abundance of Blueback Herring females in four sites of the
 Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling
 region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER,
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *N(weeks)*: Number of
 weeks included in the dataset for the given station and region, recorded
 as an integer value. * *N(observations)*: Total number of observations
 collected for the given station and region, recorded as an integer value.
 --- ### **entries_table_T4.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Supplementary Table T4 of the paper, which provides results
 of statistical modeling of temporal change in reproductive stage among
 female Blueback Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four
 years. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling region to which the model
 applies, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER). *
 *Station*: Sampling station code for which the model was fit, recorded as
 an uppercase text abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for
 Farmington River, WES for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). *
 *Parameter*: Model parameter or effect name, recorded as text (e.g.,
 Intercept, week, year, week*year). * *Estimate*: Estimated coefficient
 value for the model parameter, recorded as a numeric value; zero or
 missing values may indicate reference levels. * *Standard Error*: Standard
 error of the parameter estimate, recorded as a decimal value; missing
 values (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. * *Wald Chi-Square*: Wald
 chi-square test statistic associated with the parameter, recorded as a
 decimal value; missing values (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. * *Pr
 &gt; ChiSq*: P-value associated with the Wald chi-square test, recorded as
 a decimal value or threshold notation (e.g., &lt;.0001); missing values
 (.) indicate non-estimable parameters. --- ###
 **sample_size_entries_table_T4.csv** This dataset provides additional
 values that are displayed in Supplementary Table T4 of the paper, which
 provides results of statistical modeling of temporal change in
 reproductive stage among female Blueback Herring in four sites of the
 Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** * *region*: Sampling
 region, recorded as an uppercase text label (values LOWER and UPPER,
 UPPER). * *Station*: Sampling station code, recorded as an uppercase text
 abbreviation (values CHI for Chicopee River, FAR for Farmington River, WES
 for Westfield River, WET for Wethersfield Cove). * *N(weeks)*: Number of
 weeks included in the dataset for the given station and region, recorded
 as an integer value. * *N(observations)*: Total number of observations
 collected for the given station and region, recorded as an integer value.
 --- ### **entries_table_T9A.csv** This dataset provides values that are
 displayed in Supplementary Table T9A of the paper, which provides
 statistics on intercorrelations among four metrics of reproductive
 activity at two sites of the Connecticut River over four years.
 **Variables:** * *year*: Calendar year associated with the correlation
 results, recorded as a four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *NAME*: Name of
 the focal variable for the corresponding row in the correlation matrix,
 recorded as text (e.g., prop_female, prop_spawner, all_gsi). *
 *wet_prop_female*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 the proportion of females at the Wetherfield Cove station, recorded as a
 decimal value between −1 and 1. * *wet_prop_spawner*: Correlation
 coefficient between the focal variable and the proportion of spawners at
 the Wetherfield Cove station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and
 1. * *wet_all_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for all individuals at the Wethersfield
 Cove station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. *
 *wet_spawner_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for spawning individuals at the
 Wethersfield Cove station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. *
 *farprop_female*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 the proportion of females at the Farmington River station, recorded as a
 decimal value between −1 and 1. * *farprop_spawner*: Correlation
 coefficient between the focal variable and the proportion of spawners at
 the Farmington River station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and
 1. * *farall_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for all individuals at the Farmington River
 station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. * *farspawner_gsi*:
 Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and mean gonadosomatic
 index (GSI) for spawning individuals at the Farmington River station,
 recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. --- ###
 **entries_table_T9B.csv** This dataset provides values that are displayed
 in Supplementary Table T9B of the paper, which provides statistics on
 intercorrelations among four metrics of reproductive activity at two sites
 of the Connecticut River over four years. **Variables:** * *year*:
 Calendar year associated with the correlation results, recorded as a
 four-digit integer (e.g., 2019). * *NAME*: Name of the focal variable for
 the corresponding row in the correlation matrix, recorded as text (e.g.,
 prop_female, prop_spawner, all_gsi, spawner_gsi). * *wes_prop_female*:
 Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and the proportion of
 females at the Westfield River station, recorded as a decimal value
 between −1 and 1; missing values (.) indicate insufficient data. *
 *wes_prop_spawner*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 the proportion of spawners at the Westfield River station, recorded as a
 decimal value between −1 and 1; missing values (.) indicate insufficient
 data. * *wes_all_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable
 and mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for all individuals at the Westfield
 River station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1; missing
 values (.) indicate insufficient data. * *wes_spawner_gsi*: Correlation
 coefficient between the focal variable and mean gonadosomatic index (GSI)
 for spawning individuals at the Westfield River station, recorded as a
 decimal value between −1 and 1; missing values (.) indicate insufficient
 data. * *chiprop_female*: Correlation coefficient between the focal
 variable and the proportion of females at the Chicopee River station,
 recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. * *chiprop_spawner*:
 Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and the proportion of
 spawners at the Chicopee River station, recorded as a decimal value
 between −1 and 1. * *chiall_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the
 focal variable and mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for all individuals at
 the Chicopee River station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1.
 * *chispawner_gsi*: Correlation coefficient between the focal variable and
 mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) for spawning individuals at the Chicopee
 River station, recorded as a decimal value between −1 and 1. --- ##
 Code/Software ### **site map and inset.r** This script generated the map
 that is Figure 1 of the paper, showing the location of four sampled sites
 along the Connecticut River watershed. *Rstudio version*:* RStudio
 2026.01.0+392 "Apple Blossom" Release
 (49fbea7a09a468fc4d1993ca376fd5b971cb58e3, 2026-01-04) for windows
 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like
 Gecko) RStudio/2026.01.0+392 Chrome/140.0.7339.249 Electron/38.7.2
 Safari/537.36, Quarto 1.8.25 **Required R packages and their uses:** *
 dataRetrieval (version 2.7.17 or higher): Retrieval Functions for USGS and
 EPA Hydrology and Water Quality Data * dplyr (version 1.1.4 or higher) : A
 Grammar of Data Manipulation * ggplot2 (version 4.0.1 or higher) : Create
 Elegant Data Visualisations Using the Grammar of Graphics * ggspatial
 (version 1.1.9 or higher): Spatial Data Framework for ggplot2 * ggstar
 (version 1.0.4 or higher) : Multiple Geometric Shape Point Layer for
 'ggplot2' * lwgeom (version 0.2-14 or higher) : Bindings to
 Selected 'liblwgeom' Functions for Simple Features * maps
 (version 3.4.2.1 or higher) : Draw Geographical Maps * nhdplusTools
 (version 1.3.0 or higher) : NHDPlus Tools * rnaturalearth (version 1.0.1
 or higher) : World Map Data from Natural Earth * rnaturalearthdata
 (version 1.0.0 or higher) : World Vector Map Data from Natural Earth Used
 in 'rnaturalearth' * sf (version 1.0-19 or higher) : Simple
 Features for R --- ### **SAS_code_Figure_2.md** This file is a program in
 SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses dataset indiv_data to
 generate estimates that are presented in Figure 2 of the paper, which
 represents the proportion and standard deviation values of Blueback
 Herring that are female versus calendar week, plotted by year, in Lower
 Region sites of the Connecticut River. --- ### **SAS_code_Figure_3.md**
 This file is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses
 dataset indiv_data to generate estimates that are presented in Figure 3 of
 the paper, which represents the proportion and standard deviation values
 of Blueback Herring females that are spawning female versus calendar week,
 plotted by year, in Lower Region sites of the Connecticut River. --- ###
 **SAS_code_Figure_4.md** This file is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS
 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets indiv_data and dissection_data to
 generate estimates that are presented in Figure 4 of the paper, which
 represents the gonosomatic index mean and standard deviation values of all
 Blueback Herring females and of all spawner Blueback Herring females
 versus calendar week, plotted by year, in Lower Region sites of the
 Connecticut River. --- ### **SAS_code_Figure_5.md** This file is a program
 in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets run_data,
 indiv_data, and dissection_data to generate estimates that are presented
 in Figure 5 of the paper, which represents five phenology metrics, as mean
 and standard error values of spawning week, plotted by year, in Lower
 Region sites of the Connecticut River. --- ### **SAS_code_table_1.md**
 This file is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses
 dataset run_data to generate estimates that are presented in Table 1 of
 the paper, which represents weekly abundance of adult Blueback Herring at
 four sites in the Connecticut River over four years. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_Table_2_and_Table_T3.md** This file is a program in SAS for
 Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses dataset indiv_data to generate
 estimates that are presented in Table 2 and Supplementary Table T3 of the
 paper, which represent temporal change in sex ratio among adult Blueback
 Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years. --- ###
 **SAS_code_table_3.md** This file is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4
 TS Level 1M7. It uses dataset indiv_data to generate estimates that are
 presented in Table 3 of the paper, which represents temporal change in
 reproductive status among female Blueback Herring in two sites of the
 Connecticut River over four years. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_Table_4_and_Table_T5_and_table_T6.MD** This file is a
 program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets
 indiv_data and dissection.data to generate estimates that are presented in
 Table 4 and Supplementary Tables T5 and T6 of the paper, which represent
 temporal change in reproductive investment among female Blueback Herring
 in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years and results of
 statistical modeling of the change. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_Table_5_and_table_T7_and_table_T8.md** This file is a
 program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets
 indiv_data and dissection_data to generate estimates that are presented in
 Table 5 and Supplementary Tables T7 and T8 of the paper, which represent
 temporal change in reproductive investment among spawner female Blueback
 Herring in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years and results
 of statistical modeling of the change. --- ###
 **read_me_sas_macro_for_permutation_test.md** This text file provides
 information on how the permutation test of predictions in Table 6 of the
 paper was executed, using the macro utility in SAS. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_generating_source_data_table_6_prediction_1.md** This file
 is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the
 datasets run_data and indiv_data to generate the dataset
 fem_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_1 that is permuted for a
 randomization test of prediction 1 in Table 6 of the paper that mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of all individuals is earlier than
 mean spawning date based on the abundance of females only. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_6_prediction_1.md** This file is a program in SAS for
 Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets
 fem_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_1 to conduct a randomization test
 of prediction 1 in Table 6 of the paper that mean spawning date based on
 the abundance of all individuals is earlier than mean spawning date based
 on the abundance of females only. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_generating_source_data_table_6_prediction_2.md** This file
 is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the
 datasets run_data and indiv_data to generate the dataset
 both_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_2 that is permuted for a
 randomization test of prediction 2 in Table 6 of the paper that mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of all females is later than mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of spawning females only. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_6_prediction_2.md** This file is a program in SAS for
 Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses datasets
 both_cpue_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_2 to test prediction 2 in Table 6
 of the paper that mean spawning date based on the abundance of all females
 is later than mean spawning date based on the abundance of spawning
 females only to conduct a randomization test of prediction 1 in Table 6 of
 the paper that mean spawning date based on the abundance of all
 individuals is earlier than mean spawning date based on the abundance of
 females only. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_generating_source_data_table_6_prediction_3.md** This file
 is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the
 datasets run_data, indiv_data, and dissection_data to generate the dataset
 fem_cpue2_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_3 that is permuted for a
 randomization test of prediction 3 in Table 6 of the paper that mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of all females is later than mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of their ovary mass. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_6_prediction_3.md** This file is a program in SAS for
 Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses dataset
 fem_cpue2_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_3 to test prediction 3 in Table 6
 of the paper that mean spawning date based on the abundance of all females
 is later than mean spawning date based on the abundance of their ovary
 mass. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_generating_source_data_table_6_prediction_4.md** This file
 is a program in SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the
 datasets run_data, indiv_data, and dissection_data generate the dataset
 femovary_cpue3_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_4 that is permuted for a
 randomization test of prediction 4 in Table 6 of the paper that that mean
 spawning date based on the abundance of all spawning females is later than
 mean spawning date based on the abundance of their ovary mass. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_6_prediction_4.md** This file is a program in SAS for
 Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses dataset
 femovary_cpue3_dataset_for_table_6_prediction_4 to test prediction 3 in
 Table 6 of the paper that mean spawning date based on the abundance of all
 females is later than mean spawning date based on the abundance of their
 ovary mass. --- ### **SAS_code_for_table_T2.md** This file is a program in
 SAS for Windows, SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the dataset indiv_data to
 model temporal change in the relative abundance of Blueback Herring
 females in four sites of the Connecticut River over four years, results of
 which are presented in Supplementary Table T2 of the paper. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_T4.md** This file is a program in SAS for Windows,
 SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the dataset indiv_data to model temporal
 change in the reproductive stage of Blueback Herring females in four sites
 of the Connecticut River over four years, results of which are presented
 in Supplementary Table T4 of the paper. --- ###
 **SAS_code_for_table_T9.md** This file is a program in SAS for Windows,
 SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M7. It uses the dataset indiv_data and dissection_data
 to generate statistics on intercorrelations among four metrics of
 reproductive activity at four sites of the Connecticut River over four
 years, which are presented in Supplementary Table T9 of the paper. --- ##
 Contact Information For questions about this dataset or code, please
 contact*: Eric Schultz Email*:
 [eric.schultz@uconn.edu](mailto:eric.schultz@uconn.edu)