Summary of the Year 2006

During the year 2006 over 930 lots of specimens were processed, cataloged and entered into the computer database. A large portion of the new entries came from an accession deposited with the Fish Division by the environmental consulting and bioassessment group Midwest Biodiversity Institute.  A percentage of the collections from the accessions were confirmed as valid by Curator Ted Cavender, then cataloged.  The balance of the collections are currently being processed into our cataloged holdings.  Other collections cataloged included new accessions from the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

During 2006 we focused our work on cataloging collections from drainages considered to be of interest to current and future studies, as well as on expanding our range of representation.  

Graduate and Undergraduate students who helped with the cataloging and research programs were Clara Folb,          Katie Abel, Hongyan Zhang, Kristi Harraman, Chad Schwinnen, Kyle Tulisiak, and Aloah Pope.  

A study was begun with Aloah Pope, an EEOB major in the Honors program, on behavior of darters.  The study is being conducted primarily in the Fish Division laboratory with several aquarium tanks and the goal is to finish the first part of the research by end of Spring Quarter, followed possibly by studies on corresponding behavior of closely and distantly related species.

Current Research

Presently Marc Kibbey is collaborating with OSU's Tom Watters,  and Doug Warmolts, Mike Brittsan and Paul Rinehart of the Columbus Zoo  to raise fishes that will be used in the mussel host identification program and to propagate targeted fish species for reintroduction of Ohio's extirpated species and augmentation of imperiled fish populations.   Common darter species were chosen as the initial subjects to develop procedures for the project.  Research Assistant Kristi Harraman is integral to the development and functioning of the fish rearing program.

Check out the Fish Propagation Research at the Freshwater Mussel Research and Conservation Center