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Fisheries Reference Resources

Grzimeks Animal Life Encyclopedia: Fishes

Reference materials serve a variety of purposes and can sometimes be used effectively in searching the scientific literature. Reference materials can be used to:

Following are reference materials of interest to the fisheries scientist and manager. They are organized by category of reference material rather than subject. Resources marked with a are key resources or databases.

Literature Guides


Literature guides in general focus on the organization of research literature in a specific field and and commonly contain an annotated list of reference materials. Although there is no separate guide to fisheries literature, the following sections within larger works are useful. This research guide also functions as a literature guide.

  • "Commercial Fishing and Fisheries" IN Guide to Sources for Agriculture and Biological Research (Blanchard) 1981 (ref S 493 G85)
  • "Fish and Fisheries Literature Resources: An Annotated Bibliography." American Fisheries Society Transactions 100:403-422, 1971.
  • "Fishes" IN Guide to Reference and Information Sources in the Zoological Sciences (Schmidt) 2003 (ref QL 45.2 S35 2003) Includes sections on indexes and bibliographies; core journals; dictionaries and encyclopedias; checklists, taxonomics works and field guides; handbooks; key works by systematics and geography. Includes both print and Internet resources.
  • "Finding Literature and Reports" IN Fisheries Techniques (Nielsen & Johnson) 1983 (SH 332 F55)
  • Keyguide to Information Sources on Aquaculture (Turnbull) 1989 (ref SH 135 T82 1989)

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias


These resources provide definitions of discipline-specific terminology and/or general introductions to topics and concepts in fisheries. Many encyclopedias include references to important "primary" literature on a specific topic .

Directories


Directories are commonly alphabetical or subject listings of people, organizations, places, or animals. See also the Internet Directories/Portals/Gateways section.

Scientific Reviews


Scientific reviews or "state-of-the-art" papers critically survey a narrow topic in a discipline. Review papers identify and evaluate research which has appeared in the "primary" literature and include extensive bibliographies. Scientific reviews typically appear in annual publications entitled "Annual review of ..." or "Advances in ...", as well as in research journals, especially those which have "review" as part of the title. As part of a search strategy review papers are an excellent "research tool" to use since they pull together information on the existing state-of-knowledge on a specific topic.

There are several ways to locate scientific reviews:

  1. Many annual review series have cumulative indexes.
  2. Individual review papers are commonly indexes in databases listed in Articles and Databases: Fisheries. To find review papers use the keyword "review" as part of your search strategy.
  3. The "Annual Review of ..." publication series has a cumulative index which search all reviews from 1984 to the present.

Annual reviews of interest in fisheries include the following. Check the Journal and Newspaper Finder for format and holdings.

Bibliographies


Bibliographies are compiled lists which gather together known research on a specific topic. They are generally more useful for retrospective rather than current searching. There are many specialized bibliographies in fisheries. Fish and Fisheries Worldwide index lists over 3,000 fisheries bibliographies. Listed below are selected bibliographies which cover general subjects, species, or emphasize California and Pacific coast fisheries.

Comprehensive Works


Listed below are treatises that are authoritative compilations on the state of knowledge in various areas of fisheries and databases that contain extensive compilations of fisheries information.

Species Accounts/Life History Information


Species accounts include natural history and life history information on individual species. Topics frequently covered include description, taxonomy, distribution, life history, habitat, status, and management considerations.

  • California, Northeastern Pacific and Western United States
    • Biological Characteristics of Nearshore Fishes of California (Cailliet) 2000-2002. Report and database prepared by the California Department of Fish and Game that includes up to 87 life history parameters for 124 species of California nearshore fishes. An accompanying bibliography lists the 1200 references used to construct the database. This resource includes three major parts that are also available for downloading and installation on a local computer:
      • Final Report includes background information on the project.
      • Excel spreadsheet includes life history information for each species. The spreadsheet contains 32 separate worksheets that are arranged by family or species group. Within each worksheet species are listed alphabetically and the 87 life history parameters are in columns. The literature source for each life history parameter is listed at the bottom of each column.
      • Access Life History Database allows one to query and filter the database using specific life history parameters. This is a downloadable MS Access database.
    • California's Living Marine Resources: a Status Report (Leet, Dewees, Klingbeil, and Larson) 2001 (print copy available in ref SH 222 C1 C35 2001) Examines the current status of the state's commercial and recreational fisheries and provides population and biological information on more than 150 California marine animal and plant species. The status report was mandated under California legislation called the Marine Life Management Act of 1998 and prepared by over 125 scientists under the direction of the California Department of Fish and Game. Introductory chapters cover the marine environment, status of habitats, water quality issues, human ecosystem dimension, and marine law enforcement and regulation. Each 3-4 page species account covers history of the fishery, status of biological knowledge and status of the population. The status of some species is updated by Annual Status of the Fisheries Report through 2003. This is the fourth is a series of reports that address the status of California's marine life. Earlier reports are:
      • California Ocean Fisheries Resources to the Year 1960 (California Department of Fish and Game) 1961 (Cal Docs F 650 O3)
      • California's Living Marine Resources and Their Utilization (California Department of Fish and Game) 1971 (Cal Docs F 650 M347)
      • California's Living Marine Resources and Their Utilization (Leet, Dewees and Haugen) 1992 (SH 222.C3 C34 1992 )
    • California's Plants and Animals Species Account Search (California Department of Fish and Game. Habitat Conservation Planning Branch) Database includes accounts for California or Federal rare, threatened, or endangered species; and California species of special concern. Browse by broad group of organisms, e.g., fish; or search by common or scientific name. Species accounts are excerpted from other sources and frequently include links to additional sources of information.
    • Distribution and Abundance of Fishes and Invertebrates in West Coast Estuaries. Vol. I Data Summaries; Vol. II Species Life History Summaries (Monaco & Emmett) 1990-91 (QL 139 D58 1990) Presents information on the temporal and spatial distribution, relative abundance, and life history characteristics of 47 ecologically and economically important fishes and invertebrates in 32 estuaries along the contiguous west coast of the US. Volume I presents tabular data on species spatial distribution and relative abundance by salinity zone and life stage in each estuary; and species monthly temporal distribution by estuary. This same data is also available in the Estuarine Living Marine Resources ELMR) Database. Volume II contains 3-4 page life history summaries that emphasize occurence and distribution in estuaries. Topics covered include value, range, life mode, habitat, reproduction, growth and development, food and feeding, and biological interactions. Produced as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program.
    • The Early Stages of Fishes of the California Current Region (Moser) 1996 (CALCOFI Atlas #33) (ref QL 628 C2 E27 1996) Extensively illustrated taxonomic guide to the eggs and lavae of 467 fish species in 141 families that are found in the California Current region extending from the tip of Baja California to the northern California border. Morphological tables and illustrations are used as a basis for identification. Each family section includes basic information on the distribution, morphology, ecology and reproduction of adults followed by a section on general characteristics of lavae and eggs. Species descriptions include information and illustrations on meristics, life history, relevant literature, early life history description and morphometrics.
    • Ecological Characterization of the Central and Northern California Coastal Region (Jones & Stokes Associates) 1981 (QH 105 C2 E36 1980 Hum Co Coll) Five volume work in eight parts. Prepared for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management as a compilation and synthesis of existing information that can be used to evaluate potential ecological consequences of urban, industrial and commercial development in the area. The bibliography is intended to be a guide to additional environmental information. Vol. 2.2: Species - contains one page accounts for 200 plant and animal species that live within the central and northern California coastal region.
    • Ecology of Important Fisheries Species Offshore California (MBC Applied Environmental Sciences) 1987 (Docs I 72.12/2:86-0093) Contains 5-10 page species accounts on the biology and fisheries of 32 California fish and invertebrate species of commercial and recreational value. Prepared for the US Minerals Management Service as background information for decision making regarding offshore oil and gas development.
    • Fish Species of Special Concern in California (Moyle, Williams and Wilramanayake) 1995 (print copies available in ref QL 617.73 C2 M69 1995 and Cal Doc F660 S63) Contains three-page species accounts for 51 California freshwater or anadromous fish that need special protection or management. Accounts include information on description, taxonomy, distribution, habitat requirements, life history, status and range maps.
    • Fishes of the Great Basin: a Natural History (Sigler and Sigler) 1987 (QL 628 G73 S54 1987) The first section includes general chapters on Great Basin drainages, history of fishing, endangered species and a taxonomic key. The second section includes two-four page species accounts that cover importance, range, description, size and longevity, limiting factors, food and feeding, breeding habits, habitat and species preservation.
    • Fishes of Utah: A Natural History (Sigler and Sigler) 1996 (QL 628 U8 S5 1996) The first section includes general chapters on geology, biogeographic considerations and a taxonomic key. The second section includes two-four page species accounts that cover importance, range, description, size and longevity, limiting factors, food and feeding, breeding habits, habitat and management.
    • Inland Fishes of California (Moyle) 2002 (ref QL 628 C2 M68 2002) Authoritative work on the freshwater and anadromous fish of California that provides a taxonomic key, information on the ecology of California's six major drainages and species accounts for 132 fish species, both native and exotic. Each illustrated species account includes information on systematics, distribution, life history, status and management, and bibliographic references.
    • Native Trout of Western North America (Behnke) 1992 (QL 638 S2 B43 1992) Part I includes introductory chapters on trout classification, origin and distribution, and biology and management. Part II-IV contains 10 page species accounts that cover typcial characters, description, distribution, taxonomic notes, life history and ecology, status, and range maps.
  • Other Geographic Regions
    • NatureServe Explorer: an Online Encyclopedia of Life (NatureServe) Database containing conservation information on more than 65,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada. Search by common or scientific name. Each species or community includes information on conservation status, distribution, life history, and other conservation information.
    • Endangered Species Recovery Plans (US Fish & Wildlife Service) Includes over 700 final and revised recovery plans issued since 1989. These plans delineate actions required to recover and/or protect listed species. Each recovery plan includes extensive information on the distribution, habitat, ecology, life history, and population status as well as plans for recovery. See also the list of Threatened & Endangered Species with Final Recovery Plans.
    • Fishbase (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management) (cd-rom version is available in ref QL 614.7 F57) Major database that contains the equivalent of 20 encyclopedia volumes on the distribution, ecology, population dynamics, reproduction, genetics, morphology and physiology of 28,000 finfish species. The database includes 35,000 pictures and 32,000 references. One can search by common name, scientific name, by country, by ecosystem , by broad topic or from a glossary of subject keywords
    • Fisheries of North America: an Illustrated Guide to Commercial Species (Rodger) 2006 (ref SH 219 R57 2006) For the most commercially important fish and shellfish species in North America presents a two-page summary of market and scientific information, including scientific and common nomenclature, physical description, landings and value, commercial uses and life cycle.
    • Fisheries Synopsis This series contains comprehensive reviews of fisheries species of current or potential economic interest. Main headings usually are taxonomy, distribution, life history, population structure, exploitation, use, and management. Coordinated by FAO, they are published by various national governments.
      • FAO Fisheries Synopsis (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN) (SH 1 F875) Presently 45 species synopsis have been produced which are listed at the FAO Species Identification and Data Programme (SIDP) web site.
      • Fisheries Synopsis (Australia. CSIRO. Division of Fisheries and Oceanography) (QL 614 A8) A list is available of completed synopsis
      • Fisheries Synopsis (U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service), subseries within the Special Scientific Report: Fisheries (Docs C 55.13 NMFS SSRF) and NMFS Technical Report series (Docs C 55.13 NMFS)
    • Handbook of Freshwater Fishery Biology (Carlander) 1969-1997 (ref QL 625 C373) Major three volume set that compiles life history data and information on individual species of freshwater fish in the United States and Canada. Volume 1 includes data on the freshwater fishes of the United States and Canada, exclusive of the Perciformes (perch-like fish, the largest order of fish). Volume 2 treats the first part of the Perciformes, i.e., the Centrarchid fishes, the sunfish family. Volume 3 includes the rest of the Perciformes. For each species includes detailed tabular data for length, weights, weight-length relationships, total lengths, condition factors, daily growth, lengths and weights at various ages, and number of eggs per female. In addition it compiles information from the literature on population density, food, feeding behavior, reproduction, mortality, population distribution and behavior, environmental factors, and more. The text serves as an index to the literature for included species.
    • LarvalBase: Global Information System about FishLarvae (German Ministery for Economic Cooperation and Development) Database containing information on 1800 fish larvae. Should be used in conjunction with FishBase. Information provided includes basic taxonomic information, distribution, adult biology, and other topics relating to development and growth of eggs and larvae. The database includes 2500 pictures and 2000 literature references. One can search by common name, scientific name, or from a glossary of subject keywords. One can also search by general topic.
    • Life History and Harvest Summaries for Selected Invertebrate Species Occurring off the West Coast of North America Vol 1: Shelled Molluscs (Wolotira) 1989 (NOAA Technical Memo NMFS F/NWC-160) (Docs C 55.13/2: NMFS F/NWC-160); and Vol 2: Cephalopods & Crustacea (Wolotira) 1990 (NOAA Technical Memo NMFS F/NWC-183) (Docs C 55.13/2: NMFS F/NWC-183) These two volumes contain five-page species synopsis for 32 marine invertebates. Each account covers geographic range, habitat requirements, human utilization (commercial, recreational, and subsistence) management, migration and movements, population characteristics, growth and development, food and feeding, biological interactions and factors influencing populations.
    • Master Species File (Fish & Wildlife Information Exchange) Contains species profiles created by federal and state fish & wildlife agencies. Arranged by state and then by species.
    • Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (US Geological Survey) Contains species accounts for vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant species that have been introduced into the United States or species native to United States that have been introduced to drainages outside their native ranges. Speices accounts include common name, distribution maps, sources for identification, native range nonindigenous occurences, means of introduction, and status and impacts of introduction. Database can be queried by species, state, and drainage basin. The fish section has been published as Nonindigenous Fishes Introduced into Inland Waters of the United States (Fuller, Nico, & Williams) 1999 (ref QL 627 F86 1999) and contains species accounts for 536 taxa.
    • Pacific Salmon Life Histories (Groot & Margolis) 1991 (ref QL 638 S2 P34 1991) Authoritative 70-100 page life history accounts for the seven species of Pacific salmon.
    • Species Information Library (National Information Services Corporation) (ref QL 352 S67 1995--cd-rom) a cd-rom database which contains species profiles created by state and federal fish & wildlife agencies.
    • Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes & Invertebrates (US Fish & Wildlife Service) (Print copies also available in Docs I 49.89/2:82) A series of 10-20 page species profiles for 126 species compiled during the 1980s which describe the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic organisms along the coasts of the United States.
    • Species Synopsis: Life Histories of Selected Fish and Shellfish of the Northeast Pacific and Bering Sea (Wilimousky) 1988 (QL 623.4 S64 1988) 15 page species accounts for six species--Northern Pink Shrimp, Pacific Sand Lance, Pacific Herring, Walleye Pollock, Market Squid, and Pacific Halibut.

Taxonomic Works


Two older guides to taxonomic works are the "Pisces" section IN Guide to Taxonomic Literature of Vertebrates (Blackwelder) 1972 (ref QL 607 B53) and Annotated List of Keys and Identification Aids for California Marine Fishes (Fitch) 1966 (ref QL 623.4 F58).

  • Monographs and Keys
    • Catalog of the Species of Fishes (Eschmeyer) 1998 (print copy also available in ref QL 618 C38 1998) First treatment of all described fishes since Linnaeus in 1758; contains 53,500 described species and subspecies of fishes.
    • Classification of Fishes, both Recent and Fossil (Berg) 1947 (QL 618 B4) Classic work on fish taxonomy.
    • The Early Stages of Fishes of the California Current Region (Moser) 1996 (CALCOFI Atlas #33) (ref QL 628 C2 E27 1996) Extensively illustrated taxonomic guide to the eggs and lavae of 467 fish species in 141 families that are found in the California Current region extending from the tip of Baja California to the northern California border. Morphological tables and illustrations are used as a basis for identification. Each family section includes basic information on the distribution, morphology, ecology and reproduction of adults followed by a section on general characteristics of lavae and eggs. Species descriptions include information and illustrations on meristics, life history, relevant literature, early life history description and morphometrics.
    • FAO Species Catalogue (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (FAO Fisheries Synopsis #125) (print copies also available in SH 1 F875#125) Series of annotated and illustrated catalogs of major groups of marine organisms important in marine fisheries, e.g., gadiform fishes, groupers, sharks. Keys are given to species. Each species entry includes information on nomenclature, diagnostic features, geographical distribution, habitat & biology, size, and interest to fisheries.
    • Fishes of the World (Nelson) 1994 (ref QL 618 N4 1994) Systematic description of fish orders, families and subfamilies. Most accounts include a line drawing, description, distribution, list of genera, and references to relevant taxonomic literature.
    • Fishes of the World; A Key to Families and a Checklist (Lindberg) 1974 (ref QL 618 L5513)
    • Freshwater Fish Distribution (Berra) 2001 (ref QL 624 B47 2001) Includes details on the classification, identification and distribution of 170 families of fish. For each family includes a worldwide distribution map.
    • Freshwater Fishes of the World (Sterba) 1962 (ref QL 624 S713 1966)
    • The Genera of Fishes, and A Classification of Fishes (Jordan) 1963 (QL 618 J73) Reprint of Jordan's two classic works published between 1917 and 1923. The reprint edition includes a comprehensive index.
    • Inland Fishes of California (Moyle) 2002 (ref QL 628 C2 M68 2002) Authoritative work on the freshwater and anadromous fish of California that provides a taxonomic key, information on the ecology of California's six major drainages and species accounts for 132 fish species, both native and exotic. Each illustrated species account includes information on systematics, distribution, life history, status and management, and bibliographic references.
    • Pacific Fishes of Canada (Hart) 1973 (Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin #180) (SH 223 A344 #180)
    • Parasites of North American Freshwater Fishes (Hoffman) 1999 (SH 175 H6 1999)
    • Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms (Parker) 1982 (ref QH 83 S89)
  • Checklists
    • Annotated Checklists of Fishes (California Academy of Sciences) Ongoing journal that attempts to provide the most up-to-date taxonomic treatment of each family of Recent fishes. Experts in a taxonomic group use information from the Catalog of Fishes database maintained by the academy along with their own records to identify available scientific names that have not yet been assigned as valid names or synonyms. The checklists are available as pdf files and are organized sequentially, phylogenetically and alphabetically.
    • Resource Inventory of Marine and Estuarine Fishes of the West Coast and Alaska: a Checklist of North Pacific and Arctic Ocean Species from Baja California to the Alaska - Yukon Border (Love, Mecklenburg, Mecklenburg and Thornsteinson) 2005 Covers 1,450l fish species ever observed in the marine and estuarine waters from the U. S. - Canadian border in the Beaufort Sea to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California and out perhaps 200 miles. Data included for each species includes common name, maximum size, geographic range,depth range and appropriate references. Browse by family.
    • Checklist of Parasites of California, Oregon, and Washington Marine and Estuarine Fishes (Love and Moser) 1983 (Love) 1983 (Docs C55.13 NMFS SSRF 777) (NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF.777) Summary of published records of parasites found in marine and estuarine fishes of California, Oregon and Washington. Includes host-parasite and parasite-host lists.
    • Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States and Canada (American Fisheries Society) 1991 (ref QL 618 A48 1991)
    • Dictionary of Fish Names in Nine Languages (Jonsson) Includes scientific and common names
    • "Native Freshwater Fishes of North America" (Mayden, Burr, Page, & Miller) IN Systematics, Historical Ecology and North American Freshwater Fishes (Mayden) 1992 (QL 625 S87 1992)
    • World Fishes Important to North Americans (American Fisheries Society) 1991 (ref QL 618 W67 1991) Lists standardized common and scientific names of all species not native to North America.
  • Field Guides
    • International Field Guides (Schmidt) Includes annotations for over 5500 field guides covering plants, animals, rocks, minerals, astronomy and weather. Browse by broad taxonomic category or search by keyword.
    • Field Guides (eNature.com) Identification guide to 5,500 plant and animal species in North America derived from 35 Audubon Society field guides. Each species entry includes a large thumbnail image, description, habitat, range and varying additional information depending upon the species, e.g., an audio file. Select from 13 major groups of organisms (e.g., mammals, amphibians, fishes, trees, etc.) Within each group browse by broad types of organisms in the group; search by scientific or common name; or conduct an advanced search by size, color, habitat, region, and other options unique to each each group.
    • Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales and Dolphin (Boschung, Williams, Gotshell, & Others) 1983 (QL 625 A93 1983.
    • Deep-Water Fishes of California (Fitch & Lavenberg) 1968 (QL 628 C2 F5)
    • Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America (Robins & Ray) 1986 (QL 621.5 R63 1986)
    • Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes, North America North of Mexico (Page & Burn) 1991 (ref QL 627 P34 1991)
    • Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California (Eschmeyer & Herald) 1983 (ref QL 623.4 E83 1983) Identifies over 500 species of fish found along the Pacific Coast. Arranged in systematic order with color and black-and-white illustrations of fish in a separate section.
    • Freshwater Fishes of California (McGinnis) 1984 (QL 628 C2 M37 1984)
    • Guide to the Coastal Marine Fishes of California (Miller & Lea) 1972 (Fish Bulletin #157)(print copy available in Cal Doc F 650 F5 #157) Identification guide to the 554 fish found in California marine waters.
    • Guide to the Fishes of Humboldt Bay (Fritzsche and Cavanagh) Provides a brief description of the fishes that have been recorded from Humboldt Bay and is intended to be an identification guide to those fishes. The fishes are presented in phylogenetic order. Scientific and common names are given for each species along with diagnostic characteristics, life history notes, distribution within the bay, geographic range, approximate maximum size, and color photograph if available.
    • Laboratory Guide to the Early Life History Stages of Northeast Pacific Fishes (Matarese and others) 1989 (Docs C 55.13 NMFS 80) Laboratory guide presents taxonomic information on eggs and larvae of fishes of the northeast Pacific Ocean (north of California) and the eastern Bering Sea.
    • Tidepool and Nearshore Fishes of California (Fitch & Lavenberg) 1975 (QL 628 C2 F55)

Handbooks and Manuals


Handbooks and manuals typically fall into two basic categories--1) works that contain data and descriptive information compiled from the "primary" literature and organized into tables or expository articles that can be used to answer many basic and factual questions; and 2) works that contain procedures for experimental analysis in the field or laboratory. Fisheries Techniques (Murphy & Willis) 1996 (SH 332 F575 1996) is the major resource to techniques used in fisheries.

Laws and Regulations

Environmental Reviews, Assessments, & Plans


Environmental reviews contain analysis of environmental issues and frequently contain statistical data. For more encompassing reviews see the Environmental Reviews listed in the HSU Library Environmental Science research guide. Reviews, assessments, and plans specific to fisheries include:

Geospatial Resources: Atlases, Maps, GIS, Imagery, Telemetry


See also Geospatial Resources (HSU Library) for a categorized list of print and digital geospatial resources available in the HSU Library or on the Internet. Some geospatial resources of special interest to fisheries include:

  • California --See California Maps - Wildlife - General and California Maps - Wildlife - Fish
  • Other Locations
    • Alaska's Fisheries Atlas (Alaska Department of Fish & Game) 1978 (atlas G 1531 L2 A5)
    • Atlas and Zoography of Common Fishes in the Bering Sea and Northeastern Pacific (Allen & Smith) 1988 (NOAA Technical Report NMFS 66) (Docs C 55.13:NMFS66) Covers 124 fish species from the northeastern Pacific. Each species account includes a distribution map with depth information; brief survey of the literature reporting on distribution; and conclusions on zoogeography, life zone, range and depth.
    • Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes (Lee, Gilbert, Hocatt & Others) 1980 (ref QL 625 A84)
    • Atlas of Oregon's Wild Forests (Oregon Natural Resources Council) Text and maps characterize the remaining 5 million areas of forests available for wilderness designation.
    • Atlas of Tuna and Billfish Catches (Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
    • East Coast of North America Strategic Assessment Project Groundfish Atlas (US National Marine Fisheries Service and Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans) Includes distribution maps for 99 groundfish species off the east coast of North America.
    • Ecological Inventory Map Series (US Fish and Wildlife Service) 1980-1982 (Docs I 49.6/5: Ec7) On a 1:250,000 USGS map base the distribution of fish, wildlife, and plant species along the coastal areas of the conterminous 48 states are depicted. Species with special status are shown in red. Some land use and land cover designations are also shown. There are a total of 79 maps issued in four series: Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Lower Mississippi Basin, and Pacific Coast. Each series includes an accompanying "Users Guide and Informative Base" report that provides detailed explanations and additional technical information about the ecological data plotted on the maps.
    • ESA Listing Maps (US National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region) Includes range-wide and detailed "evolutionary significant unit" maps and GIS data layers for marine and anadromous fishes under the Endangered Species Act.
    • Freshwater Fish Distribution (Berra) 2001 (ref QL 624 B47 2001) Includes details on the classification, identification and distribution of 170 families of fish. For each family includes a worldwide distribution map.
    • Streamnet Maps (Streamnet) - view preexisting maps and generate custom maps on Pacific Northwest fish species

Software

Images and Sounds


One can use a combination of general and specialized Internet search engines to find images on the web. See Images for a list of specialized search engines. However, search engines fail to index the content of the "invisible web", especially information contained within databases. The following sources are either specialized databases or sites devoted to images or sounds in fisheries.

  • American Field Guide (Oregon Public Broadcasting and PBS) Includes over 1400 videos on the American environment produced by 30 PBS stations. Search by keyword or browse by one of the broad categories--animals, ecosystems, human history, livelihoods, earth and space, plants, public policy and recreation.
  • Fish Pics Database (UC Santa Barbara. Marine Science Institute) Contains photos of Pacific Coast fishes from Alaska to Baja California.
  • FishBase. Included within the database are over 20,000 photos and sketches of fish.
  • Freshwater and Marine Image Bank (University of Washington Libraries) 18th and 19th century digital collection of images related to freshwater and marine topics.
  • National Image Library (US Fish & Wildlife Service) Contains copyright free pictures of fish and wildlife, environmental scenes, and conservation issues.
  • Pictures/Images (US Fish & Wildlife Service) Contains links to pictures and images of fish and wildlife.

Statistical & Data Compilations


The following sources are useful guides to locating statistics:

  • LexisNexis Statistical (formerly Statistical Universe) (HSU Users only) (print American Statistics Index 1974-2000 available at Documents Index Table) Detailed index to statistical data published by federal agencies. Online version includes selective fulltext of the statistical tables.
  • Guide to Sources for Fisheries Statistics (University of Washington Fisheries-Oceanography Library) Guide to print resources in the University of Washington Fisheries and Oceanography library and to Internet resources that include statistics at international, United States, regional and state/provincal levels.

Some print data compilations available in the HSU Library and on the Internet include: