I was recently researching diadromous fish in Alabama, and came across a freaky old story about a a seemingly mythical incident near Birmingham. I did some digging, and found a newspaper article from 1892 that might just have an ounce of truth to it… It Rained Strange Eels New York Sun May 29th, 1892, p….
Category: Fun Fish Fodder
Mascot Mayhem and the O-fish-al Art Recap
In addition to amazing fish art and celebrating an anniversary, last month the #SundayFishSketch hosted a fishy mascot competition. In this post we will review some of the October themes and have our readers vote for the ‘best fish mascot.’ Some of the themes this month include the start of the fourth year of the…
The Duke: the little toy bringing big attention to non-game fish
Meet Duke Hollison, the little action figure who takes on big adventures. By changing the size of the angler, we believe Duke can highlight the importance of lesser known fish species to a wider audience.
SciComm, the Next Generation: a #GARkansas Update
Diversity in science communication is necessary for efficacy, particularly when a goal is to reach different audiences. Not only are diverse methods of delivery important, but diversity of communicators is important too.
O-fish-al Art Recap
This Month the #SundayFishSketch on twitter hosted some fantastic entries. Let’s go over the themes and highlight some of the artwork that was posted in September. The themes focused on subjects including cavefishes, hard to draw dark-colored fishes, and just in time for fall, cold water or cryptic leaf-shaped fishes. Continue reading for some brief…
A new fish in The Fisheries Blog tank: An introduction to myself, the #SundayFishSketch, and my future posts
When Friday morning dawns, many of the #SundayFishSketch followers ready their pencils and paintbrushes, eagerly awaiting the announcment of the weekly theme. A fishy theme that provides twitter artists, both inexperienced and skilled, a challenge and an opportunity to practice their art among their twitter peers. Although not a requirement to post a fish drawn…
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives preserves history for the future
The past is present at D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives in Spearfish, South Dakota. Guest blogger, Craig Springer (USFWS) shares insights on the facility is dedicated to preserving images, documents and objects related to fisheries conservation…
Repeat Spawner Series: How Many Species of Black Bass?
I was out on the bayou (Louisiana) with graduate students today, collecting fishes for one of their projects. We were targeting Spotted Gars, but ran into an unusual abundance of Largemouth Bass. This got me thinking about “the most popular sport fish” in the USA: the Black Basses. Although many anglers and fish enthusiasts are…
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?
How one scientist transformed scientific art
Art and science aren’t that different. Both require a deep level of curiosity, an experimental process, patience, and a high tolerance for failure. For me it just makes sense to blend the two, it’s a win-win.
Halloween’s greatest hits
It’s hard to believe we’ve been writing The Fisheries Blog for over six years. Over the years, we’ve been known to do a holiday-themed post or two. This week, we skip the traditional Monday post for a special wrap-up of Halloween-flavored posts over the year. Scary stuff! Way back in 2013, one of the first…
Facts and Fallacies: A Columbus/Indigenous Day Fish Story
We take a look at a very particular occurrence on one of Columbus’ return trips to the Western Hemisphere where he encountered indigenous people using, perhaps, one of the most interesting methods ever employed to catch fish.
Top Fish Books: Young Fry edition
From Swimmy to the Pout Pout Fish, this list of ten books are essentials for your young fry library…
SciComm, the Next Generation: #GARkansas
Science communication is surprisingly diverse, a necessity in order to be effective. “Scicomm’ers” engage diverse audiences (e.g. students, stakeholders, other scientists) using diverse methods (e.g. journals, social media, town hall meetings), but communicators themselves come from a variety of backgrounds, including ages. Over the past year I’ve been inspired by one of the next generation’s…
More Minnow Misconceptions
Today’s facts may be tomorrow’s fallacies. And last Thursday, I got a serious reminder that science is a progressive continuum of new discoveries, and not a static body of facts. I study minnows, and last year I wrote a post to clear up some misconceptions about minnows. Things like how many small fishes are called…
