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Editorial Standards

How Aquareap sources, verifies, and maintains scientific accuracy across 5,000+ species pages — including our expert review process and error correction policy.

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Every figure on Aquareap is traceable to a primary source. We do not estimate, extrapolate, or editorially adjust data from our source databases. When data from different primary sources conflict, we report the conflict transparently and defer to the most recently peer-reviewed source.

We treat corrections with the same rigour as original publication. When a confirmed error is identified, we correct the primary text, update the source citation, and note the correction date at the bottom of the affected page. We do not silently fix errors.

Primary Data Sources

Each category of data on Aquareap is sourced from a specific authoritative database. We do not mix or average sources within a single data field — the source for each field is consistent across all species.

Conservation

IUCN Red ListAll IUCN status codes, population trends, and threat classifications are reproduced verbatim from the IUCN Red List API

Nutrition

USDA FoodData CentralOmega-3, EPA, DHA, mercury, protein, and macronutrient data for edible species

World Records

IGFAAll-tackle world records including weight, angler name, catch location, and date

Food Safety

FDA / EPAMercury classification tiers and consumption frequency advisories for pregnant women and children

Sustainability

Monterey Bay Seafood WatchBest Choice / Good Alternative / Avoid ratings for commercially important seafood species

Stock Health

NOAA Stock AssessmentsNorth American commercial fishery population estimates and sustainability data

Taxonomy

FishBase / Catalog of LifeScientific names, synonyms, family classification, and common name equivalents in multiple languages

Biology

Peer-reviewed LiteratureEcology, morphology, reproduction, and habitat data sourced from ichthyology journals including Copeia, Zootaxa, and ZooKeys

Expert Review Process

All new species pages go through a multi-stage review before publication:

Data ingestionSpecies data is pulled from primary source APIs and databases, with automatic validation checks to flag missing fields or out-of-range values.

Editorial reviewA Aquareap editor checks data completeness, cross-references taxonomy with FishBase, and writes or reviews the species description prose.

Expert sign-offA qualified ichthyologist or marine biologist on our reviewer panel reviews the ecology, biology, and conservation sections before the page is published.

PublicationThe page is published with a source citation list, reviewer credential note, and a "last reviewed" date visible on the species page.

Scheduled updatesSustainability ratings are refreshed quarterly; IUCN statuses are synced when the Red List publishes a new version; mercury data is reviewed annually.

Update Frequency by Data Type

IUCN Conservation Status — Updated each time IUCN publishes a new Red List version (typically 2–3 times per year)
Sustainability Ratings — Reviewed quarterly against the latest Monterey Bay Seafood Watch assessments
Mercury & Nutrition Data — Reviewed annually against USDA FoodData Central updates
World Records — Monitored continuously; updated within 7 days of IGFA publishing a new record
Species Biology — Updated on a rolling basis as significant peer-reviewed literature is published

Reporting Errors

If you identify a factual error on Aquareap, please email editorial@Aquareap.com with the URL of the affected page, the specific field or claim you believe is incorrect, and the source you are citing. We investigate all reports and respond within 5 business days.

Confirmed errors are corrected within 14 days of verification. We do not suppress or silently edit reported errors — all corrections are noted on the affected page with a correction date.

What We Do Not Do

We do not adjust sustainability ratings, mercury classifications, or conservation statuses for commercial reasons
We do not accept payment for species page content or species ranking positions
We do not generate or estimate figures that are not available from a primary source
We do not use AI language models to write species biology, ecology, or nutrition content

Questions about our editorial process? Contact editorial@Aquareap.com