Bioblitzes facilitate non-native fish tracking and interagency partnerships data

Maintaining up-to-date information on non-native organisms' distributions and species composition can be difficult, especially when species cross jurisdictional boundaries that require interagency coordination. Herein I report on the use of tools that have been used in Florida over the past seven years to assist with tracking of non-native fishes. Ten Fish Slams, where professional biologists and graduate students come together to sample an area for non-native fish, have been held since 2012, which have included nearly 100 individuals from 20 organizations. Participants have sampled nearly 200 unique sites, capturing 36 non-native fish taxa. These activities have generated over 600 records for the U.S. Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database. Many of the specimens collected during Fish Slams are donated to natural history museums or used by researchers.