# The Freswhater fish-survey data resurrection project ![gillnet catch][1] Information on past biodiversity is getting increasingly important. We can't manage the present or the future without historical context. However, at the same time, we are currently loosing the historical data needed for doing the science for the future. Scientists and managers involved in the first surge of ecological sampling in the 1960ths and 70ths are retiring, and information from these samples gradually lost. Data from old (but also new-ish) sources are often stored in obsolete formats, stored on simple undocumented spreadsheets, preserved only in a hard copy, lack retrievable documentation, and have unclear provenance. The *freshwater fish survey data resurrection project* is an attempt to bring back “dead” data to life in a digital form stored and made awailable according to the [FAIR](https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. **Contact: [Anders G. Finstad](https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/anders.finstad) [1]: https://live.staticflickr.com/7431/27164498210_ee644a983e_w_d.jpg