The Fisheries Podcast

In this episode I chat with Nate Wiese, the current hatchery manager at the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Mora National Fish Hatchery. He works closely with Gila Trout which we cover in this episode after discussing a little of Nate's background studying hedonic price analysis of commercial fish farms and his background with the USFWS. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Some people fish their entire lives not knowing it's not the fish that they're after!

This week I again go back to an old friend in Iowa and interview Ryan Hupfeld. He is a large river research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Prior to his current position he studied Paddlefish in Missouri and on the Missouri River in Iowa. While working on the Missouri River he was also able to work on Pallid Sturgeon. Since moving across the state to work on the Mississippi River he has switched focus to the more common cousin, the Shovelnose Sturgeon. Ryan will soon be breaking out of his comfort zone and working with Yellow Perch on a project he describes towards the end of the episode. I also ask Ryan about a recent trip he was able to take to the U.K. through AFS. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Working on a large scale and taking an ecosystem approach is important! 

This week I chat with an old friend of mine, Jeff Kopaska. Jeff is a biometrician with the Iowa DNR Fisheries Division and has had his hand in a number of interesting projects that are helping biologists and anglers alike in Iowa. He is also very involved with the American Fisheries Society and is currently the president-elect of the North Central Division and a member of the membership committee, among other assignments. We discuss some of his view about the current state of the society and where he thinks we are headed in the future. We also discuss a neat story about how Jeff had worked with others in Iowa to restore and preserve a handful of original Maynard Reece paintings that were used to make various prints, like the one used as this episodes image. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: When you see an opportunity, take it!

In this episode of The Fisheries Podcast I chat with Dr. Hannah Harrison, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Guelph. We discuss the correct pronunciation of routes and data, cover what is social science and human dimensions research and how it relates to fisheries, which was a big part of her dissertation. She has just started her position in Ontario and we go over what she is hoping to accomplish as far as research projects go including a plug for her project Coastal Routes, more information can be found at www.coastalroutes.org. 
 
Main Point: Fisheries managers and researchers need to be better about communicating the value of their work to those who utilize and care about the fish!

In this episode of The Fisheries Podcast I chat with Jeff Conway, a hatchery manager at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery. We begin talking about his side hobby of restoring Toyota Landcruisers before moving one to his diverse hatchery career where he has raised a variety of fish. Now in Texas he and his crew is attempting to raise freshwater mussels in the hatchery setting. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Don't Be Afraid to Take a Risk!

In this episode we hear from Alec Lackmann who will very soon wrap up his Ph.D. work at North Dakota State University. While there Alec studied tundra pond ecology in the high arctic region of Alaska, specifically a variety of projects studying chironomids. We discuss those topics and his research before moving on to one of his side projects back in the Midwest. Alec, out of curiousity, began aging some more overlooked "rough" fish, one of which being the Bigmouth Buffalo. The first fish he aged was much older than he first thought which led him down a path of collaboration and validation. How old were these fish? You'll have to listen to find out!
 
Main Point: Bigmouth Buffalo are not carp! They are native to North America and are now the oldest freshwater teleost species!

In this episode of The Fisheries Podcast I chat with Tim Birdsong of the Texas Wildlife and Parks Department. We begin by talking about Tim's baseball career. We then start talking about Guadalupe Bass, that state fish of Texas, and all the work that Tim and his cooperators have completed in the past two decades. Towards the end we briefly go over some of the leasing programs that Texas has implemented to increase angler access to some of these newly restored bass populations. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Think Big Picture about Watershed Connections and Interactions!

In this episode I chat with Henry Foster about his 15 month long quest to get the Alligator Gar named the state fish of Arkansas. He ultimately succeeded, with the caveat that it be the state primitive fish, a fact that he is not upset about. We discuss his passion for gar and all things fishy. Enjoy!
 
One Point: Alligator Gar are not trash fish but important pieces of their ecosystem!

A few weeks ago I received an email from a listener wanting to know more about the issues the Minnesota DNR is seeing on Mille Lacs, so I reached out to Tom Heinrich. Tom and I cover some of the invasive species issues they are facing at one of Minnesota's most popular lakes and how those are affecting Walleye resulting in some closures of the Walleye season a few years ago. Things are looking up for Mille Lacs and Tom explains why and more in this episode. Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Management decisions not only consider science but also social input!

In this Selection Sunday episode I chat with Ryan Knotek about his experience playing college basketball at the University of New England while also doing undergraduate research. We then discuss his master's research and the work he is currently doing now at the University of Massachusetts Boston working towards his PhD. We then bring it back to basketball and have Ryan make a pick on who will win the NCAA men's tournament.
I have set up a bracket challenge group for both the men's and women's bracket so podcast listeners can compete against me and others to see who is the luckiest guess. The bracket group can be found on ESPN and is simply named The Fisheries Podcast or by clicking here.
I hope that you enjoy this episode with Ryan Knotek, hearing about all the cool projects he has been a part of and his basketball past. 
 
Main Point: Don't take your time in college for granted and it is important to leave no stone unturned in your research!

In this episode of The Fisheries Podcast I chat with three different graduate students from Iowa State University. The first you'll hear from is Brett Kelly, a masters student studying Brook Trout in the Driftless area of northeast Iowa. Next is Alex Bybel, who recently defended his thesis focusing on Topeka Shiner and finally Andrea Syliva, a PhD candidate evaluating the effects of catch and release bass tournaments on an Iowa reservoir. Enjoy!
 
Main Points: Try new things, find something you love and do it sustainably!

This week I chat with Rene Martin, a PhD candidate at the University of Kansas, studying deep sea Lanternfishes in the Smith Lab. We discuss the work she is doing with these fishes including a trip she got to take out to sea to sample these fishes. We then shift focus to the outreach she does on twitter through the hashtag #SundayFishSketch. Each week she will tweet out a theme and then her and many others will draw a fish based off of that theme. You can find her work by searching the hashtag or checking out her profile, @lampichthys. 
Enjoy!
 
Main Point: Reduce your use of plastics!