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<br />Immediately upon arrival, the investigator should <br />quickly survey the scene and record the following <br />information: <br />1. Date and time of day. <br />2. Location: river, miles of river, lake and area af- <br />fected, county, nearby highways, cities, or other <br />identifying landmarks. <br />3. Name, address, and telephone number of per- <br />son who reported or first noted the fish kill. <br />4. Names of persons who can provide on-scene <br />information. <br />5. Time when fish kill was first reported. <br />6. Estimated time when kill began. <br />7. Water quality characteristics: <br />a. Dissolved oxygen concentration <br />b. pH <br />c. Water temperature <br />d. Conductivity <br />e. Color of the water <br />f. Odor of the water <br />INTERPRETING THE SCENE 11 <br />g. Salinity (if in an estuary) <br />8. Condition of each species of fish seen: live, mori- <br />bund, dead, or decaying. <br />9. Condition of other organisms in the ecosystem: <br />live, moribund, dead, or decaying. <br />10. Weather conditions of the day and previous day <br />and night, such as temperature, cloud cover, re- <br />cent precipitation, wind direction and speed. <br />11. Physical appearance of dead and moribund fish, <br />such as gills flared, mouths agape, spinal curva- <br />ture, excessive mucus, lesions, necrotic areas on <br />gills. <br />12. Any unusual characteristics, behavior, or other <br />observations of fish or other organisms, such as <br />excessively dark color, odd position of fins, <br />swimming at the surface, loss of equilibrium, <br />fish or crustaceans attempting to get out of the <br />water, excessive mucus, snails out of water on <br />vegetation, tadpoles piping at the surface, dis- <br />colored vegetation. <br />I <br />Fish that are affected by sublethal toxicosis, low dissolved oxygen, a heavy burden of parasites, or a bacterial epizootic <br />may move to shallow water, vegetation, or shaded areas. They usually ignore the approach of humans.