The purpose of this exercise was to use enrichment techniques acquired throughout the semester to isolate a pure cuture of a bacteria of choice.  Originally the group chose to isolate an extreme halophile (Halobacterium salinarium) from a salted herring with the use of a media containing a 25% salt concentration.  The group concluded that this media would be useful because it would select for exteme halpohiles with its high salt concentration and inhibit the growth of other organisms that cannot tolerate salt.  This was expected to work because the salt from the preserved fish would create an environment allowing extreme halophiles to grow and because the growth conditions that the streaked plates were subjected to were similar to the optimal growth conditions outlined in Bergey's Manual of Bacterial Methodology.  Although organisms were initially isolated from the fish, they died as the media grew more dehydrated.  It was also concluded that the paucity of bacteria on the plates and herring was the result of the fish's having been vacuum sealed in a plastic bag.  Due to a lack of bacteria as well as a lack of time, the purpose of the project was modified.

    In the second portion of the experiment, the group attempted to merely enrich for a salt tolerant organism that was interesting from a marine environment.  This enrichment was carried out through the use of a synthetic seawater media with a 3% salt concentration innoculated with samples from a fresh sea bass.  It was expected to work because it more analgous to the actual marine environment of salt tolerant organisms with its more moderate salt concentration and incubation at 37 degrees Celsius.  After bacteria were obtained, the goal was to identify and classify them through various tests.