Report of the ESA Standing Committee on Systematic Resources in Entomology: Fee Charges for Identification

Abstract

There are several reasons for discussing the concept of charging fees for identifications. The subject is important to both users and suppliers, but has seldom been treated in professional journals. There is a great increase in demand for identification services from governmental, academic, and commercial sources to satisfy ecological, environmental, biological control, and other requirements. Furthermore, as part of the Entomological Society of America's (ESA) National Plan for Systematic Resources to establish service centers to provide identifications, it is necessary to know whether fees might pay for a significant portion of the costs of operating the service center. The amount of anticipated revenues from fees would be a factor in determining the location of a facility, the number of personnel, the specializations needed at the location, and the kinds of equipment and resources needed. On the other hand, if the activity is primarily subsidized by long-term grants or contracts with user agencies, then fees are less important.