Recent literature of baseline studies on fish blood chemistry, physiology, blood cell abundance, and morphology are reviewed. Studies on possible sources of interspecific and intraspecific variation in baseline values of fish blood are discussed. A selected and annotated bibliography of baseline and temperature studies on fish blood is included in this report. Hematological methodologies for fish were developed and implemented in a study to determine the effects of stocking density on blood chemistry and cell morphology. The effects of culture composition on the hematology of adult bluegill were examined to determine the validity of using monocultures to characterize potential environmental perturbations. Results indicated that monoculture data were valid to use as controls. (ERA citation 08:047356)