“It will look great on your CV!” I think any graduate student or postdoc has heard this before…usually after a mentor or supervisor has asked for you to do some sort of activity without any (or much compensation). In reality, it sounds fairly innocent; after all, as a budding academic, a lengthy and diverse CV…
2016 Readers’ Survey
What is it that you want to see every Monday morning from The Fisheries Blog? Fill out our short survey to let us know!
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…
Peer-review Survey Results!
About 2 months ago I asked all those willing and interested to participate in a survey about peer-review. As a refresher, peer-review is that activity that many of us undertake a few times per year where we anonymously evaluate the work of our peers. This typically happens in the setting of an author or collection…
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…
Drought and pollution
By: Dana Sackett As an environmental scientist I can honestly say that I am very concerned for the future of our planet and ourselves. I cannot emphasize enough the reality of climate change, that it is human-caused (and therefore that we can do something about it), and that we definitely need to do something about…
Twitter predicts citations of ecology research
As scientists, communicating our research is just as important as doing it. We are well-trained to use the scientific method—we make hypotheses, we conduct experiments, draw conclusions, and repeat. But if nobody knows about what we did, what’s the point? That’s the main reason The Fisheries Blog exists. We use a popular medium to communicate…
Fish biodiversity by the numbers
I was recently asked why I study stream and river fishes. Of course I rattled off several of the high points about threatened habitats, high biodiversity, and simply cool fish. But that question prompted me to reflect on why I do what I do, and I decided to go back to ‘square one’– the well-accepted…
Fused Jaws and Male Pregnancy: The fascinating world of horses and dragons of the sea
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….
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…
How long can fish live?
While a pet Goldfish has a typical lifespan of 6-7 years, your average aquarium fish cannot compare to these short-lived and long-lived species!
Peer Review Survey
Although this topic will not appeal to everyone, many of us in fisheries science participate in peer review—the process of technically reviewing the manuscripts of other fisheries scientists. This is a critical process for any science—we can only publish what is generally accepted and vetting, but it also takes substantial work. In order to understand…
Do fish have ears? And if so, what impacts do people have on their ability to hear?
By: Dana Sackett At first glance, fish don’t appear to have ears, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hear. While there are usually no openings on a fish’s head for sound to enter, they do have inner ears that pick-up sound through their body. In fact, many fish rely on their ears to find habitat…
Perch, bream, and sunfish–what’s the difference?
Perch, bream, and sunfish—same thing right? WRONG. Local names vary for these popular sport fishes, and this post is aimed to clear the water on such a confusing subject. So just what is a “sunfish”? Technically, a sunfish is any species in the freshwater fish family Centrarchidae (sin-tr-ark-i-day). These include black basses, rock basses, crappies, banded sunfishes,…
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…
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