ASIH 1997 Joint Meetings

AFS-ELHS Workshop

"Application-Specific Computer Image Analysis Workshops."

WHERE: Western Regional Center, NOAA, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle. Building 9 Auditorium and Conference Room.

COORDINATORS:

• Darrel E. Snyder, Larval Fish Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 USA; telephone 970-491-5295; e-mail DESnyder@picea.cnr.ColoState.edu
• Peter Hagen, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, Alaska 99801-5526; 907-465-3054; peterh@adfg.state.ak.us
• Morgan S. Busby, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Bin C15700 Building 4, Seattle, WA 98115-0070; 206-526-4113; mbusby@afsc.noaa.gov
• Craig Pfaff (Manager--value Added Services), Dennis Kaill (Vice President--Marketing), Straton Spyropoulos (Manager--Sales Support Engineering), and Christian Erbe (Intern--Sales Staff), Optimas Corporation, 18911 North Creek Parkway, Bothell, Washington 98011; 800-635-7226 or 425-402-8888, extensions 130 (CP), 112 (DK), 122 (SS), and 138 (CE); craigp@optimas.com, dennisk@optimas.com, stratons@optimas.com

Use of computer image-analysis techniques in the study of fishes and fishery resources is steadily increasing and diversifying. The benefits of such techniques in investigations of the early life stages of fish are particularly promising, but there remain many limitations and problems, and sometimes just a lack of "know-how."

On behalf of the Early Life History Section (ELHS) of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), we are organizing and soliciting your participation in one, two, or all three of the following, application-specific, computer image analysis workshops, and a pre-workshop session, to be held as special events of the 21st annual Larval Fish Conference (part of the ASIH 1997 Joint Meetings):

Pre-Workshop Session. TECHNIQUES USEFUL FOR ALL THREE APPLICATIONS--Introduction to computer image analysis and image enhancement techniques most useful for targeted applications of these workshops. Leader: Optimas Corp.

1. OTOLITH AND SCALE ANALYSES--Recovery of age, growth, and other information (e.g., tags, stock identification) from otoliths of larval and juvenile fishes (also other bony structures or scales of older fishes). Leader: Peter Hagen.
2. SAMPLE PROCESSING--Automated or semi-automated counts and measurements (length or diameter frequencies) of batches of fish eggs, larvae, or juveniles. Imagine putting a tray of several dozen fish larvae under a video camera and with the press of a key, having the computer program capture the image, analyze the image for total lengths of all fish in the image, and export that data to a spreadsheet. One problem: how to automatically handle bent and curved specimens. Leader: Darrel E. Snyder
3. TAXONOMIC ANALYSIS--Automated or semi-automated taxonomic analysis for descriptive or specimen- identification purposes, perhaps using special utilities for structural measurements and counts, description or recognition of pigmentation patterns, and shape analysis or pattern recognition. Leader: Darrel E Snyder

PARTICIPANTS: These workshops are open to all interested persons but are targeted to those with at least some computer image analysis experience. When you come to these workshops, please be prepared to discuss problems you've experienced in applying image analysis to your investigations, share solutions to problems you've resolved, and perhaps offer some useful programs, macros, or approaches you've developed or refined. You may want to bring copies of specific macros or routines to demonstrate and share, image files to illustrate particular problems, and (or) some blank diskettes to make copies of useful utilities offered by others. If you have a particular approach or problem you'd like to more formally address to other attendees, please contact the specific workshop leader and we'll put you on the agenda.

Although some techniques or approaches presented and discussed in these workshops will necessarily be specific to Optimas or other image analysis programs, whenever possible, discussions should be generic, directed towards image analysis in general. Most techniques or approaches covered are expected to be adaptable to alternative commercial, in-house, or public-domain programs. For open computer sessions and demonstrations, the Optimas image analysis program will be installed on most Windows-based computers. However, participants are welcome to bring and load alternative programs or bring their own portable computers; one or more MacIntosh Computer will also be available.