Working group III: Infrastructure Needs

1. Working group III: Infrastructure Needs Zooplankton collections Taxonomic Training CMarZ Network Website, Database & Species pages

2. 1. Zooplankton collections Whose collections should be on CMarZ? All available collections of zooplankton (institutions, universities, projects, museums) is outside the ability of CMarZ but we will advertise Nishida’s project on our website for researchers to send them their data. We will serve CMarZ related datasets. Please contact Nancy or DMO. General/ Metadata: Collection title, number of samples, general description, gear, areas, availability of samples for outside potential users, etc. *SSG members who will request plankton datasets from various areas:Ann or each SG mbr. will write to Network members to offer to serve data sets on cmarz. • Mark Ohman has already made a form (located in the science plan) for collection of information. This can be used for requests. • -Chris Reid and Sigi: Europe • -Ruben – S. America,: Chile, Argentina, Brazil (Ruben Lopez, Boltovskoy); INIDEP collections – Marina Sabatini. • -Janet- start electronic database of unsorted samples. Can contact people and get general information about their collections • Others- ?

3. 2. Taxonomic training • (1) Diverse expertise among trainees. • (2) Output from the training to CMarZ sample analysis is unclear. Getting many people trained in important task for CMarZ as called for by CoML. • In SE countries little chance to utilize the expertise after graduation. • Jobs are needed to make their investments worthwhile. • Cross-training – molecular techniques plus taxonomy – combined skills are being found to be useful. Some (a small amount) funds are available for cross-fertilization for students, scientists, etc. Also, DNA is popular so that may be the draw, a recruitment tool. • A ‘Legacy’ item is after care of trainees – jobs.

4. (4) Co-operation of CMarZ with these training activities: • CMarZ can offer some funds for travel by teachers but not for students or facilities. • Collaboration: CMarZ members as lecturers, announcement through CMarZ website, ask Network members if they might offer teaching expertise for training. Have this information on web. • To get further funding, international sources can be approached with the help of the 3 PI’s (Ann, Sigi, Shuhei). Tip - in proposals, highlight that there aren’t enough taxonomists to do the work. • Janet is willing to teach at taxonomic workshop. Who else on SG is willing? • SAFHOS is willing to have another training. Maybe one at WHOI?? SG should propose to run more workshops. • Chris Reid is willing to give advise on how to put on workshops, having run several successful ones. • It takes 2 years to plan and run a workshop so start thinking about this NOW. A plan through 2010 is needed now.

5. 3. CMarZ Network • Accomplishments: web site established • Challenges: very few responded. Slow growth. • Action needed: 1. Direct contact by SG members to invite people to join Network. Please get at least 10 members by end of Dec. 2. Add note on Network page: • Some advice: some of these experts are willing to check a small number of specimens for your identifications. They are all very busy and will not be able to identify large amounts of samples. They will need evidence that you have attempted to identify the animal yourself, eg. drawings and text describing your findings.

6. 4. CMarZ Database and Species Pages - the web • Accomplishments: database submission on species distribution at individual base in progress. • Challenges: slow growth. • Perhaps people involved in workshops could as an exercise, create SP’s with supervision of teacher – mainly endemic species. • Action needed: • (1) Direct contact with respective scientists by SG members • (2) Submission of good quality images by SG members and collaborators. • Add image credit info to database – author and year so it can be put into a caption. Right now, this information is part of filename and must be viewed in non-intuitive ways. • All SAFHOS images are freely available – mostly specimen photos. Plankton image library

7. (3) As for Species Pages • Listing all species names at first? This can be done but was not decided at this point. • Link to other established web-sites so people do not have to duplicate their previous efforts.