[Nhcoll-l] UW Burke Museum otolith database now searchable

[Katherine Maslenikov]

Greetings,

   With generous funding from the National Science Foundation (CSBR 
1202709) , the University of Washington Burke Museum Ichthyology 
collection has transferred 2.4 million pairs of otoliths (fish ear 
bones) from the National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska Fisheries 
Science Center to a new facility on the University of Washington campus 
in Seattle.  This collection covers 40 years worth of sampling in the 
northeastern Pacific Ocean from California to Alaska and represents 83 
species in 41 genera and 17 families.  Collections are made by NMFS 
researchers on annual shelf and slope surveys as well as by observers 
aboard commercial fishing vessels.
   Traditionally used by fisheries biologists to determine the age of 
fish specimens, otoliths are now being analyzed with stable isotopes and 
microchemistry to address a wide array of research topics.  Of the two 
sources of otoliths (survey and observer), all survey records are 
georeferenced and include sex, length, and weight of the specimen, in 
addition to depth and temperature information.  The observer records 
also include biological information for the specimen, but show locality 
by NMFS management areas.  Due to confidentiality issues, latitude and 
longitude may be available by petition to NMFS.
   We are proud to report that the data for the survey collection 
(675,734 records) is now available and searchable through our website at 
the following url:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__biology.burkemuseum.org_ichthyology_otobase_survey_search.php&d=AwICaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=qKd0tJC-HKGSZNI4aXvwDGRcWYj4aODVinQLTz9GgIw&s=yj8IJ4SaZ7WKb3OoQK-05m12upPrFmElorma0xfduMA&e= 

   The observer records are a bit trickier, but they will be available soon.

   We welcome requests for loans of this material.  Please send me any 
questions you may have about the collection.

Thank you,

-Katherine

-- 
Katherine Maslenikov
Collections Manager
University of Washington Fish Collection
School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Box 355100
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 543-3816
pearsonk at uw.edu
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__uwfishcollection.org&d=AwICaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=qKd0tJC-HKGSZNI4aXvwDGRcWYj4aODVinQLTz9GgIw&s=1qI-s-UMmVdG2YZ4aDco6qwR3uj2c9rEQuPRpWTRT9c&e= 

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