The Collectors
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Friday 27 October 2006
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The CSIRO is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, with August being its actual birthday month. Andy shared in the celebrations by visiting CSIRO’s National Fish Collection which is based in Hobart. The Fish Collection was founded by Ian Munro in 1943.
The Fish Collection is a comprehensive reference and research facility enabling scientists to monitor marine biology, conservation of aquatic biodiversity, research new species, monitor human processes on the marine environment and keep a check on fish stocks for the fishing industry.
All in all, the CSIRO has 135,000 fin fish specimens representing 3000 species. They are stored in small jars or huge big tanks depending on the size of specimen. The fish are mainly from Australian waters but there are species gathered from Antarctic waters, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As well, research is carried out on fish from lakes, rivers and estuaries.
Andy is gob-smacked by a couple of ugly specimens that CSIRO’s “Dead Fish Librarian”, Alastair Graham, shows him and the smell of the preserving liquid and fish is rather stifling.
The CSIRO has collections of other scientific material in other capital cities.
CSIRO’s website is www.csiro.au.
