University of Washington Fish Collection

Over 296,000 adult fish specimens and 6.9 million early life history specimens are cataloged in this collection from the University of Washington. The adult collection represents 4,054 species, with 75% being marine fishes from the North Pacific and Bering Sea. The early life history collection grew significantly from 1965 to 1998 through efforts by the National Marine Fisheries Service and other institutions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing fish biodiversity and species distribution based on taxonomic and locality data.
• Studying temporal trends in early life history specimens based on the 1965-1998 collection period mentioned.
• Modeling marine versus freshwater fish populations based on the 75% marine and 25% freshwater composition.
• Researching geographic collection biases based on the primary regions of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the North Pacific.

Strengths

• Large scale with over 296,000 adult specimens and 6.9 million early life history specimens.
• Detailed taxonomic representation across 4,054 species, 1,331 genera, and 306 families for adult fish.
• Clear geographic focus for both adult (North Pacific, Bering Sea) and early life (Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea) collections.
• Includes temporal context, with approximately 80% of early life lots collected between 1965 and 1998.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the collection sources and periods described.

Provenance

Source

University of Washington Fish Collection (UWFC), with contributions from NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center, University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, International Pacific Halibut Commission, and Vancouver Public Aquarium.

Collection Method

Physical collection and cataloging of preserved fish specimens.

Time Range

Early life history collection heavily from 1965-1998; adult collection ongoing.

Freshness

Approximately 1000 new adult lots are added yearly; early life collection grows by 3000-5000 lots a year.

Geography

Adult: Primarily Washington, Oregon, Alaska (freshwater); Bering Sea, North Pacific Ocean, from Baja California to the Philippines (marine). Early life: Eastern North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Pacific Northwest coast.