Why choose IdentaZoop?

Exclusive specialization. 

IdentaZoop is the only Canadian taxonomy service that exclusively processes freshwater crustacean zooplankton — Cladocera and Copepoda. This is not a side service or one discipline among many. It is the sole focus of the business.

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Extensive experience. 

Freshwater crustacean zooplankton have been the primary and enduring focus of Lynne M. Witty's professional career for over two decades — a continuity of full-time specialization that is exceptionally rare in Canadian taxonomy services. The focus has always been on producing research-quality data that has supported many peer-reviewed publications.

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Single Taxonomist, start to finish. 

Every project is handled personally by Lynne M. Witty — named on each report, with no delegation to junior staff. For multi-year monitoring programs, having the same Taxonomist process every sample, every year, eliminates a source of dataset variability that is difficult to detect and impossible to correct after the fact.

 

ZEBRA2 + Python — the only service of its kind in Canada. 

IdentaZoop uses ZEBRA2, the semi-automated processing software developed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, and is the only known Canadian service to have extended its capabilities with custom Python scripts. Outputs are tailored to each client's protocol and delivered as analysis-ready Excel files — structured for direct import into your analysis workflow, not a raw export that requires post-processing.

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Protocol flexibility. 

Six established protocols are currently supported, including Dorset (MECP), Bowen/GLLFAS (DFO), Cultus Lake (DFO), Simcoe Bythotrephes (MECP), MFFP/UQAM, and size-class. Customized methods are available for projects with unique requirements.

 

Canada-wide experience. 

Projects have spanned 8 of Canada's 13 provinces and territories — from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, and from southern Ontario to Inuvik and Great Slave Lake. That regional breadth means the species assemblages of your specific study area are likely already familiar.

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Built-in quality control. 

Having a single Taxonomist process all samples is a quality control advantage that compounds significantly across multi-year monitoring programs. ZEBRA2 logs every species assignment and body length measurement with precision. Python scripts validate and automate outputs, reducing manual data entry error. All client data are backed up in multiple secure locations — both SSD and cloud-based — and retained in perpetuity.

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Commercially insured. 

IdentaZoop carries $2 Million Commercial General Liability (CGL) and $1 Million Errors & Omissions (E&O) coverage — meeting the insurance requirements of government and institutional procurement.

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Government-ready procurement.

IdentaZoop is fully registered with the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario — meeting the formal contracting requirements of both federal and provincial procurement. A Business Number, HST registration, and Tax Compliance Verification code mean that institutional purchase orders are accommodated without exception."