The objective of this study was to validate the use of fin ray strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr:⁸⁶Sr) via laser ablation (LA) to resolve fine-scale movement patterns in sturgeons (Acipenseridae) during freshwater rearing in early life stages. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which juvenile White Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus were exposed to two water sources exhibiting distinctive ⁸⁷Sr:⁸⁶Sr isotope values (American River and Putah Creek, California) over weekly time periods to understand how water exposure histories are archived in pectoral fin rays….Read more

Biological data collection and processing involves numerous steps, is time consuming, and is error prone. We developed the Voice Data Recording System (VDRS) that eliminates multiple steps in the traditional process by integrating voice recognition software with a normalized, relational database to capture data onto a laptop computer. We compared traditional and VDRS methods and report efficiency and error rates based on Lake Superior Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush survey data collected during 2000–2016. Efficiency was measured by data collection rate and processing duration….Read more

This site is a companion for the AFS book Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes. Increasingly biologists are adopting these methods so they will be able to compare their data to those collected by other organizations, in other regions, or across time. Read more information about standard sampling in general and how these techniques were developed; comment on specific techniques so those working on future editions can incorporate your ideas; compare your fish data to North American, ecoregion, state, and provincial averages and percentiles; and catch up on the latest research on the validation or “ground truthing” of specific standard methods.