2ND SURVEY OF FISH COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED-STATES AND CANADA

A second survey of fish collections in the United States and Canada co nducted by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists r eveals holdings of about 63.7 million specimens in the 118 collections responding to the survey. Subsequent to the first survey (Collette an d Lachner, 1976), there have been significant differences in growth ra tes among collections and a notable increase in the computerization of collections related information. The quality of curation has measurab ly improved. Special collections, most notably larval collections, hav e greatly increased in size. Three-fourths of the collections now repo rt that they can be used to document environmental changes, with holdi ngs of extinct and endangered species and hybrids increased among coll ections. There has been a marked decline in personnel associated with collections. Continued loss of trained curatorial personnel will likel y adversely impact the long-term maintenance of existing archival coll ections. A reduction in the number of scientists engaged in collection s-based research and education will probably impede efforts to study a nd preserve biodiversity. Results of both surveys emphasize the import ance of maintaining accurate information about collections. Further jo int data sharing among collections personnel may be effective in meeti ng challenges faced by managers and users of collections.