Ichthyology

There are approximately 400,000 specimens in 55,000 lots, representing some 4,100 species in 1,390 genera and 330 families. About 15% of the lots are freshwater fishes, mainly from the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

The remaining 85% are marine fishes collected primarily from the eastern North Pacific, the Aleutian Islands to Baja California, the western tropical Pacific, Christmas Island to Guam and the Philippines.

The collection also includes smaller numbers of lots from many other locations around the world. All specimens are stored in glass jars or stainless steel tanks containing 70% ethanol.

The early life history (ELH) collection continues to grow rapidly. There are approximately 115,000 lots, representing 53 families, 130 genera, and 181 species, including 35 identified only to "type.” Most lots were taken in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, primarily from the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and the U.S. Pacific Northwest Coast.

Approximately 90% of the lots were collected from 1965 through 2006 by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service, with additional material transferred to us annually. Significant material has also come to us from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, the International Pacific Halibut Commission and the Vancouver Public Aquarium. The habitats represented range from the nearshore intertidal zone to offshore oceanic waters.

The eggs are stored in glass vials of 3% buffered formalin. Specimens of different species taken together in a haul are frequently stored in the same vial, so the egg collection is arranged by year, cruise, station, haul, etc. The larvae are stored in 70% ethanol. All species from a haul are stored in separate vials and the collection is arranged phylogenetically. The entire ELH collection is housed in cardboard trays and wooden drawers within air-tight, light-proof cabinets.

Approximately 9,000 tissue samples in 5,800 lots, representing 815 species, are available to researchers. This collection is rapidly growing as we encourage more routine tissue sampling in the field.

Tissues are initially preserved in 95% ethanol before being placed in our -86 C freezer for long-term storage. Almost all tissue samples have voucher specimens deposited in the collection. This ensures that identifications can be confirmed when contradictory molecular results occur.

In 2012, a National Science Foundation grant allowed for the transfer and integration of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) Otolith Collection.

This collection is comprised of roughly 2.4 million pairs of fish otoliths, representing 83 species in 41 genera and 17 families, collected by AFSC personnel over the past 40 years in conjunction with North Pacific Groundfish Observer programs and annual shelf and slope surveys along the West Coast of the U.S., from California to Alaska, and from the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean.

Requests to borrow otoliths are welcome. All loan requests will be reviewed with AFSC personnel.

The Skeleton Collection contains approximately 950 lots, representing 150 species in 50 families. Many are disarticulated specimens in boxes, but there is a large collection of Columbia River fish skeletons displayed partially embedded in clay in petri dishes. This preparation allows for easy comparisons of bone shape and size between species.

The Skeleton Collection continues to grow. Most of it has been donated by local archaeologists wanting to make their reference collections available to the public. The prepared specimens are the result of an avian predation study on the Columbia River that allowed SAFS researchers to identify the species of fishes present in bird stomachs.

Approximately 350 lots, representing 210 species in 63 families, are stored in full strength glycerin and maintained separately from the main collection.

These skeletal preparations are augmented by an extensive library of X-rays of North Pacific fishes. Begun in 1981, this library now includes some 765 X-rays, including representatives of 135 species in 66 families.

This is a unique historical collection of salmon scales (resulting from the UW High-Seas Salmon Program) containing some 800,000 samples taken from six species of anadromous salmonids from across the North Pacific Ocean over a 55 year period. Both original scale cards and acetate impressions are available.