Methods: Note that methods varied by year and recording of the specific methods is sometimes sparse.

1986- The fish were captured from Toolik Lake using a 5-panel experimental gill net (panel size 19 mm, 38 mm, 64 mm, 89 mm and 114 mm). The 1986 data is a replication of the previous (1978) Fish and Game gill net survey.
 
1987- This is a duplication of the 1978 sculpin study.  Basically, three sets of three sculpin traps each at four different habitats of the lake were set for two days.  Each trap was made up of a mason jar with a funnel in the mouth. The .5 meter habitat was rocky, 1.5 m was rocky, 5 m was near the rock - mud interface, and 7 m was all mud.
The various species of fish were removed from lake I6 using a five-panel experimental gill net (mesh sizes of 3/4, 1, 1 1/2, 2, and 2 1/2 inches).
In NE15 fish were captured from lake NE15 using five-panel experimental gill nets
 
1988- The fish from 1988 were caught on conventional hook and line gear.
Only lake trout were captured from Lake NE14 using experimental gill nets.  The nets were in the water for six days in 1986 (13 August to 19 August), four days in 1987 (3 Aug. to 7 Aug.), and six days in 1989 (23 June to 26 June, and 2 July to 5 July). All fish were sacrificed.
Sculpins were captured using canning jars with acetate funnels inserted in them (similar in design to some minnow traps).  The sculpin traps were set by boat and placed on the bottom of the lake in a specific habitat (inshore, rocky, rock-mud interface, and mud bottom).  (Roughly) every three days the traps were retrieved and the sculpins, if any, were removed.  The ages of the fish were determined by counting the rings in their otoliths.
 
1989- The various species of fish were removed from Toolik Lake using experimental gill nets or hook and line gear.  The type of gear is noted in the data file. When using gill nets, the nets were in the water during the time noted in the "comments" column.  Hook and line captures were usually measured, tagged, then released, although some sport fishing was encountered.  These sport catches were measured and as much data was recorded as possible from the fish before they were eaten or iced by the fisherman.
The various species of fish were removed from Lake S6 using conventional hook and line techniques. The species, lengths, weight, and sometimes the sex of each fish was recorded.
Notes: There were two kinds of tag being used: the "juvenile tags" which need to be tied to the fish's dorsal fin, and the "LTER" tags, which are anchored in the flesh with a
plastic gun (similar to the ones used on the grayling in the Kuparuk River). There is also one fish that was caught from S7 that was tagged the previous year from S6.  This is also noted in the comments column of the data file.

Protocol for Lake S6 data in 1989 and 1988: Sculpins were captured using canning jars with acetate funnels inserted in them (similar in design to some minnow traps).  The sculpin traps were set by raft and placed on the bottom of the lake in a specific habitat (inshore, rocky, rock-mud interface, and mud bottom).  (Roughly) every three days the traps were retrieved and the sculpins, if any, were removed.  The ages of the fish were determined by counting the rings in their otoliths. This file describes the sculpins that were captured from Lake S-6 during the summers of 1988 and 1989.  The weights, lengths, and ages of the fish are included in the file.  This data is part of Kristi's masters research under Anne Hershey. Note that some date information is missing.
 
1990- The various species of fish were removed from Toolik using conventional hook and line
techniques. 
 
1991-2009- The various species of fish were removed from the lakes using conventional hook and line techniques.  After the fish were tagged, the species, lengths, and weights of  each fish were recorded.  If gillnets were used, the nets were of the "experimental" type and typically set perpendicular from shore.
 
Notes: In the "Toolik Locale" column, the number (.5, 1.5, 5, or 7) refers to the depth in meters that the traps were set in.  The letter (A, B, or C) refers to which jar in the series of three per depth that the data came from.
 
Grayling = Grayling (Thymallus arcticus)
L. Trout = Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
Char = Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus)
Sculpin = Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus)
White fish = Round White fish (Prosopium cylindraceum)
Burbot = Burbot (Lota lota)
 
The following information is available for all years of data collection contained in this file (1986 to 2009):
Site (LTER site #), Date of capture, Fish ID number, Lake name, Species, total length of fish, fork length, standard length , mass, tag #, recapture number, comments and sampling method.
 
Additionally the following categories were collected in the indicated years:
1986-1999: Noted if Otolith collected, stomach contents collected, sex of fish, maturity of fish
1986-1995 (not including 1991): noted if gonads were collected and weight
1986-1989: Noted if pectoral fins were taken, age of the fish, total otolith radius, distance our to annuli from previous annuli, if fins were clipped, locality where fish was caught and if scales were removed.