F ISH D ATA I NTERN (FDI) T RAINING 2014

Overview What is the Marine Science Institute? Our Flagship the R/V Robert G. Brownlee Typical Discovery Voyage (DV) Fish Data Collection

Marine Science Institute (MSI)

R/V Robert G. Brownlee

Typical Discovery Voyage Benthic StationBenthic Station 1 Plankton StationPlankton Station 2 Hydrology StationHydrology Station 3 Ichthyology StationIchthyology Station 4

Benthic Station

Chinese Mitten Crab

Plankton/Hydrology Station

Ichthyology Station

F ISH D ATA C OLLECTION

Overview Preparing for your voyage – Before boarding the ship Arriving at MSI – Boarding the ship protocol Fish Station – Set up and preparing for trawls Data Set-up – Recording data Final Steps – Cleaning up and departure

Before you the leave your house Closed-toed shoes are mandatory! Dress in layers Sunblock and a hat are highly recommended Bring water and/or a snack if you wish There is always water available onboard

Upon arriving at MSI… Get to MSI at least 15 minutes before departure Check in/sign in –Volunteer binder in office Pick out and put on the lifejacket of your fancy BUCKLE UP the lifejacket, and head to the boat

First Trip Out Congratulations! Please sit inside the classroom with the students and listen attentively to the introduction and safety instructions When the students are excused to roam around the boat, feel free to do a little roaming yourself

All Trips Out Introduce yourself to the instructors if you haven’t already Go say hi to Captains Jackson or Steve Please be in the wheelhouse, in the classroom, or upstairs at the picnic tables when we are docking or undocking for safety No bananas on the boat

The Fish Station

Preparing for a Trawl As the kids are lining up to pull in the net, fill four buckets with water and set a big net on top for the instructor Step back and let the instructor get the net on board, the fish in the tank, and the kids working on their buckets

Stay out of the way of the instructors until needed Do not interrupt the Instructors while they are teaching Do not interrupt the stations Do not distract students Refrain from foul/rude language Please be Courteous

D ATA S ET -U P

2 Buckets 1 Measuring board 2 Ruler/measuring tape 3 White Board/Slate 4 Pencil 5 Fish Data Collection

Recording Data ~ step 1 Identify the fish you have using the key If you have a question, set the fish aside and ask an instructor or the Captain If you can’t figure out what you’ve got, take a lot of pictures of it, measure it, and record it in the computer as a “new species” Note the trawl number and let Tiff or Karen know immediately

Recording Data ~ step 2 Choose the best instrument for measuring the fish in question Measuring tape for large fish, sharks or rays Handheld ruler for very small fish Measuring tray for everyone else

Recording Data ~ step 3 Measure the fish’s standard length This is from the tip of their nose to the end of their caudal peduncle We always measure in millimeters Round the length up to the nearest 5 mm

What is this fish’s length?

It would be recorded as 70mm

Recording Data ~ step 4 Record the following on your slate: – Species – Size – Running tally of the number of fish in each size class – The instructor and trawl number! – Hydrology data Lines and grids are not necessary- just be sure someone else could read your writing.

Catch, measure, record, repeat Measure and record all the fish in the trawl in front of you Before the next trawl is brought on board, have the touch tank cleared out of fish

Remember the stragglers! The instructors may have taken fish from the trawl for the students. Remember to measure and record those fish too after they are released to you

Recording Data ~ step 5 Bring your slate(s) up to the wheelhouse and turn on the computer For each trawl, enter both the fish data you’ve recorded and the voyage specifics given to you by the captain into the Volunteer Fish Database If you had a unidentified fish, remember to enter it as New Species and note the trawl ID number for reference

SPECIFICS We measure the first 50 of a species, then we count the rest Measure and record both the living and the dead fish. Half fish or bits of fish are not measured The sharks, skates, and rays get their gender recorded as well as their length This is done for each and every trawl

Fish Comfort and Handling Put and keep water on any surface the fish will be in contact with, especially the measuring tray Try to measure and release the active fish, like anchovies and surfperch quickly Remember to change out the water in the fish buckets regularly – This is critical when the weather is warm! NO THUMBS! Be gentle and patient with the fish For cleanliness’ sake, keep shrimp out of the fish measuring buckets Empty buckets often, hungry birds might become daring

What do you do if there are still unmeasured fish and the next trawl is being hauled onboard? Don’t panic. Get the remaining fish into buckets and keep going You may not get to every trawl and that’s ok Always complete the trawl you’re working on

Safety Never attempt to hold Sharks or Rays Do not put your hands in the center fish tank on the ship – Only fill buckets from port or starboard side tanks Keep hands clear of ship equipment and lines While ship is un-docking/docking please remain on the sun deck, in the wheel house or in the main classroom Work vest must always be buckled No glass bottles on boat

Final Steps Save the data Put away the computer Check the fish station, make sure all pertinent fish data items have been put away – Clean off the slates for the next voyage See if boat staff need help with anything Prepare to disembark the ship Put work vest away in life jacket locker

Q UESTIONS ?

T HANK YOU ! W E HOPE TO SEE YOU OUT ON THE B ROWNLEE OFTEN. Marine Science Institute ~ ~ 500 Discovery Parkway ~ Redwood City, CA ~ ~ (650)

Set up white boards/slates Break into groups Identify fish/measure/record Rotate groups thru each fish bucket Compare notes and point out mistakes Clean up, put fish data stuff back on ship, put fish in aquarium (leave them in the buckets) Practice Fish Data