A Tale of Science Communication, Biodiversity, and Increasingly Bad Fish Puns
The Day It Rained Eels
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….
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…
Fish: helping to balance carbon in the oceans
By: Dana Sackett, PhD Recent research has found that fish may be more important to the ocean carbon cycle than previously predicted. A compound called calcium carbonate, which is the main ingredient in the shells of marine organisms (coral reefs, oysters, clams, sea urchins, some plankton), is predicted to become more and more limited to…
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.
Vote! The Fisheries Blog Mascot Hall of Fame
How many sports team mascots can you name that are fish?
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…
Re-run: Legacy pollution, an unfortunate inheritance
With the 149th American Fisheries Society Meeting jointly in full swing with The Wildlife Society in Reno, Nevada this week, we decided a re-run of a previous post about a topic that could impact both fish and wildlife was appropriate. In addition, this post is timely as it puts the potential consequences of the recent…
Electrofishing: simplified explanation of voltage, current, power, and conductivity
What do drinking straws and electrofishing settings have to do with each other?
Repeat Spawner Series: Fisheries Science “Unplugged”
If a sturgeon leaps from the water and no one’s there to tweet about it, does it make a splash?
Sometimes it’s good to disconnect from the digital world and experience the natural world around us.
Dam Removal Way Down Yonder
The famous Chattahoochee River starts as a spring-fed mountain stream in the southern Appalachians. After it fills Lake Lanier with drinking water for Atlanta, it travels south through the Piedmont, forming the state line between Georgia and Alabama. As it makes its way over rocky shoals towards the coastal plain and the Gulf of Mexico,…
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…
Super Models of Science
By: Dana Sackett While the title of this article may bring to mind runway models in lab coats, this week I want to discuss those ‘super’ models that scientists use to describe, understand, and predict the world around us. These types of models allow us to better understand why an ecosystem is the way it…
10 Lessons Learned From Writing a Book About Fish
Guest Authors: Corbin D. Hilling, Derek A. Wheaton, and Donald J. Orth Editor: Patrick Cooney We are impatiently awaiting the September 24, 2019 release of the Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. We’d rather not admit when we first began thinking about this field guide, because we grossly underestimated how much work this little…
