The research projects in the Salton Sea and King Harbor were studies that involved identifying and counting zooplankton and fish larvae from water samples in order to make estimations about fish populations. The estimations, taken over a number of years, were used to extrapolate trends in fish population in these two areas and compare these trends to changes in use and environmental factors.

The "Bight-Wide" research project was similar to the above mentioned projects, but focused on areas potentially influenced by LADWP water-outfow. A wider set of samples was taken, including bottom samples, deep and mid-water specimen collection and measurement, and plankton studies.

The Fish Collection of the Occidental College Biology Department consisted of hundreds of specimens preserved (originally) in formaldehyde and labeled with genus and species information. In addition to the constant updating needed for the associated labels and files, the formaldehyde and formalin solutions used to preserve the specimens were replaced with alcohol in order to mitigate health risks.