Regional Perspectives

DÍAZ DE ASTARLOA, J. M.

Guelph, Canada

Workshop; Workshop on Global Fish Barcode Network (Fish-BOL); 2005

Fish Barcode of Life.

The societal benefits, scientific rationale and organizational strategy for determining DNA barcodes of all fishes, particularly marine species, were the subject of a “Fish Barcode of Life” (FISH-BOL) workshop held at the University of Guelph, June 5-8, 2005. Major support for this workshop came from the Sloan Foundation. The goal of this effort is to coordinate the assembly of a standardized reference sequence library for all fish species, one that is derived from voucher specimens with authoritative taxonomic identifications. The benefits of barcoding fishes include facilitating species identification for all potential users, including taxonomists; highlighting specimens that represent a range expansion of known species; flagging previously unrecognized species; and perhaps most importantly, enabling identifications where traditional methods are not applicable. The workshop included presentations from both the organizers and invited participants. The presentations and ensuing discussions centered on several themes: 1) a background perspective and scientific dialogue surrounding the Barcode of Life initiative and plans to barcode all fish, 2) enabling tools, 3) a review of prior genetic work on fishes relevant to this initiative, 4) enabling organizations, 5) an overview of key taxonomic issues, 6) regional perspectives, 7) organizational issues confronting the FISH-BOL network, 8) administrative structures and 9) funding. The Fish Barcode of Life effort will create a valuable public resource in the form of an electronic database that contains DNA barcodes, images, and geospatial coordinates of examined specimens. The database will contain linkages to voucher specimens, information on species distributions, nomenclature, authoritative taxonomic information, collateral natural history information and literature citations. FISH-BOL will thus complement and enhance existing information resources, including FishBase and various genomics databases. Given the estimated $200 billion USD annual value of fisheries worldwide, FISH-BOL will address socially relevant questions concerning market substitution and quota management of commercial fisheries. For the discipline of ichthyology, FISH-BOL will provide a powerful tool for enhanced understanding of the natural history and ecological interactions of various fish species. The specimens collected and data generated from FISH-BOL will also contribute to an ongoing synthesis concerning the evolutionary history of the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth. Finally, because the entire edifice of DNA barcoding collapses without accurate taxonomic identifications of reference specimens, the successful execution of FISH-BOL will serve as a powerful demonstration of the immense value of collections, museums and taxonomists to both science and society.