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Electrofishing Job Guide

Everything you need in the field in one place

Overview​

The Zero Desk Electrofishing (EFS) module streamlines your survey workflow by providing easy data entry while in the field, and professional report generation back in the office. This guide walks you through the complete job workflow.

Open Your Job​

  1. Click Jobs in the navigation
  2. Find your job (like EFS-9)
  3. Click to View in the side sheet to open it
  4. Click the Start Job button
  5. Go to the Work Summary tab

You'll see cards for entering different types of data.

Jobs listOpening a jobJob overview

Work Summary Panel

The work summary panel shows all the sections you can edit for this job:

  • Fish Metrics
  • Findings & Recommendations
  • Weather
  • Water Conditions (Visibility, Severity, Alkalinity, Temperature)
  • Targets

Click any section to begin entering data.

Work summary panel

Enter Fish Data​

  1. Click Edit on the Fish Metrics card
  2. Select Species
  3. Enter Length (mm) and Weight (lb)
  4. Click the Create button
  5. Repeat for each fish

The form resets the length and weight after each entry, but not the species. This allows you to quickly log your next catch.

Selecting species

Use the TAB key on a laptop or desktop computer for faster entry

The fish metrics selector is optimized for keyboard entry. After entering each field, hit TAB, to go to the next field. You can hit ENTER when you're on the create button, and your cursor will be dropped back into the length field.

Add Findings​

  1. Click Edit on the Findings/Recommendations card
  2. Search for observations (like "Insufficient structure")
  3. The finding you select will be added to the job
  4. Linked recommendations will appear automatically
  5. You can now add or remove individual recommendations
Findings section with data

Use Findings for Faster Reporting

Findings can help you generate your electrofishing reports faster by pre-populating sets of recommendations. Both findings and recommendations can be used in report templates.

Record Weather & Conditions​

Fetch Weather

  1. Click Edit on the Weather/Conditions card
  2. Click Fetch Weather to auto-fill current conditions (online only)
  3. Grant location access when prompted
  4. Weather description populates automatically
  5. Or type weather manually if offline
  6. Click Save
Weather card

Add Targets​

  1. Click Edit on the Targets card
  2. Search the catalog for target species (e.g., "Swordtail" or "Torpedo Grass")
  3. Click the Add button
  4. Or use the "Create ..." option to add a new target
  5. Click Save
Targets sectionCreating a target

Finish the Job​

  1. Click Summary on the Fish Metrics card to review counts
  2. Verify all data cards are filled
  3. Click the Finish Job button

Your data is now ready for report generation.

Completed job with activity log

Generate Reports from Completed Jobs

Once a job is finished, you'll see a "Generate Report" button on the work tab.

Quick Report Creation

After finishing a job, you can create a report directly from the job's work panel:

  1. Click the Work tab on the job
  2. Click Create Report
  3. The report will be automatically linked to this job
Creating report from job

Detailed Guides​

Fish Data Entry​

The Fish Metrics Selector Sheet is where you'll enter most of your field data.

Using the Fish Metrics Selector Sheet

  1. Click Edit on the Fish Metrics card
  2. The selector sheet slides over from the side
  3. Use the Species Dropdown (supports type-to-search)
  4. Enter Length (mm) and Weight (lb)
  5. Click Add or press Ctrl+Enter

Entry numbers auto-increment, and L/W ratio calculates automatically. The form resets for the next fish.


Editing Entries

To edit an existing entry: Click it in the bottom list. The form switches to "Edit Mode" with Update/Delete buttons.

Recording Environmental Data​

Weather Selector Sheet

  1. Click Edit on the Weather/Conditions card
  2. Click Fetch Weather button (requires internet connection)
  3. Grant location access when prompted
  4. Weather description populates automatically
  5. Or type weather manually if offline or GPS isn't available
  6. Click Save Weather

Advanced Features​

Working Offline​

Electrofishing often happens in remote areas without cellular service.

Prepare Before Going Offline

  • Tap the Sync button before leaving
  • Download job data, maps, and reference materials
  • Verify all resources are cached locally
  • Check battery and device storage

Activity Tab​

Switch to the Activity tab to:

  • View system logs: See history of all changes to the job
  • Add notes: Record extra information or observations about the job
  • Leave messages: Messages will visible to other users when you're back online

Useful for documenting unusual observations, species questions, or context that doesn't fit elsewhere.

Messages are not a live chat (yet)

When multiple people have the same job open, they will not see each other's messages in real-time. You can still refresh the Activity tab to load new messages from your teammates. It is not recommended to have multiple people work on the same job at once.

Job Messages

Type messages in the text box at the bottom of the Activity tab. These are saved with the job and visible to your team when they sync.

Messages are a great place to store internal notes and record additional information.


What Happens Next

Once complete, your job data is ready for report generation. You can either go to the work tab and click the Generate Report button, or navigate to the Reports section and create a new report from your completed job.