One of the primary goals of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Node (FAR) is to partner with data stakeholders to provide access to fisheries data through the FAR clearinghouse and geospatial web-based applications. Sharing data among the fisheries community provides a valuable opportunity for researchers, practitioners, conservation specialists, and the recreation community to work together to understand the challenges and opportunities and to develop new partnerships. Whether you wish to share data, develop metadata, or have a link to your fisheries web-based application, the FAR Team will work with you to help you explore your interests to participate.

Benefits of Sharing
There are many benefits to sharing your data with FAR. Data sharing opens doors to collaboration, increased information sharing, and enhanced approaches to conservation, scientific research, and recreational needs. Your data can help build a body of knowledge and help to support informed decision-making. In addition, your data will help educate others about fisheries and aquatic resources issues across the country. As a FAR data partner, you will also receive help in developing metadata for your data which you can store locally as well as through FAR. Through FAR, your data can also be integrated into GIS-based web applications. Finally, sharing data through the FAR clearinghouse will make your data readily accessible, offering you the opportunity to focus more on your work interests and research and less on distributing your data upon individual requests.

Share Your Data
Sharing data with FAR is easy! Just contact Andrea Ostroff (contact information at left). We are interested in data of all types, formats, and geographic extents. We can work with you to determine the best method for sharing your data via the FAR node and NBII. There is no charge for FAR to store your data and provide access to your data.

Contribute Metadata
If you have metadata or would like assistance in developing metadata the FAR team can help. FAR has trained metadata specialists who can help you create standard metadata for your fisheries data and add that to the NBII Metadata Clearinghouse.

Share Your Fisheries Application
Have you created a web-based fisheries application that you would like to highlight via FAR? Just send us your URL and contact information and we will work with you to integrate links to your application into the FAR website.