great fish count

Pattern Scale: Region

Description of the Pattern

Each year since 2015, the New York City area public has been invited to join marine scientists at the water to survey local aquatic biodiversity. This one-day Great Fish Count happens at multiple locations across New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, and New Jersey. Volunteers wade into the water to participate in casting seine nets, counting caught species, identifying their specimens, and releasing the fish. In 2019, more than 1,600 people participated, gathering details on 840 fish and 24 species. The results added four new species to the Fish Count list! Not only does the count add useful biodiversity data to New York State’s monitoring efforts, it also provides a hands-on opportunity for the city’s public to touch and experience first-hand parts of NYC’s watery world that normally go unseen.

Contact: Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Web page: https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/, https://www.dec.ny.gov/

Who Submitted this Pattern: Carolyn Heaps, Research Assistant, Biophilic Cities