Welcome to Question and Answer Page for

FishGuts
A Multimedia Guide to the Art and Science
of Fish Anatomy, Health and Necropsy."

Developed at the University of Maryland
Aquatic Pathobiology Center


Supported in part by:
Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center (NRAC)
Maryland Sea Grant
University of Maryland Aquatic Pathobiology Center

What is FishGuts?

FishGuts is an interactive training program which has been developed to provide computer-based instruction in fish anatomy and necropsy techniques. The FishGuts program was collaboratively developed through the Aquatic Pathobiology Center, University of Maryland, by Dr. Andrew Kane.


FishGuts (version 1.0) is currently available on CD-ROM discs for both Macintosh and Windows-based personal computers.

Who should use FishGuts?

FishGuts could be of use to anyone who would need to perform a systematic necropsy (dissection) of fish in order to prepare specimens for pathological analysis. Users include veterinarians, graduate and veterinary students, fish health managers, interns and natural resource technicians.

FishGuts was designed to reduce the learning curve for doing first-time necropsies. FishGuts may also be used to provide a good review of fish anatomy and specialized adaptations seen in fish.

What's in it for me?

The FishGuts software is divided up into five navigable sections, each with separate subsections for your perusal. Users can naviagate to the different sections and subsections from the MAIN MENU. These main menu sections include:

Section 1: About FishGuts

· How to use the program (an animated narrative)
· Program credits and resources (including bibliography)

Section 2: Anatomy

· Differences worth knowing (special sense organs, poisonous and dangerous fish, intraspecific differences)
· External anatomy (channel catfish model)
· Internal anatomy (rainbow trout, bluegill and channel catfish models)

Section 3: Necropsy - This section comprises the bulk of the program, including over 50 QuickTime movies.

· External examination (non-lethal methods to examine a fish including anesthesia, general observations, skin scrape, gill biopsy, blood sampling, hematocrit and plasma protein, and gill function animations)
· Internal examination (sacrifice, systematic methods to dissect all organ systems and take samples for preservation and histopathology)

Section 4. Taking a case history

· This section deals with taking an organized case history specifically regarding fish.

Section 5. Sample Cases - An opportunity to apply the anatomy and necropsy materials with real cases! Both significant and incidental parasite findings are presented with each case.

· Weedy Sea Dragon
· Channel catfish
· Toadfish

Does my computer have to be special to run FishGuts?

The simple answer is no (although we hope you will find running the FG software "special.")

System requirements for running the FishGuts software (as with many multimedia applications) include access to a Macintosh or Intel-based computer (running Microsoft Windows) with a CD-ROM drive, 8 MB RAM, QuickTime (software to run the movies), and a 14" color monitor (640 x 480 pixels or greater). Most Macintosh computers with a CD-ROM drive are probably already "multimedia smart," and ready to use. For IBM-like computers, a sound board and video card are required to take advantage of the audio and movie portions of the program. In general, as with all multimedia CD-ROMs, more RAM and faster clock speeds (MHz) offer smoother program operation (particularly the movies).

How do I get a copy of FishGuts?

Collaborators on the FishGuts project included Sarah Poynton (parasitology), Robert Gray and Susan Zahorcak (multimedia design and programming), Bruce Molsky ("old-time" banjo), John Seebode and Victor Martin (video), David Carter and Steve Barkley (multimedia consulting) and David Cone, Howard Evans, John Gratzek, George Graul, Eric May, and Robert Reinert (additional media contributions and support). FishGuts was supported, in part, by a Presidential DRIF Award (University of Maryland at Baltimore), Benjamin Trump and The Office of Program Development (Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine), The Office of Medical Education (University of Maryland School of Medicine), a Program Development Award from Maryland Sea Grant and an expansion award from the Northeastern Regional Aquaculture (NRAC), subcontracted through the US Department of Agriculture.