Cijii Marshall, a fisheries biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, identifies fish during a breakout session of an ichthyology day camp held Dec. 5 at the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources in Baton Rouge. The AgCenter and the Louisiana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society conducted the camp for fisheries professionals. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard, LSU AgCenter)

Chris Green (left), LSU AgCenter fisheries professor and president-elect of the Louisiana chapter of the American Fisheries Society, helps fisheries professionals identify fish at an ichthyology day camp held Dec. 5 at the AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources in Baton Rouge. Green organized the camp for people who work in the fisheries industry to help them better understand fish populations. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard, LSU AgCenter)

News Release Distributed 12/08/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – A one-day workshop focusing on fish identification to help fisheries professionals expand their ichthyology knowledge was held Dec. 5 at the LSU AgCenter School of Renewable Natural Resources.

Chris Green, an AgCenter fisheries professor and president-elect of the Louisiana chapter of the American Fisheries Society, organized the camp. Continued education is vital to individuals working in a fisheries-related industry because of the diversity of species, he said.

“There is more fish diversity than any other vertebrate,” Green said. “There are more than 30,000 different species of fish in the world, with hundreds of species just within Louisiana and off the coast.”

Understanding fish populations can help scientists understand waterway health, he said. Fisheries are also economically important to the state.

Twenty-two people attended the hands-on workshop, which covered freshwater and saltwater fish identification and anatomy identification. Cijii Marshall, a fisheries biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, was one of the participants.

“I wanted to brush up on some things I’m not familiar with,” Marshall said. “I’ve seen a lot of things I haven’t seen before. It’s been extremely helpful.”

Craig Gothreaux, who manages the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries artificial reef programs, helped at the workshop.

“I know the importance of this for students and scientists,” Gothreaux said. “It’s easy to get rusty on things you may not encounter frequently. It’s been a refresher for me.”

The Louisiana chapter of the American Fisheries Society sponsored the camp.