Fish identifications and dissections
Environment Agency

Fish identifications and dissections

The brief

Thomson fisheries experts were required to identify grey mullet fish species in order to verify data for a national fish-monitoring programme.

What we did

  • Dissections of each individual grey mullet specimen were completed under the microscope
  • Pyloric caeca, once located inside each fish specimen, were analysed
  • Photographs of internal organ positions were taken.

Recommendations and outcomes

Each grey mullet specimen was identified to species level. Specimens were carefully maintained and returned to the client along with a report on species identification and pyloric caeca details. We provided value for money by producing teaching aids to the client so that their staff would be able to do the work themselves going forward.

Correct identification is of paramount importance to our work at the Environment Agency; we need to be absolutely certain of the species’ ID as it influences WFD estuary fish classification scores. Thomson gave a quick turnaround on the project and provided us with the identifications, dissected specimens and material that we can use as teaching aids.
Rob Hillman, Senior Environmental Monitoring Officer, Environment Agency.
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Projects Fish identifications and dissections