Department of Fish and Game DFG offices closed most Fridays
Aquatic Biological Assement
The mission of the ABL (part of DFG's Water Pollution Control Laboratory)  is to support
the use of biology in California's water quality management and assessment programs.

The ABL has four main programmatic units:

  • ABL Lab Program  Laboratory Program

    The ABL's laboratories in Rancho Cordova and Chico provide extensive expertise in freshwater invertebrate taxonomy.
  • ABL Data Collection  Data Collection

    Field sampling protocols include targeted riffle and multiple habitat sampling of macroinvertebrates, fish and algae as well as associated physical habitat and chemical monitoring.
  • ABL Research Program  Research Program

    The ABL has active research programs throughout California. Current research efforts are focused on developing IBIs for different regions, developing objective reference condition selection methods and establishing quantitative tolerance values.
  •   Bioassessment Enforcement

    Benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) data often provide a critical component to enforcement of state water regulations. The ABL provides techical and NRDA support for enforcement branches of OSPR and DFG.