Guest Author: Paul Anderson, PhD, Research Scientist, Mystic Aquarium Artist: Hannah Dean Editor: Patrick Cooney It is an honor to be invited to share my passion for a very unique group of fish here with you on The Fisheries Blog! In ancient Greek, syn = together, gnathos = jaws, and formes = of similar form….
Author: Patrick Cooney
Fish of the People: Summit Lake Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
by Guest Author, Erin Loury Amid snow-capped peaks in a remote stretch of sagebrush-covered Nevada desert sits Summit Lake, a watery refuge for the stunning and threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Thought to be the largest growing inland trout in North America, Lahontan Cutthroat can reach 50 inches and 40 pounds, though stories from mining boom…
Black Bass: How many species are there?
Guest Author: Tim Bonvechio; Editor: Patrick Cooney Black bass are the most popular freshwater sportfish in the USA. Their popularity as a sportfish has expanded their distribution from North America to around the world through human introductions. While Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass are arguably the most widely known and dispersed black bass species, there is…
The 7 Wonderful Gar of the World
“As useless and destructive in our productive waters as wolves and foxes formerly were in our pastures and poultry yards” ~Forbes & Richardson, 1920 “Overall, they look less like a fish than a medieval dart” ~Lawrence Payne, 2016 “They’re like an alligator with fins instead of legs” ~Solomon David, describing a gar to just about…
Building a Biological Station in Hurricane Hermine: Cedar Key
I type this tonight from Cedar Key, Florida during 60-mph winds and pouring rain from Hurricane Hermine. The University of Florida (UF) has construction underway on the new UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station. This Station is part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), and it will seek to improve the conservation and…
Fish Ninjas: Alaskan scientists swoop in to capture fish
In Alaska, salmon are king. As an organism and a resource, they are the pinnacle of cultural, financial, and ecological value. Scientists are going ninja to enable salmon to continue reigning as king over these waters for generations to come.
Sold! Visiting the only tuna auction in the United States
By Patrick Cooney SOLD! In the coldest room in Hawaii, it took just one minute and nineteen seconds for the 133.0 pound Tombo Ahi Tuna to sell for $9.20 a pound at 5:33 am on a crisp August morning. Before the end of the week, the $1,223.60 tuna will be eaten in a high-end restaurant in…
Biologists cut the faces off of fish to save streams (VIDEO)
By Patrick Cooney, Certified Fisheries Professional Scientists at hatcheries are cutting the faces off of fish as part of a program to improve the health of rivers, but why? Read on, and you will realize that this rather barbaric act makes scientific sense. Video by Patrick Cooney What do gardens and rivers have in common?…
How did Justice Scalia lose his argument that fish are “tangible objects”?
The Question: Are fish “tangible objects”? To you, the answer to the above question may seem simple. However, as you are about to find out, the answer to this question was an incredibly complicated issue for a Florida fisherman and the nine Supreme Court Justices. More than 10 miles off the West Coast of Florida, on…
Hostage Fish: The Bundys weren’t the first to invade Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Op-Ed)
The following is an Op-Ed by a fisheries scientist who resides in Burns, Oregon (and recently married a cattle rancher). This article is the author’s own opinion and is not affiliated with an official position of the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, nor the members of The Fisheries Blog. The author has…
Sea Lions and a Flying Fish to the Face
By Patrick Cooney, Certified Fisheries Scientist Just as my head emerged from the water’s surface, “WHACK!”. My ears rang with a sharp noise as I tried to make sense of what had just struck me across the face at the tail end my first night Scuba dive. The Channel Islands, often called the Galapagos of…
Fish That Light Up Your Season!
Illustrations: Hannah Dean; Author: Patrick Cooney and Abigail Lynch On this Winter Solstice, we hope to add a little brightness to your darkest day (for those in the Northern Hemisphere). Imagine walking your dog in the dark of night and not needing a flashlight, or scuba diving to deep depths and not needing to bring a light source,…
Fish or Treat: 6 Halloween Inspired Fish
Illustrated by Hannah Dean; Written by Patrick Cooney In October of last year we brought you fish that inspired scary Halloween costumes. This year we bring you a new gang of ghastly fish with Halloween inspired names. Vampire Fish Vampire fish have massive 6 inch fangs used to impale fish. Although vampire fish have a Transylvania inspired name,…
What creature defies science, carries your money, cleans the ocean, and produces buckets of slime?
By Patrick Cooney Take a look at a hagfish and see if you can find a single redeeming quality? You couldn’t find a redeeming quality, could you? I don’t blame you. Besides looking a little like the racing snail from The NeverEnding Story, the darn thing doesn’t seem to offer much. However, the little buggers…
Top 10 Books About Fish
By Patrick Cooney Every week in 1st grade, we made the march to the library to check out a book. One week, I harmlessly checked out a book about fish identification. Little did I know that it would be the start of my journey to becoming a fisheries scientist.I can still smell the freshly dried glue…
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