Love fishing? Help the USA track endangered species using FishBrain

Anglers across the USA are the most likely to come across endangered species, so why not harness their activities while trying and protect some of our aquatic animals? That is exactly what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the government agency in charge of animal & habitat conservation) intends to do.

The government organization aims to convince users to participate in logging sightings of species at risk. They are doing this by partnering with FishBrain, the largest social network for fishing enthusiasts. The application would feature a new section, allowing you to log sightings of up to 50 endangered species. This would be done during their fishing trips, which they already take and everyone can now benefit from.

Participating would aid conservationists and scholars in keeping track of how often a specific species is sighted, hence giving them an idea of population. In addition, they could keep tags on where the fish type is seen more often, its habitat and what we could do to improve preservation.

The endangered species will not only include aquatic animals. The final list adds other types of creatures protected under the Endangered Species Act. This includes fish (of course), birds, reptiles, amphibians and even larger mammals like the white-tailed deer. This means even hunters could help out!

You can go ahead and download FishBrain to be part of the action. By the way, the application is free to use, so you don’t need to worry about a thing! How many of you plan on helping out? Do you often find yourself in a situation in which you may run into rare animals? Share your thoughts, experiences and doubts in the comments below!