Guidelines for authors 
Example: These scientists, based on the collected 
data, concluded that the mortality rate of these fish 
had increased. [Incorrect. The scientists were not 
based on the collected data.] 
Example: These scientists concluded, on the basis of 
collected data, that the mortality rate of these fish 
had increased. [Correct. The offending participle has 
been eliminated and an adverbial phrase modifies 
the verb concluded.] 
Equations and mathematical symbols should be set from a 
standard mathematical program (MathType or Equation 
Editor). Equations formatted in LaTex are not accept- 
able. For mathematical symbols in the general text (a, x7, 
Tt, +, etc.), use the symbols provided by the MS Word pro- 
gram and italicize all variables, except those variables 
represented by Greek letters and the superscript and 
subscript parts of variables and expressions. Do not use 
photo mode when creating these symbols in the general 
text, and do not cut and paste equations, letters, or sym- 
bols from a different software program. 
Number equations (if there are more than one) for 
future reference by scientists; place the number within 
parentheses at the end of the first line of the equation. 
Literature cited section comprises published works and 
those accepted for publication (in press) in peer-reviewed 
journals. Follow the name and year system for citation for- 
mat in this section (i.e., citations should be listed alpha- 
betically by the authors’ last names, and then by year if 
there is more than one citation by the same author. A list 
of abbreviations for citing journal titles can be found on 
our website. 
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and com- 
pleteness of all citations. Avoid the use of multiple 
citations when a single citation sufficiently supports a 
statement; cite the work that first reported the informa- 
tion that supports a statement, not all of the subsequent 
works. Literature citation format: Authors (last name, 
followed by initials for first name and, if given, mid- 
dle name of first author; then list names of additional 
authors with initials before last names). Year. Title of 
article. Abbreviated title of the journal in which it was 
published. Always include either the range of page num- 
bers (for a journal article) or a total number of pages (for 
a book or other type of publication). List a sequence of 
citations in the general text chronologically, for example, 
“(Smith, 1932; Green, 1998; Smith and Jones, 2015).” 
Acknowledgments should be no more than 6 lines of 
text. Only those who have contributed in an outstanding 
way should be acknowledged by name. For recognition of 
other persons or groups, use a general term, such as crew, 
observers, or research coordinators, and do not include 
names with these terms. 
Digital object identifier (doi) code ensures that a publica- 
tion has a permanent location online. A doi link (which 
may include a doi code) should be included at the end of 
citations of published literature. Authors are responsi- 
ble for submitting accurate doi links. Faulty links will be 
deleted at the page-proof stage. 
Footnotes are used for all documents that have not been 
formally peer reviewed and for observations and personal 
communications, but these types of references should be 
cited sparingly in manuscripts submitted to the journal. 
All reference documents, administrative reports, inter- 
nal reports, progress reports, project reports, contract 
reports, personal observations, personal communications, 
unpublished data, manuscripts in review, and council meet- 
ing notes are footnoted in 10-point font and placed at the 
bottom of the page on which they are first cited. Footnote 
format is the same as that for formal literature citations. A 
link to the online source (e.g., [Available from http://www... , 
accessed July 2017.]), or the mailing address of the agency 
or department holding the document, should be provided 
so that readers may obtain a copy of the document. 
Tables are often overused in scientific papers; it is seldom 
necessary to present all the data associated with a study. 
Tables should not be excessive in size and must be cited 
in numerical order in the text. Headings should be short 
but ample enough to allow the table to be intelligible on 
its own. 
All abbreviations and unusual symbols must be 
explained in the table legend. Other incidental com- 
ments may be footnoted with numeral footnote markers. 
Use asterisks only to indicate significance in statistical 
data. Do not put a table legend on a page separate from 
the table; place the legend above the table. Do not submit 
tables in photo mode. 
e Note probability with a capital, italic P. 
e Provide a zero before all decimal points for values less 
than one (e.g., 0.07). 
e Round all values to 2 decimal points. 
e Use a comma in numbers of 5 digits or more (e.g., 
13,000 but 3000). 
Figures must be cited in numerical order in the text. 
Graphics should aid in the comprehension of the text, but 
they should be limited to presenting patterns rather than 
raw data. The number of figures should not exceed 1 figure 
for every 4 pages of text. 
Figure legends should explain all symbols and abbrevi- 
ations seen in the figure and should be double spaced on a 
separate page at the end of the manuscript. 
Line art and halftone figures should be saved at res- 
olutions >600 dots per inch (dpi) and >300 dpi, respec- 
tively. Color is allowed in figures to show morphological 
differences among species (for species identification), to 
show stain reactions, to show gradations (such as those of 
temperature and salinity within maps), and to distinguish 
