By: Dana Sackett A sea star is not usually the first example that comes to mind when picturing a voracious and fearsome top predator. However, many sea stars, the star-shaped echinoderms colloquially called “starfish” and often found in beach-motif decor, are just that: awesome top predators. Moreover, many sea star species are keystone species, or…
Take a seat at the (policy) table
While there are many “ingredients” in the “sausage making” that we call policy making, science can play an important role in informing those processes…
Good addition? Or bad invader? Chinook Salmon in South America
Throughout North America, ongoing resource management and restoration projects aim to conserve Chinook Salmon because their populations have been threatened by many ecological factors, including habitat change, high harvest rates, and hatchery influence. In contrast, these fish are known as an invasive species in the Southern Hemisphere, having been introduced (and continuing to spread) to rivers of the Patagonia and Magellan regions of Chile and Argentina…
Pet Fish or Alien Invader?
Although dogs and cats are the most recognizable pets in the United States, did you know, freshwater fishes are the most popular pets by number?
Removing migration barriers for Steelhead Trout
Pictures and videos detail the removal of migration barriers to Steelhead Trout in the Pacific Northwest.
Q-n-A: Fly Fishing for Redeye Bass
Last summer, I picked up a new book: Fly Fishing for Redeye Bass: an Adventure across Southern Waters by Matthew R. Lewis. I grew up fly fishing for native Smallmouth Bass in the Ozarks, and have been interested in going after our local Bartram’s Bass in the upper Savannah. I enjoyed the book immensely, and was just sitting down…
Gila Trout: A Native Trout Conservation Story
Plip. That’s the sound of a barbless beadhead nymph falling into a glassy glide of Mineral Creek, a headwater stream of the Gila River in southwest New Mexico. There’s a short drift over a stony run, barely time to mend your line. Then follows that transmutation of fish flesh to your forearm—the taut tug of…
Some unexpected consequences of hurricanes
By: Dana Sackett Hurricanes can devastate a coastline for all who reside there, people and fish alike (see previous articles by The Fisheries Blog, which detail these impacts here and here). Despite the devastation that hurricanes can leave in their wake, there are some species that, surprisingly enough, flourish as a result of these massive…
Connecting fish, rivers, and people
Like a clogged artery in you or me can cause a heart attack or stroke, a blockage in a river can have significant ecological, social, and economic consequences. These systems function best without barriers…
Clearly, the coolest fish in the sea
With its clear head and large green eyes, the Barreleye looks like an alien with a glass bulb on its head out of a sci-fi film…why does a fish need a transparent head?
