Hooking Into Fish Facts: Internet Resources in Marine Fisheries

Library Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs)

Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Library

The MBL, with greater than a century of history, houses one of the largest marine and biomedical library collections in the world. The library provides collection access and services to five local research institutions. The Mariner online catalog, supported by Endeavor software, allows searchable access to over 200,000 volumes, including more than 5,000 serial publication titles. The online catalog also provides access to the MBL Special Collections, the WHOI Archives, the WHOI Data and Document Libraries, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Library and a large image collection of scientific instruments, fish, and ALVIN dive images. One nice attribute of this system is that records are hot-linked to electronic resources where available.
Access: {http://www.mblwhoilibrary.org/}

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Central Library

The NOAA Central Library offers a web site that allows searchable access to a special Photo Collection, the NOAA Library and Information Network, links to other NOAA offices, international information programs and other WWW resources. In addition, the Sirsi software supported online catalog allows a user to search the holdings of all or one of the 26 NOAA libraries throughout the United States, representing a vast amount of fisheries related reports, serials and monographs.
Access: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/

Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), University of Miami

The RSMAS Library has a major marine science collection and is especially strong in the literature of tropical oceanography specific of Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America. It serves the research and teaching needs of the faculty, students and staff of the University of Miami system and other research facilities on Virginia Key. The Library's holdings include more than 65,00 bound volumes of monographs, annuals and serials. Electronic access to the Integrated Bibliographic Information System (IBIS), which includes holdings in the RSMAS Library, Richter Library and Music Library, is available through TELNET -- stacks.library.miami.edu. To find items in the RSMAS Library, execute a search, limit (L) the search to where (W) item is located, choose marine (M) and find (F) items with above limits.
Access: {http://www.library.miami.edu/rsmaslib/}

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)

The SIO Library is one of the largest marine science libraries in the world and part of the University of California, San Diego. Besides fisheries, the collection emphasizes oceanography, marine biology, marine geology, marine technology, geophysics, and climatology with extensive resources in ecology, zoology, and seismology. SIO Library has an outstanding collection of expedition reports and the largest collection of hydrographic / bathymetric charts outside the Library of Congress. Two OPAC systems: MELVYL accesses the full-text journal and database collection, while ROGER contains the book and journal title collection. The MELVYL system is accessible to patrons outside the system through telnet, while the ROGER system is searchable through either the web or telnet.
Access: {http://library.ucsd.edu/}

Government Sources

Congressional Research Service Reports

This service is part of the National Institute for the Environment which offers on-line access to over 100 CRS documents related to the environment, agriculture, and natural resources. This is a start up project for what will become the National Library for the Environment. By far the easiest and fastest access to full-text reports on the environment, searchable by broad subject heading (e.g. marine) or keyword.
Access: {http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/index.cfm?&CFID=8689443&CFTOKEN=97710422}

Government Printing Office (GPO)

Beside many links to various government offices, here one will be able to search for information in the Federal Register, the Congressional Record, the Congressional Bills and other government resources via GPO Access. Congressional discussions and decisions on the latest or previous years' fisheries regulations can be found in one or more of the databases offered. Follow the easy online instructions to do a basic or simple Boolean search. Note that Boolean terms (AND, OR, NOT, ADJ) need to be typed in capital letters to be distinguished as operators.
Access: {http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/}

Leetown Science Center (Biological Resources Div. of the U.S.G.S.)

This Center's mission is to provide the information and technologies needed to restore, enhance, maintain and protect the nation's aquatic resources and their supporting ecosystems. Click on "Recent publications by Center Authors" or go to the web sites of the individual labs (6), some of which give access to reference and full-text lab generated articles.
Access: {http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/}

Marine Mammal Commission

The Marine Mammal Commission is an independent agency of the Executive Branch. It is charged with developing, reviewing, and making recommendations on the actions and policies of all Federal agencies with respect to marine mammal protection and conservation and with carrying out a research program. A full-text version of the Commission's latest report to Congress is available, which includes comprehensive sections on each of the species of special concern.
Access: {http://www.citation.com/hpages/mmc.html}

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

NMFS, one of the program offices of NOAA, provides services and products to support domestic and international fisheries management operations, fisheries development, trade and industry assistance activities, enforcement, protected species and habitat conservation operations, and the scientific and technical aspects of NOAA's marine fisheries program. Among other useful fisheries information, their web site includes "NMFS In The News", constituent comments, a draft of the NMFS bycatch plan, the text of a workshop on Environmental Data for Fisheries Research and Management, and links to other NMFS national and regional offices. Particularly unique is a database of U.S. commercial fisheries catch statistics from the 1950s to the present. The user can input species, place and dates to generate a table or downloadable file.
Access: {http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/}

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NOAA is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its web site offers an overview of many programs dealing with the oceans including "Building a Sustainable Fisheries." The site also provides links to nine program offices: Office of the Under Secretary for Oceans & Atmosphere; National Environmental Satellite, Data, & Information Service; National Marine Fisheries Service; National Ocean Service; National Weather Service; Oceanic & Atmospheric Research; Coastal Ocean Program; Office of Global Programs; Office of High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC). Going to one of these offices provides access to a wealth of information and services that cover virtually all aspects of how the U.S. government is researching and monitoring the oceans and atmosphere.
Access: http://www.noaa.gov/

National Sea Grant Program

The National Sea Grant Program encourages the wise stewardship of marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer. The Program is a partnership between the nation's universities and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This site identifies and provides links to all members of the National Sea Grant Program, sponsored research programs, fellowships, and a bibliography of marine education materials for elementary school teachers.
Access: {http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/}

Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

NEFSC is one of five regional centers of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). This site provides access to some excellent pages that describe the research efforts being done at the center as well as connections to sister sites. Major features include a fascinating historical timeline of the National Marine Fisheries Service broken down by decades, searchable access to a fisheries photo collection, and the full text document "Status of the Fishery Resources."
Access: {http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/}

International Sources

Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is responsible for a wide range of activities that support Canada's economic, ecological and scientific endeavors in the oceans and inland waters. Also a part of DFO's mission is the coordination of the Government of Canada's policies and programs respecting oceans. This site offers access links to departmental publications, many of which are in full-text. A few issues of an aquaculture bulletin are available, as well as a locator to the other five major regional web sites.
Access: {http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.htm}

Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

FAO offers many global views of marine fisheries. Through their Fisheries Department icon one can gain access to a number of full-text documents on world wide fisheries, a statistical database of fisheries imports/exports compilable by country, species and date, and a bibliography of all FAO Fisheries publications. The FAO homepage offers access to an interactive catalog which allows searchable access to currently available publications and ordering information.
Access: http://www.fao.org/

Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (IMBC)

This mostly textual web page provides informative insights into the work being conducted at the institute which specializes in aquaculture, fisheries, genetics, marine environment, oceanography, sonar, remote sensing and GIS. Well organized screens review research areas, programs, products and services, and case studies of Mediterranean projects. For locating fisheries materials, the library page allows full-text searching of a database which covers a number of major European publications in marine biology and fisheries. These include abstracts of papers from the 28th European Marine Biology Symposium, the 2nd International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment (MEDCOAST '95), the 2nd Workshop of the Mediterranean Targeted Project, and the IMBC Collected Reprints.
Access: http://www.imbc.gr/

North Atlantic Fisheries College (NAFC)

The North Atlantic Fisheries College in Shetland is an industry managed institute dedicated to supporting the fisheries industries in such areas as fish catching, aquaculture and fish processing through training, research and development. Although the library is not yet online, the site offers some interesting information pages. The Development of Shetland's Fishing Industry is a historical documentary. The most recent Shetland Fisheries Statistics includes statistical data of landings in weights and values with links to detailed information about various species. The "Publications" link to a number of full-text articles from the NAFC Fisheries Development Notes series. Make sure to take a look at the seafood recipes also!
Access: http://www.nafc.ac.uk/

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO

With 125 member states, the IOC focuses on promoting marine scientific investigations and related ocean services, with a view to learning more about the nature and resources of the oceans. A searching feature allows identification of program information and resources on specific topic. The "services" section includes an international listing of marine meetings, an ocean experts directory, and a list of IOC acronyms. A user-friendly web site search engine called "Ocean Pilot" provides accurate hits, access links, and brief descriptions of the sites. Also offered is a searchable publications database and a Marine Environmental Data Information (MEDI) Referral Catalogue. MEDI is a directory system for ocean and marine related data sets, data catalogues and data inventories, however, it is still under construction at the time of this writing.
Access: {http://ioc-unesco.org/}

International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM)

As a research organization, ICLARM's mission is to improve the productivity and management of aquatic resources in developing countries. Links are to detailed overviews of their research programs, a comprehensive list of general and program news items, a publication list with a subject index, a description of their library collection and services, and a staff list with e-mail links.
Access: {http://www.worldfishcenter.org/}

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

ICES is the oldest intergovernmental organization in the world concerned with marine and fisheries science. This site provides access a list of papers and reports presented at the many ICES meetings, and the table of contents to recent issues of various ICES publications. One can also find out upcoming meeting information, who are the member countries, and recent news items.
Access: {http://www.ices.dk/}

Societies

American Fisheries Society (AFS)

Founded in 1870, AFS is the oldest and largest professional society representing fisheries scientists. The AFS publishes some of the world's leading fisheries research journals: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; North American Journal of Fisheries Management; Progressive Fish Culturist; Journal of Aquatic Animal Health; and Fisheries. Besides basic societal information, the site includes selected fisheries articles which encompass an "AFS Diary," news items, editorials, and current articles (updated monthly), and a list of continuing education courses available through the society.
Access: {http://www.fisheries.org/}

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)

The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is dedicated to the scientific study of fishes, amphibians and reptiles. The programs of the ASIH are part of a global effort to conserve the Earth's natural diversity and to contribute to the wise use of natural resources for the long-term benefit of humankind. The "Programs" link leads to a listing of graduate student grants and awards sponsored by the society.
Access: {http://www.asih.org/}

International Association of Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC)

IAMSLIC is an association of individuals and organizations interested in aquatic and marine information science. Two items of special note are the list of Internet Discussion Groups and the list of Aquatic and Marine Web Sites. Both offer a number of associated marine sources and the discussion group list contains brief descriptions and access information.
Access: {http://www.iamslic.org/}

Species Identification Sources

Aquatic Resources Division, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)

The Marine Specimens Database offered at this web site covers more than 200 species currently available through the MBL Marine Resources catalog. Other resources such as GenBank and taxonomic information have been integrated into the system. Phylum species are organized by major genus such as mollusks and arthropoda. The index of individual organisms displays a photo image of the creature with related taxonomic information and description. Viewers can choose to look at other images of the organisms at different developmental stages.
Access: {http://www.mbl.edu/html/mrc.html}

British Columbia Creature Page

Scroll down this web page to access picture and information databases on fish, algae, cephalopod, crabs, sponges, worms, and more. Thumbnail images lead to larger pictures of the creatures and information includes descriptions, scientific names and geographic range.
Access: {http://www.clever.net/kerry/creature/creature.htm}

Crustaceans of Southern Australia, Museum of Victoria

Though representing only a small part of the fauna of Southern Australia, this database of a hundred or so records serves to introduce the biology of marine crustaceans. Along with some wonderful color images, the text contains general information about some of the major groups and habitat and biological information about some species.
Access: {http://media.museum.vic.gov.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/crustaceans-of-southern-australia/}

Fishing Lines: Angler's Guide to Florida Marine Resources

This online version of a paper guide by the same title is published by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It provides educational information about recreational fishing resources including habitat and the various impacts on it; what species are regulated in Florida and why; life history of species; and management measures that have been taken, and need to be taken, to protect the resource. Click on the "Fish Identification Section" to view and read about 71 regulated fish commonly caught by anglers.
Access: {http://marinefisheries.org/guide.htm}

Interagency Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Here is a database that offers taxonomic information of flora and fauna from both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. ITIS is the product of a partnership of Federal agencies collaborating with systematists in the Federal, state, and private sectors to provide scientifically credible taxonomic information. This is an interactive database where a user can not only search via scientific name, common name, or the TSN (Taxonomic Serial Number), but also generate reports, add taxonomic information, download data, and compare your records with those in the database.
Access: {http://www.itis.gov/}

Marine Fish Catalog, Fish Information Service (FINS)

Containing pictures of over 200 fish, this site is searchable and sortable by type, common and scientific name. Many, where indicated with "more information," provide links to relative captivity information. There is also a link to a similar catalog of freshwater fish.
Access: {http://fins.actwin.com/species/index.php}

Sea Fishes of the North Sea

Sponsored by the Fisheries Research Station in Belgium, this fun site offers descriptive information on various fishes of the North Sea. Just click on the fish picture of choice and one of the multi-screens pop-up with scientific name, common names (in different languages), distribution, length, and defining characteristics.
Access: {http://uc2.unicall.be/RVZ/Fishbook1.html}

Species Index, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS

This species index, which is sortable by common name or category, identifies over 250 marine fish, listing their common names, scientific names, and endangered status. Many records provide links to more detailed information on their biology, distribution, and major impacts.
Access: {http://www.nmfs.gov/tmcintyr/prot_res.html}

Species Synopsis, NEFSC Fisheries Biology

Here a user has access to a limited list of species, but descriptions are lengthy and include images and tables of recent catch statistics. It is a good place to learn more about major species of fish (e.g. groundfish, anadromous, pelagic) and the methods with which they have been monitored and assessed by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Access: {http://www.wh.whoi.edu/library/sos94/spsyn/spsyn94.html}

General Reference

Careers & Jobs in Marine Biology & Oceanography

Sponsored by Sanford University, this site offers links to web pages which provide advice for those interested in a career in the marine or aquatic sciences and postings for jobs, post docs, and traineeships.
Access: {https://hopkinsmarinestation.stanford.edu/education/graduate-program/careers}

K-12 Education, WHOI

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution sponsors a web site of K-12 educational programs, summer camps, questions, and resources. The lengthy list of resources reflect WWW oceanography sites and are grouped into broad categories such as Aquariums, Marine Mammals, Weather, Careers, and others.
Access: {http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=9544}

Resource Guide for Teachers of Marine Science, NMFS, SWFSC

Janet Cronbach, of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, has prepared a comprehensive and useful site of elementary school level educational material in marine science. She includes additional links to teacher resources on curriculum guides, lesson plans, and bibliographic collections. In addition, a list of CD-ROM, film and videos for all ages includes reviews and publisher information. This site should be on every science teacher's list of resources.
Access: {http://swfsc.ucsd.edu/BIBLIOGRAPHY/GUIDE.htm}

E-Mail Lists

AQUA-L, is a list for discussion of aquaculture of all types, based at the University of PEI. The purpose of the list is to promote discussion amongst individuals interested in the science, technology and business of rearing aquatic species.

To subscribe, send a message to: listproc@upei.ca with the following text in the body of the message: sub aqua-l

CTURTLE, is a sea turtle biology and conservation list.

To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (bitnet: listserv@nervm) with the following text in the body of the message: sub cturtle
To send mail to the list, the address is: cturtle@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (bitnet: cturtle@nervm)

CZM, is the Coastal Zone Management mailing list, maintained by Bill Silvert. It is for exchanging information about Coastal Zone Management with emphasis on how to incorporate scientific advice in the process.

To subscribe, send a message to: Lists@scotia.dfo.ca with the following message in the body of the text: subscribe czm
To send a message to the list, the address is: czm@biome.bio.dfo.ca

ELASMO-L, is a shark biology list produced by the American Elasmobranch Society for more technical research on sharks, rays, and chimeras. Elasmo-l operates under the PMDF MAILSERV facility. It is not a listserv mailing list, and the usual listserv commands will not work.

To subscribe to elasmo-l, send an e-mail message to: elasmo-l-request@umassd.edu with the following text in the body of the message: Subscribe elasmo-l
A successful subscription will result in a confirmatory message being sent.

FISHBIO-NE-ATLANT, is a daily edited list, with news and letters from the whole world, but mainly addressed to academic scientists and technical staff who are working on the NE Atlantic area. The list owner is Palle Brogaard, of Denmark.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to: Majordomo@nn.apc.org with the following text in the message body: subscribe fishbio-ne-atlant@nn.apc.org
To take part in the discussion, just e-mail a letter to: fishbio-ne-atlant@nn.apc.org

FISH-ECOLOGY, is an international computer conference for academic and other personnel involved in empirical and theoretical research and assessment issues related to the ecology of fish and fisheries. Membership is open to all interested parties. If you would like to discuss the political, social and anthropological aspects of fisheries, fish-ecology is not the right forum.

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: listserv@searn.sunet.se with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe fish-ecology

FISHERIES, is the fisheries discussion list which includes both biological and social sciences. It is for general discussion of fisheries-related issues, including stock dynamics and fisheries management, and is maintained by Bill Silvert.

To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: Majordomo@biome.bio.dfo.ca with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe fisheries
To send a message to the network, the address is: fisheries@scotia.dfo.ca or fisheries@biome.bio.dfo.ca

FISHFOLK, is a discussion list covering all social science aspects of fisheries, including sociology, anthropology, and economics, with a fair amount of news and management information also provided.

To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with the following text (only ) in the body of the message: subscribe fishfolk
Send messages you wish to post on the network to: fishfolk@mitvma.mit.edu).

IIFET, is the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade discussion list. To join the IIFET list, you have to be an IIFET member. The International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade is organized to promote discussion of factors which affect international production of and trade in seafoods, and fisheries policy questions. Membership in the organization is open to anyone for a fee of $40.00 U.S. annually. Student memberships are $15.00 U.S. Corporate/ institutional memberships are $200 U.S. annually. To request a free copy of the Newsletter and an application form, contact the IIFET Secretariat at: leboeufc@ccmail.orst.edu or the Executive Director at: shrivera@ccmail.orst.edu.

To send mail to the list, the address is: iifet@mail.nws.orst.edu

IAMSLIC, is the International. Association of Aquatic & Marine Science Libraries & Information Centers discussion list. The list owner / contact is: Peter Brueggeman, Head of Public Services, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library, University of California San Diego.

To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@ucsd.edu with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe IAMSLIC
To join the discussion, send mail to: iamslic@ucsd.edu

MARMAM, is the marine mammals research and conservation discussion. It is a news group about marine mammals, courses, jobs, etc., with lots of mail.

To subscribe, send a message to: listserv@uvvm.uvic.ca with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe marmam
To send a message to multiple recipients of list: marmam@uvvm.uvic.ca

MOLLUSCA, is a mollusc discussion group.

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: listproc@ucmp1.berkeley.edu with the following text (only) in the body of the message: subscribe mollusca
There is also the news group: bionet.molbio.molluscs

OCEAN-F, is an e-mail forum of the Ocean Farmers of America. It is to support the open exchange of ideas and information on 1) The engineering of ocean farming systems for survivability, economy, and improved productivity, 2) Mechanisms to encourage fishermen to expand into ocean farming, 3) Biological, husbandry, and environmental issues associated with ocean farming at exposed sites, 4) Regulation and ownership of ocean farms and the associated biological inventory in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

To sign up send e-mail to: listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with the message: sub oceanf-l

RECFISH, is a mailing list for government and academic workers with an interest in recreational fishing in Australia, which has been established by the Victorian Fisheries Research Institute.

To subscribe to this list, sending a message to: majordomo@msl.oz.au with the following text (only) in the body of the message: subscribe recfish

SEASHEPHERD, is the Sea Shepherd electronic mailing list. The Sea Shepherd is involved in several campaigns, including the fight against whaling, dolphin slaughter, drift nets and seal killing. This is a volunteer, information collection and distribution service, for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and related issues. The list owner / contact is: Nick Voth.

To subscribe, send a message to: dcasmedic@aol.com with the following text in the body of the message: sub seashepherd

SHARK-L, is a shark biology list aimed at serious amateurs, although several biologists participate.

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: listserv@utcvm.utc.edu with the following text in the body of the message: subscribe shark-l
To send a message to the list, the address is: shark-l@utcvm.utc.edu

SHELLFISH, is a discussion list managed by the National Shellfisheries Association (U.S) which covers shellfish culture and related issues.

To subscribe to this list, send a subscription request to: shellfish-request@kenyon.edu with the following text (only) in the body of the message: subscribe
Messages for distribution are sent to shellfish@kenyon.edu

STURGEON, is a mail group discussing sturgeon.

To subscribe, send a message to: listproc@ucdavis.edu with the following message in the body of the text: subscribe sturgeon
The list address, to send mail to all subscribers is: sturgeon@ucdavis.edu

WILDNET, is a mailing list which was established in 1987 for the exchange of ideas, questions, and solutions in the area of fisheries and wildlife computing and statistics.

To get your name added to or removed from the list, contact the administrator: Eric Woodsworth, ( "Subscriptions" address: wildnet-request@tribune.usask.ca).
To submit mail to the list send your message to: wildnet@tribune.usask.ca
Note: Please send requests for addition/deletion, etc, to the "Subscriptions" address, not to the "Submissions" address.

Summary