There is already a US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, so why do we need a Marine Forensics Lab at Charleston?
With the availability of many new technologies, and the ability to answer questions that were unanswerable just a few years ago, the demands for forensic analyses have dramatically increased. Human crime labs deal with one species – wildlife laboratories get the rest! This is more than enough to overwhelm two laboratories. The Ashland laboratory focuses on terrestrial and freshwater species regulated by USFWS, while we focus on marine species regulated by NOAA Fisheries. We have interacted with staff at the Ashland Lab since its establishment, often exchanging ideas, techniques, and philosophy. They know our areas of specialization; we know theirs, and clients are referred accordingly.
Related Questions
- There is already a US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, so why do we need a Marine Forensics Lab at Charleston?
- Are the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) involved in the FESTF project?
- What is the Fish and Wildlife Service doing to restore the threatened Louisiana black bear?
