There are some weird fish that have the same name twice. We celebrate these oddities by turning them into fun art.
Author: Patrick Cooney
Rare, Weird, and Ugly Sharks
“If I only kept the dollars when we actually caught sharks, I’d be left with about $3.”
Invasivores Unite: Eat invasive species, save the world
Author: Patrick Cooney Artist: Henry Hershey (twitter: @spoonbill_hank; insta: @hanks_fish_art) Invasivore: A person who eats invasive species to reduce the ecological impact of invaders. Bad news Humans are to blame for the spread of aquatic invasive species across the globe. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) says, “Aquatic nuisance species are spread many ways…
Woman scientist of color blazes path for others
Guest Author: Christina Uh Editor: Patrick Cooney Resilience. What does this word mean to you? To me it means overcoming obstacles that obstruct your mission, your goal, your purpose. It is your ability to succeed in the face of adversity; it is your power to be adaptable, strong, and tough. I am of Mayan and…
A fish scientist’s 10 tips for surviving a hurricane: Lessons learned from Puerto Rico
Guest Authors: Zach Moran and Mackenzie Gunn Editor: Patrick Cooney On September 20th, 2017, Puerto Rico was directly hit by a Category 5 hurricane. We were on the island conducting research on fish and found ourselves unaware of all the proper steps to take ahead of time to prepare ourselves for the aftermath. Hurricane Maria…
Surviving the Hurricane: Science Center Nears Completion 1 Year After Hurricane
Despite the devastating impact of a Category 1 Hurricane just one year ago, the new Nature Coast Biological Station nears completion.
9 Key Principles for Instructors to Help Students Learn
Guest Author: Dr. Don Orth Editor: Patrick Cooney We are all teachers and learners, albeit too often flawed, slow learners. Here, pictured with a filmstrip projector, I listened as the Beatles sang “You say you want a revolution. Well, you know. We all want to change the world.” (John Lennon / Paul McCartney Revolution lyrics…
A Look Below: A Guide to Underwater Fish Photography
The ability to capture stunning images of life underwater has now become part of the mainstream when it was formerly but a rivulet.
What is Bowfishing?
Guest Author: Jason Emmel Editor: Patrick Cooney WHAT IS BOWFISHING? It’s not really fishing in the traditional sense. It’s not really bowhunting either. Bowfishing is somewhere in-between and the basic principle is quite simple. You spot a fish lurking in the shallows, carefully move in closer, draw back your specially equipped bow and arrow, take…
The Future of Field Notes
Guest Author: Jennifer Cochran Biederman Editor: Patrick Cooney My father was a field biologist, fish professor, and natural historian down to his DNA. Most evenings, he’d make his way from the dinner table directly to his chair in the living room. It was his spot – surrounded by not-so-neatly arranged stacks of exams to grade,…
Beavers are fish? During Lent they are, and so are other weird creatures.
By Patrick Cooney We know just how important fish are for all you folks waking up this morning with a raging headache after a Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday bender. Just ask McDonalds how important fish are during this time of year…they sell 25% of all Filet-o-Fish sandwiches during the 40 day Lent period. Besides fish, did…
Bring Out Your Dead: Donation of fish carcasses supports community
Guest Author: Henry Hershey Editor: Patrick Cooney Open up the chest freezer at a fish biology lab and you will find a frosty collection of funky smelling specimens: maybe an old green sunfish that did not quite break the state record, or a tote full of rotten walleye from an old gillnet survey. To a…
The 7 Wonderful Pikes, Pickerels, and Muskies of the World!
Guest Author: Sasha Doss Editor: Patrick Cooney Artist: Hannah Dean White Sox, Red Sox, Esox. People obsess more about one of these three “sox” than the other two. Only fisherpeople will know which one prevails. Studying Muskellunge has been such a wonderful experience. Many of my days over the past few years as a graduate…
The Road Less Traveled: Fisheries scientist working for power producing industry
Author: Patrick O’Rouke Editor: Patrick Cooney “So, you’re going to the dark side?” That’s a question I got a lot when I told my colleagues that I was going to work for a power company after five years as a state agency fisheries biologist. While I would laugh and play along when I heard that…
Black Bass Diversity and Conservation: The Challenge Continues
Guest writer: Andrew Taylor Editor: Patrick Cooney I. The Species Question In a recent article, The Fisheries Blog asked the question: How many black bass (genus Micropterus) species are there? As it turned out, the article demonstrated that the answer is quite complicated. That previous post highlighted the nine species that the majority of black…
The Fisheries Blog 