All data collected through this app will only be used for research purposes. All research is done on the anonymous data. Your contributions will be used in various scientific studies seeking to assess the status of fish populations. For example, the data collected through FishSizeProject can help us assess changes in fish size, relative abundance, distribution of invasive species, fish diseases and parasites. Collection of sufficient data will facilitate better recommendations related to fish stocking and fishing rules. Data collected through FishSizeProject will not be used for commercial or marketing purposes. The Nature Research Centre may share the anonymous data provided by the users with other research institutions.
Username and email When you register, your username and first login information is saved in the database. The username and email will not be used for research purposes. We will use your email address to send activation links to register the account or in case of forgotten password. We will also send occasional (one every 2-4 months) communication emails with important app updates and information about fishing rules or how the data is used. You can always unsubscribe from these emails. You can share your catches or observations by announcing them on a public page available to other app users and, in the future, also seen on the webpage of the app. When you share your catch publicly, your username, broad location category, if selected from the observation entry page (e.g. Neris), catch date and method of obtaining the observation will be visible near it. Publicly available information on the catch can be removed at any time by clicking the "share" button for the second time. Then the record will be deleted from the app's public page and be visible only in your personal home tab.
Location data and photos When you log your trips or observations, the location associated with the uploaded photo is recorded and stored in the database. If the photo metadata does not have location information, you can select location manually or use your current location. Location information is obligatory to log your trips, catch or observations. To log a trip, catch or observation you must provide a photo. This is important to enable verification of the observations and their future use in machine learning algorithms. Photos uploaded to the app will be stored in the database.
Deleting your observations or account The users of FishSizeProject may modify or remove their records within two months of posting the record. This can be done by clicking on the record and selecting the ‘edit’ option. After expiration of this two-month period, the record will be saved in a permanent database, and no record modification will be allowed. This requirement safeguards the integrity of scientific findings, as modification of initial data can affect published research results. If you want to completely delete your account, please go to the user page and follow “delete account” steps. Upon deletion by the user of their personal account, all the user's personal data will be deleted, but depersonalised data about catches and observations will remain available for scientific research. Because all catch and observation data will be depersonalised, account deletion is permanent and not recoverable. If the user decides to create a new account again the old, depersonalised data about their catches cannot be restored into the new account.
How to contact us If you have any questions about the use of your data, please contact us at Nature Research Centre Akademijos g. 2, Vilnius, Lithuania lydekaipaliepus@gamtc.lt
