New app helps identify fish in Great Lakes states

wisconsinfishThink you know a lot about fish? The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a tool that could help even the most knowledgeable fish enthusiast identify and differentiate between species in the Great Lakes region.

A new smart phone application and online tool, “Wisconsin Fish,” helps users identify and learn about 174 different fish found in the state. Users can search fish by name or appearance, and find facts, FAQ’s and slideshows on the online version.

The free app was recently released by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, in collaboration with the university’s Center for Limnology and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The tool could also prove useful for identifying fish outside of Wisconsin.

“The app would be helpful in other Great Lakes states,” said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officer John Lyons, “but each state has a unique fish fauna, so the app would include a few species that weren’t found in the other states and miss a few that were.”

Approximately 95 percent of the species in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Wisconsin are included in the app, Lyons said. In northern parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio it would cover nearly the same, but only about two-thirds in the southern parts of those states.

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