Spring 2013 by Andrew Fedor and Miranda Smith P ns l an aF I en y v i S: Have you ever wondered what species of fish live in a river, or if a lake is good for bass fishing? Have you noticed that some streams are stocked with trout while others are not? Answers to these questions could help make you a better angler. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) is here to help. Think of the search for these answers as a Fish Scene Investigation (FSI). Our fisheries biologists need to learn more about Pennsylvania’s fish populations before they can manage them. Read this issue to discover more about the tactics of fish management. PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Fish Scene Investigation Vocabulary (Watch for these words!) • Abundance – number of fish captured in a survey. • Diversity – variety of fish species present. • Scales – protective plates on a fish’s body. • Otoliths – bone-like structures in the inner ears of some fishes that help with balance and detecting sound. • Aquatic Invasive Species – a non-native species that takes over an aquatic ecosystem. • Survey – to question someone in order to collect information of a group or area. • Data – information collected during a survey. • Population – all the fish that live in a specific waterway. • Representative sample – since we can’t sample all the fish, smaller numbers with fish representing the population are sampled. Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • March/April 2013 45