Ichthyology (11:628:321)
Information and Tentative Schedule, Fall Semester 200 7

Office Hours:
Immediately after lecture and laboratory, otherwise seldom possible to meet because professor’s office is off-campus.

Required texts:
Helfman, G., B. Collette and D. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science Inc., Fitchburg, Mass. ISBN: 0-86542-256-7

Caillet, G.M., M.S. Love and A.W. Ebeling. 1996. Fishes: A Field and Laboratory Manual on their Structure, Identification and Natural History. Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, Ill. ISBN 0-88133-908-3

Suggested field guide:
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Roy. 1986. A Field Guild to Atlantic Coast Fishes. Peterson Field Guide Series. Hougton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Suggested reference text:
Able, K.W. and M.P. Fahay. 1998. The First Year in the Life of Estuarine Fishes in the Middle Atlantic Bight. Rutgers University Press. 342 p.

Required supplies:
Dissecting Kit

Activity
Classes are held all-day Friday (except where indicated). On field trip days, the class will depart New Brunswick at approximately 8:00 am and return at approx. 6:00 pm. As a result, it will be impossible to take another course on Friday

Class Schedule

September 5:
Discussion of course requirements and scheduling
Introduction for Field Experiences
Lecture: Classification of Fishes

Unit I & II: Field Experiences (I) and Form and Function II)

September 12:
Field trip: Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ

September 19:
Field trip: Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ
Lecture: Aquatic medium, body form and locomotion

September 26:
Field trip: Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ

October 3:
Field trip: Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ
Lab: age & growth

October 10:
Field trip: Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ
Lecture: Feeding and role in ecosystem

October 17:
Lectures: Sensory systems and swim bladder
Lab: Key characters and identification of taxa

October 24:
Lectures: Respiration and Osmoregulation
Lab: Identification of fishes

October 31:
Unit II Exam
Lecture: Behavior and Reproductive Biology

Unit III: Life history, ecology and behavior

November 7:
Lecture: Early life history
Lab: Identification of fishes

November 14:
Lecture: Habitats
Lab: Identification of fishes

November 21:
Lecture: Feeding and Role in Ecosystem

Lab: Dissection of agnathan and sharks/skates

Wednesday Nov 26 (class meets Wednesday because of Thanksgiving holiday):
Lecture: Migration
Lab: Dissection of teleost
Essential Fish Habitat papers due

December 5:
Lecture: To be announced
Lab: Practical Exam

December Exam Period:
Unit III Exam

Format
This course will include field trips, lectures and labs. The lectures will be based primarily, but not exclusively, on the text and the field experiences. Laboratory exercises will center on the identification and anatomy of New Jersey marine and estuarine fishes. The field trips will take place in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve at Mullica River - Great Bay and we will work from the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (outside of Tuckerton in southern Ocean County). (For more information on the Field Station, see our website at http://marine.rutgers.edu/rumfs/. These trips will focus on collecting techniques in a variety of shallow water habitats, identification of fishes based on field characters, and impromptu lectures.
Grades for this course will be based on two exams (Unit II-100 pts. Units III & IV-200 pts), a class paper (75 pts), lab practical (75 pts) and class participation (50 pts).

Field trips
We will generally go on field trips as scheduled regardless of the weather. You can expect to get wet on any field trip. To this end, it is suggested that you always bring adequate field gear. The minimum that you will need: boots or old sneakers, shorts, raincoat, change of dry clothes, hat and/or sunscreen, sunglasses, clipboard and notepad. Bring a lunch; coolers will be provided.

Class paper
A paper focused on fish habitat will be one of the class requirements. This emphasis is based on the fact that the identification and protection of fish habitats are critical to maintaining fish and fishery resources and the economies they support. The basis for the paper will be a thorough literature review of the available information on the habitat requirements and characteristics of all life history stages for a single species. Details of the format, species selection and potential sources of information will be provided.

Background reading
Able, K.W. 1999. Measures of Juvenile Fish Habitat Quality: Examples from a National Estuarine Research Reserve. pp 134-147 In L. R. Benaka (ed.) Fish Habitat: Essential Fish Habitat and Rehabilitation. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 22, Bethesda, Maryland.

Benaka, L.R. (ed.). 1999. Fish Habitat: Essential Fish Habitat and Rehabilitation. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 22, Bethesda, Maryland.

Hoss, D.E. and G.W. Thayer. 1993. The importance of habitat to early life history of estuarine dependent fishes. American Fisheries Society Symposium 14: 147-158.

Peters, D.S. and F.A. Cross. 1992. What is coastal fish habitat? PP 17-21 IN: Stroud, R.H. (editor) Stemming the Tide of Coastal Fish Habitat Loss. National Coalition for Marine Conservation, Inc. Savannah, Georgia.

Stroud R.H. (editor) 1992. Stemming the Tide of Coastal Fish Habitat Loss. National Coalition for Marine Conservation, Inc. Savannah, Georgia.

SUGGESTED OUTLINE FOR FISH HABITAT PAPER