The data I collected was retrieve from the SIS DATA folder called van_core.  The reason I used this was because it was already in IDRISI format, so I did not have to fiddle with bringing it into IDRISI format.  This dataset gave a great deal of information on various aspects of Vancouver Island, but covered various ideas about fish on Vancouver Island.  I am very interested in any thing that has to do with wilderness, so I thought that there was some information about fish in this file that I would use it.

    From this idea about fish, I thought of looking on the internet and seen what could be found out about fish on Vancouver Island.  There was not to much, but there were a number of places to fish and rent boats to fish.  From this, I thought that I was getting nowhere with this topic, so decided to look on the web at one of the map layer ideas that was given in the data set which was fish farms.  I did a search on fish farms.  I first thought that fish farms were used in the production of fish that were then transported to habitats and released to the wild.  This was not to be the case that I found out.  Fish farms develop fish and then sell them to people for consumption.  I was so shock by this idea that I had misunderstood for so long.  I don't know where I got the original idea, but it seems to be very wrong.

    The information about fish farms threw me off a ways so I wasn't really sure what to do with the information that was presented to me in this file.  There were the basic layers for example, of roads, rivers, hydrolines, landuse, watersheds, and BC Hydro.  I thought I could use all of these to give me a base for some kind of outcome, but what?  I asked Kim Newman, a friend of mine, what she thought I should do with these layers.  She said "Why don't you show the best place for a fish habitat?" And so ended my problems of what I should do with my data.

    I then looked again on the internet and found various things about fish habitats.  I found things from who will help build them and even the best places for them and where they are presently today.  Vancouver Island was not on the list for best places for habitat location, but with the evidence provided in my project, you will then see why I feel Vancouver Island has available spots for the development of fish habitats.

    Therefore, the main data collection I did was out of the SIS DATA folder that was called 355.  I then looked on the web to find various ideas about fish habitats with the idea from my friend Kim.  I then used my knowledge about fish habitats, ideas from the web, and the information from the SIS DATA file called van_core and developed an idea about where to put the best fish habitat.  This, I feel, provided enough research materials needs for the Geography 355 project.