https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2740-7161
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Jason Link, Drive with the windows open, Fisheries, 2025;, vuaf035, https://doi.org/10.1093/fshmag/vuaf035
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When field sampling, the question to ask is does one have all of their contingencies accounted for?
One time I needed to sample fish through the ice in the winter on Lake Superior. And yes, it was as cold as it sounds. We needed to grab some Lake Herring Coregonus artedi to explore their overwintering ecology.
As we left the lab in a huge Suburban loaded with all our gear, I was brimming with anticipation. This was my first time doing such an excursion in a professional setting. Think ice fishing on steroids. It was a cold, windy, brisk day that makes one feel alive. It was the kind of sampling experience, and anticipation thereof, that is the reason many of us get into this business.
We had prepared for just about any kind of sampling option we needed. We had sleds; we had spuds; we had a power auger; extra gas cans; we had nets; we had rope; we had knives; we had jars and preservative; we had extra jar lids; we had a couple of coolers; we had sample labels; we had crampons for our boots; we had orange flags; we had notebooks, with pens and pencils galore; we had snacks, lunch, and a thermos of coffee and hot chocolate; we had extra jackets and blankets—even PFDs. It seemed like we were prepared for any and all contingencies.
