by Brandon Peoples The media likes to make a big deal about invasive species. We’ve seen plenty videos of jumping carp, documentaries about Red Lionfish, and photos of pipes choked by zebra muzzels. But what about the other aquatic invaders, the ones that sometimes sneak past the headlines…the species that may even be threatened in their…
Author: bkpeoples
The top 10 list of natural resources schools (is completely rubbish)
by Brandon Peoples Late this summer, an interesting link popped up on my Facebook feed: “The 10 best colleges for studying natural resources and conservation”. The list was put together by College Factual, a website dedicated to helping people find college programs that will improve their employment possibilities after graduation. I clicked the link, and was…
Biologists take over Twitter
by Anne Hilborn, guest blogger Many scientists (myself included) are initially suspicious of using social media professionally, thinking it a bit too show offy, a bit too much like tooting your own horn, a bit too much of a waste of time. However, many of us eventually discover it can be a great tool for…
Why are fish cold blooded?
A pretty simple question, right? But the answer may be a bit more complicated than you think. First, we have to specify what exactly it means to be “cold blooded” with a few definitions. We’ll start with the terms, endothermic and ectothermic. I’m sure you’ve got these down pat, as they probably were drilled into…
Invasive species recipes
by Brandon Peoples Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Eradication of most invasive fishes is rarely feasible. However, reducing the biomass of invasive species to keep them from getting a leg-up (so to speak) can be a lucrative alternative. Establishing commercial and recreational fisheries for invasive fishes can be a…
Giving back: a fisheries biologist’s mission
by Aaron Cushing, guest blogger Fisheries biologists love fish. It’s that simple. We all work long days in the summer sun to improve fisheries resources in lakes and streams across the world. In freshwater, we electrofish after dark to sample as many fish as possible to get the best data, often going to bed when…
ResearchGate: a love/hate relationship
by Brandon Peoples As someone who writes a science blog, I’m a de facto supporter of using social media to promote scientific research. Most folks know about Facebook and Twitter, and many scientists use LinkedIn to connect with one another. But a growing number of us use another social media platform—ResearchGate—that fills a unique niche in…
The Mystery of the Unidentified Fish Prey
What do fish eat? With regard to the non-native Blue Catfish in Virginia’s tidal rivers, this question is routinely answered as “everything!” Once these Blue Catfish grow over 23 inches, however, they shift to piscivorous (eating mostly fish) diets that allow them to grow to weights in excess of 100 pounds! These fishy diets wouldn’t…
Q-n-A: Marine Fisheries Observer
Bycatch from commercial fishing vessels is a major fisheries issue. But did you ever wonder how bycatch is estimated and accounted for? This week, we sat down with Mitchell Masser, a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) certified North Pacific groundfish observer, to get a feel for the importance of the work of marine fisheries observers….
Depletion boat electrofishing
by Brandon Peoples Boat electrofishing is one of the most effective methods of sampling fishes in lakes and non-wadeable rivers. Depletion boat electrofishing involves conducting several electrofishing passes while retaining fish after each pass. Hopefully, workers will capture consistently less fish in each pass. Depletion electrofishing allows biologists to perform quantitative population estimates, rather…
River roaches: The Quest to Better Understand Crayfish
by Michael Moore, guest blogger Some call them yabbis, mudbugs or spoondogs. But most of you know them by a different name: crayfish. My scientific introduction to crayfish was by another name–“ the cockroaches of the creek“; they eat everything and everything eats them!”This was the answer I received when asking a scientist about crayfish. Comparing something…
4 “must get” items for freshman fisheries students
by Brandon Peoples Did your high school counselor have any good tips for you when you said you wanted to be a fish biologist? Probably not. In this week’s post, I clarify a few misconceptions you may have about what you’ll encounter in the next few years. If you want to be successful, here are…
Advice for freshman fisheries students: join AFS
by Brandon Peoples Let me start off by saying that I don’t claim to be “successful,” or that I’ve “made it” in the fisheries profession. In fact, I’m still a student—just beginning the fourth year of my PhD studies. However, I can say that I’ve been active in fisheries science long enough to notice a…
Signature electrofishing moves
by Brandon Peoples In this week’s post, I break from our normal scientific articles to add a bit of field work humor with a comic. Non-lethal and incredibly effective, electrofishing is one of the most important sampling techniques in a fish biologist’s toolbox. But like any sampling method, electrofishing can be biased toward catching certain species…
Off-the-wall fishing derbies raise participation and awareness
by Don Orth and Brandon Peoples Decline in recreational angling is a major concern of resource managers in North America as agency revenues are tied to license sales and excise taxes on fishing and motorboat fuel. Anglers have many reasons to fish, and fisheries scientists foster this understanding by using angler typologies based on angler…
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