Index | Overview | Methodology | Coral standards | Fish standards | Calibration | Data processing | Data sheets AGRRA Training Aids The following training aids
have been found to be useful when training surveyors on the AGRRA protocol.
These tools may be freely used for such purposes but any other purposes
(including commercial uses) are strictly prohibited. To download the training
materials listed below, it is suggested that you right click on the links and
select the "Save Link (Target) As..." menu option. This will ensure
that the files will be saved with the proper filename extension. Copyright© NoticeThe images contained in the following electronic files are Copyright © Benthic
These tools may be used to
train surveyors on coral species identification and on the protocol used for
the benthic (coral, algae, invertebrate) component of the AGRRA protocol. Coral Frequency This
spreadsheet contains the coral species currently in the AGRRA database. Species
are sorted by decreasing sighting abundance. This can be a useful tool to focus
attention of the most commonly seen species. Benthic Training Course Currently Under Construction (Please check back this page soon). Coral Flash Cards These
"flash card" PowerPoint presentations can be used as an aid to commit
the species' names to memory. First an image (without name) is presented.
Advancing through the presentation (using the spacebar, right arrow key, or
mouse click) displays the name of the species displayed (and its 4-letter
code). Advancing again will display another species (again initially without
the name being shown). Since PowerPoint does not have the capability of
randomly shuffling the slides in the presentation, three variants of the coral
flash cards are available with random ordering of the images to provide some
variation. Additional images are added to facilitate learning the species and
not the picture. Coral Quizes It
may be useful to perform a pre-training and post-training knowledge assessment
to determine the species identification proficiency level before and after
training. To assist in these efforts, two brief (30 question) quizes are
available for use before and after training. These quizes contain the most
commonly sighted species. A quiz answer form is provided that may be copied and
handed out to those taking the quiz. Separate answer keys are provided for the
both quizes. U/W Coral List During
in water training dives it can be useful to have a list of the AGRRA species
printed in large type to aid in "show-and-tell" exercises. This list
can be printed out on a sheet of U/W paper and attached to a clipboard to
provide an easily visible list of the species that might be seen on a training
dive. Pointing to the name is quicker and more legible than scrawling the name
on an U/W slate. This list may be used by an instructor to indicate the name of
the species after it has been pointed out to the students. Additionally, it may
be used in buddy pairs of students to facilitate pair-wise training. Fish
These tools may be used to
train surveyors on fish species identification and on the protocol used for the
fish component of the AGRRA protocol. Fish Frequency This
spreadsheet contains the fish species currently in the AGRRA database. Species
are listed by family and are sorted by decreasing sighting abundance. This can
be a useful tool to focus attention of the most commonly seen species. Chapter
and page numbers in Paul Humann's REEF FISH Identification, 2nd Edition are
given for each species for quick reference. Size Calibration Worksheet An
important component of the fish protocol is properly placing a sighted fish in
the proper size category. Suggested practice for developing the skill of
estimating the proper size class is to measure several inanimate objects during
a dive and checking the estimate with an actual measurement. It is suggested
that this exercise be done in water and not on land as it is important to train
using the 25% magnification that occurs when viewing through mask underwater.
Surveyors should locate stationary objects (sponges, corals, seafans, rocks,
etc.) on a calibration dive and estimate (from a distance of a couple of
meters) the horizontal width of the object to the nearest centimeter. The
standard AGRRA fish T-bar marked off with black and white banding in 10 cm
increments should then be used to obtain the actual width of the object. The
estimated and actual sizes of these objects should be recorded on an underwater
slate. Surveyors should practice estimating objects in all of the size classes
and should use the actual measurements as feedback to tune their estimates so
that they can reliably place objects of varying sizes in the proper size class.
The fish size calibration worksheet may be used to record the surveyor's
calibration efforts for future reference or may be photocopied on U/W paper and
used in water as a data sheet while performing calibration exercises. Fish Identification
Training Course This
PowerPoint presentation and associated memory cues document are used to teach the
identification of the fish species counted as part of the AGRRA fish transects.
The fish memory cues document lists the common AGRRA fish species by family and
provides a brief description of the key identification features as well as a
mnemonic device (often silly) to help in remembering the species' common name.
This document should be printed out and given to the surveyors while they view
the training course on fish identification so they can make their own notes for
each species. The training course provides one or more images of each of the
species listed in the memory cues document (which the trainer may use for
narration). Surveyors should be encouraged to come up with other memory cues
and mnemonic devices that might aid in remembering the species' common names. Fish Flash Cards In a
format similar to the PowerPoint fish training course described above, a
"flash card" PowerPoint presentation can be used as an aid to commit
the species' names to memory. First an image (without name) is presented.
Advancing through the presentation (using the spacebar, right arrow key, or
mouse click) displays the name of the species displayed. Advancing again will
display another species (again initially without the name being shown). Since
PowerPoint does not have the capability of randomly shuffling the slides in the
presentation, three variants of the fish flash cards are available with random
ordering of the images to provide some variation. Additional images are added
to facilitate learning the species and not the picture. Fish Quizes It
may be useful to perform a pre-training and post-training knowledge assessment
to determine the species identification proficiency level before and after
training. To assist in these efforts, two brief (30 question) quizes are
available for use before and after training. These quizes contain the most
commonly sighted species. A quiz answer form is provided that may be copied and
handed out to those taking the quiz. Separate answer keys are provided for the
both quizes. U/W Fish List During
in water training dives it can be useful to have a list of the AGRRA species
printed in large type to aid in "show-and-tell" exercises. This list can
be printed out on a sheet of U/W paper and attached to a clipboard to provide
an easily visible list of the species that might be seen on a training dive.
Pointing to the name is quicker and more legible than scrawling the name on an
U/W slate. This list may be used by an instructor to indicate the name of the
species after it has been pointed out to the students. Additionally, it may be
used in buddy pairs of students to facilitate pair-wise training. If your internet connection is not fast or reliable, alternatively you
can send $ 5.00 USD and a self-addressed envelope to: Robert N. Ginsburg 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami FL, U.S.A. 33149 And you will receive by postal mail a CD with the files. The price
covers only the cost of the media, shipping and handling. The use of the information contained in the media is still subject to
Copyright © by New World Publications and Ken Marks Index | Overview | Methodology | Coral standards | Fish standards | Calibration | Data processing | Data sheets
© 2000-2006 - AGRRA |
