Submitting FMIS Data

All collected fisheries and fish habitat data are to be entered into the standard FMIS loadforms (download link below) and submitted via email to the regional SRD Fisheries biologist for the area in which the data was collected and/or who issued the Fish Research Licence (FRL).

FMIS Loadform	The FMIS Loadform is a Microsoft Excel workbook consisting of worksheets (loadforms), which are the standard for fish sampling data submission to FMIS.
FMIS Example Loadforms	The Example Loadforms workbook provides brief explanations and loadform examples.
FMIS Loadform Users Manual	The Users Manual provides detailed step-by-step explanations to help when submitting fisheries information to FMIS.

If your survey type is unique and does not fit the methodologies found within the above loadform, contact Lauren.Makowecki@gov.ab.ca for an appropriate FMIS loadform.

NOTE! Failure to submit results in an approved format to FMIS can be cause for rejection of subsequent Fish Research Licence applications.

Quick Tips for completing FMIS loadforms

The FMIS loadform is an Excel workbook consisting of a Project Description worksheet, and various inventory type specific data worksheets which are to be filled out for submission. There is also a species code worksheet for reference.

Project Description worksheet

The following fields are mandatory and must be completed on the Project Description worksheet: 

• samplers names - first and last names
• sampler organization - no acronyms
• brief description of the project - who conducted the sampling and where, when and why was the sampling conducted.

Inventory Data worksheets

The following fields are mandatory and must be completed on the Inventory Data worksheets: 

• Waterbody name - official or a local common name
• Activity Date (dd-mmm-yyyy)
• Locations - accurate locations are fundamental and field data must be linked to correct UTM coordinates obtained through GPS or derived from GIS.  Please use NAD83.

Parent Lines – The first row of information for each sampling event is called a "parent line" and it includes the waterbody name, a date, sampling technique info fields, up to and including the location fields. A new parent line is required whenever the waterbody, location, or any part of the sampling technique changes. Any species counts or fish measurements are to be associated with a single parent line. It is not necessary to repeat the parent line for every row of counts or measurements. When loading, FMIS associates all the data in the rows following the parent line with the information in the parent line. Please see Users Manual and Example Loadforms for more information.

Also:

• Waterbody IDs - these do not have to be entered, unless previously known, as these are FMIS specific and can be determined by Fish & Wildlife staff.
• Sampling sessions where no fish were caught should be recorded and submitted. The parent line information is entered in the same manner as if fish were caught but the species count fields are left blank. The text "No fish caught." should be entered in the survey notes field.
• It's a good idea to download a new loadform for every new submission as the loadforms are continually being updated. You will also avoid problems like corrupting the worksheets by copying over old data or unintentionally submitting already previously submitted data.

Requesting FMIS Data

Request FMIS data by email:

Request data by sending an email to the appropriate Fish and Wildlife representative for the area for which the data is being requested. Please refer to the referral contact map. Government of Alberta email address format is ‘FirstName.LastName@gov.ab.ca'.

Please include in the email:

1.	Description of the purpose of data use.
	Briefly explain the purpose of the data request, how the data will be used, and who the end users of the data will be.
2.	FMIS Data Sharing Agreement attachment with a statement of acceptance.
	Read and attach a copy of the FMIS Data Sharing Agreement , stating that you accept the conditions of the agreement, i.e. “I accept and agree to all conditions as per the FMIS Data Sharing Agreement (attached)”. The FMIS Data Sharing Agreement is the guiding document for the use and distribution of data distributed to non-Fish and Wildlife Staff. Data stored in FMIS is intended to support appropriate conservation and management of Alberta’s fisheries.

Information Regarding FMIS Data Requests

FMIS is intended to support the conservation and management of Alberta 's fisheries. Therefore, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act provides that Government may refuse to disclose information that could reasonably be expected to result in inappropriate use.

• FMIS data will be provided only for a single use and for a described purpose.
• Measures are taken to secure the locations of particularly sensitive species to protect wildlife, their habitat, and stakeholders.
• Source credits, acknowledging original collectors of the data, will be provided with any data distributed from FMIS. All end users of the data must cite these credits as per the FMIS Data Sharing Agreement.