There is a seemingly countless number of fishermen that somewhat religiously photograph the fish they catch. Or at least the good ones. Ultimately, these photos get shared on social media, sent from person to person by text message, circulated via email or simply end up clogging up hard drive space somewhere. A new initiative from Trout Unlimited, which they are calling 'TroutBlitz', seeks to put all these angler photos to good use by using them to help map native and wild trout populations across the United States.
How it all works is very straightforward. Using the TroutBlitz interface, anglers simply upload images of fish they've caught, identify the speices as best they are able and enter information about where the photo was taken (coordinates, water body, etc). Images and the information shared with them will be instantly compiled into a massive database for later use in countless research efforts.
According to Trout Unlimited senior scientist, Jack Williams, the images and information shared by anglers has "virtually endless" applications and will complement many existing efforts already underway by the group.