80f76193-3fe4-4170-966d-aa314fef9a7d https://ipt.vertnet.org/resource?r=bsns_fishes Abigail Hines Buffalo Museum of Science Zoology Collection Assistant / Project Magician

Buffalo NY 14217 US

abbeylynnhines@gmail.com Abigail Hines Buffalo Museum of Science Zoology Collection Assistant / Project Magician

Buffalo NY 14217 US

abbeylynnhines@gmail.com 2026-09-01 eng Buffalo Museum of Science Fishes consists of mainly freshwater fishes from Western New York. Specimens range from 1928 to present with large survey from 1970s. Occurrence GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml Specimen GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml https://www.vertnet.org/resources/norms Please adhere to norms and standards. Play nice To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction. Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html CC0-1.0 https://www.sciencebuff.org/collections/ Collection contains fishes primarily from Western New York. Some from Canada, The Bahamas, Australia and Japan. -180 180 90 -90 family Haemulidae family Characidae order Suliformes family Amblyopsidae family Mugilidae order Gadiformes family Percopsidae order Semionotiformes family Rajidae family Sphyraenidae family Carangidae family Istiophoridae family Odontophoridae order Percopsiformes family Chimaeridae family Ictaluridae order Gasterosteiformes family Xiphiidae family Epinephelidae family Scyliorhinidae family Anguillidae order Hiodontiformes family Batrachoididae class Agnatha order Pelecaniformes family Oxudercidae family Hemiramphidae family Scorpaenidae family Moronidae family Triglidae family Elassomatidae family Atherinidae order Tetraodontiformes class Chondrichthyes order Ophidiiformes family Monacanthidae order Beryciformes family Lotidae phylum Chordata class Myxini family Squalidae family Batoidea order Elasmobranchii class Petromyzontida family Percidae order Acipenseriformes order Salmoniformes family Carapidae family Rhinobatidae family Esocidae order Acanthuriformes family Catostomidae order Rhinobatiformes family Synanceiidae order Centrarchiformes family Atherinopsidae order Carangiformes order Lophiiformes family Poeciliidae order Eupercaria order Carcharhiniformes family Pristidae order Mugiliformes family Hiodontidae family Diodontidae order Atheriniformes family Ostraciidae family Osmeridae kingdom Animalia (Animals) order Rhinopristiformes family Salmonidae family Tetraodontidae family Cyprinodontidae family Pleuronectidae order Myliobatiformes family Cyprinidae order Cichliformes family Cichlidae family Sciaenidae order Myxiniformes order Osmeriformes class Hyperoartia order Chimaeriformes order Gobiiformes family Holocentridae order Lepisosteiformes order Seminonotiformes family Alosidae order Labriformes family Albulidae family Sphyrnidae family Leuciscidae order Batrachoidiformes order Syngnathiformes order Beloniformes family Heterodontidae order Scorpaeniformes order Blenniiformes order Perciformes kingdom Animalia order Characiformes family Ammodytidae family Lepisosteidae family Etheostomatinae family Toxotidae family Antennariidae order Esociformes family Acipenseridae family Polyodontidae family Muraenidae family Petromyzontidae family Gobiidae order Moroniformes class Actinopterygii order Rajiformes order Cyprinodontiformes family Clupeidae family Anablepidae order Siluriformes family Cottidae family Fundulidae family Pomacanthidae family Umbridae class Cephalaspidomorphi order Cypriniformes order Albuliformes family Aphredoderidae family Acanthuridae family Labridae family Gasterosteidae order Amiiformes family Echeneidae order Anguilliformes order Acanthodiformes family Myxinidae family Amiidae order Petromyzontiformes family Syngnathidae family Dorosomatidae family Gadidae family Belonidae family Centrarchidae order Clupeiformes family Serrasalmidae class Teleostei family Selachii The “Go Fish!” project was an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)–funded initiative (Grant No. MA-253193-OMS-23) to restore, rehabilitate, and modernize the ichthyology collection at the Buffalo Museum of Science. The collection represents freshwater fish from Western New York and the Great Lakes region and includes specimens dating back to 1928. At the beginning of the project, the collection consisted of approximately 25,000 fluid-preserved specimens and 1,173 jars of unprocessed inherited material known as the Hadley Collection. The collection had been largely unmanaged for more than 50 years, resulting in preservation inconsistencies, taxonomic uncertainty, degraded materials, and limited accessibility for research or education.Despite the Notice of Termination on April 8, 2025 and stress of reinstatement with appeal, the project achieved substantial measurable outcomes. Approximately 35,000 fluid-preserved specimens were assessed or stabilized, 1,173 jars of inherited material were integrated, and more than 300 specimens were repurposed to expand educational programming. The project transformed a long-time unmanaged regional ichthyology collection into a stabilized, standardized, and accessible scientific resource, strengthening the museum’s capacity to support biodiversity research, conservation awareness, and community engagement in Western New York and the Great Lakes region. The primary goal of the project was to stabilize and standardize the collection while increasing its research, conservation, and educational value. The scope of the collection contains samples from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and their tributaries. A few of the highlights include specimens collected in 1928 by the predecessor of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and specimens from the BSNS expedition to the Bahamas in the 1940s. A surprise find while integrating the collection was fish samples from the West Valley Demonstration Project, a nuclear remediation site. These were tested for radioactively and safely installed in the collection. The project also strengthened taxonomic representation in underrepresented but ecologically significant local genera, particularly Etheostoma, an important indicator of freshwater ecosystem health and environmental change in the Great Lakes region. The largest concentration of specimens in the collection includes samples taken from 1970s in genus Etheostoma and Lepomis, and the local family Leuciscidae. ILMS Grant funded project - MA-253193-OMS-23 asNeeded Paige Langle Buffalo Museum of Science Biology Collection Manager

Buffalo NY 14217 US

plangle@sciencebuff.org Abigail Hines publisher The Buffalo Museum of Science (BMS) was awarded $242,925 in IMLS Museums for America support for the rehousing, conservation, cataloging, databasing, and imaging of its fluid preserved Ichthyological Collection. This collection is of critical research importance as it documents the population of regional waterways. Previously in suboptimal conditions and lacking a comprehensive catalog, the collection was unknown and inaccessible for research and education. Comprised of material collected over the last century by the BMS staff, ‘orphaned’ collections received from retired university faculty, and voucher specimens placed at the BMS, the collection lacked cohesion and a comprehensive, uniform catalog. The work is now completed and data ready to be used. ILMS Grant funded project - MA-253193-OMS-23 2026-08-26T06:35:36.169+00:00 dataset Hines A (2026). Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences Ichthyology. Version 1.5. Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.vertnet.org/resource?r=bsns_fishes&v=1.5 1928-present 80f76193-3fe4-4170-966d-aa314fef9a7d/v1.5.xml