Fish enthusiasts Katrina Liebich and Guy Eroh journey across America on a quest to live with, live from, discover and enjoy ALL THE FISH: big and small, common and rare, beautiful and downright strange. Guests from all walks of life help dig into the latest science and bring their perspectives about fishing and how fish are woven into the fabric of communities and cultures. Listeners walk away from each episode with practical information about how to connect with and conserve our amazing, finned friends.
We want you to imagine a souped up tilapia the size of a tire, hanging by a buoy. Head to Mississippi to fall in love with the Atlantic Tripletail, a fish of many names ("sleepy fish" and "buoy fish") that can deliver a powerful kick on the end of your line. Katrina and Guy are joined by Trevor Moncrief and Eric Gigli with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Topics include where to find this fish, what's known about its behavior and preferences, fishing strategies, how it's managed, and how anglers can help contribute to a growing body of knowledge and appreciation for this very cool fish.
Meet Washington State's only freshwater endemic fish: the Olympic Mudminnow! Despite being found nowhere else in the world, many questions about this quintessential Washingtonian species remain unanswered! On this episode, you'll get to know the habits, preferences, and close relatives of this beautiful little ambush predator. Ecologist Lauren Kuehne is our guest.
How well do you REALLY know one of the most popular fish the USA? What's the science behind its neon blue stripe? Where does it come from? What conditions does it prefer? Katrina and Guy get curious about this freshwater aquarium fish that Americans love so much.
Meet the Butterfly Kingfish AKA Butterfly Mackerel: the hottest fish you've never heard of! This not-well-studied fish is the sole species in the monotypic genus Gasterochisma , and the oldest lineage of Scombridae (the mackerel, tuna, and bonito family). Katrina, Guy, and guest Fernando Melendez Vazquez from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City dig into the details about this large, endothermic oddball and the broader topic of warm-bloodedness in fishes.
Get to know the Redbreast Sunfish and catch up on some fan mail, where Katrina and Guy read listener's fish requests and feedback! Learn how to tell this fish apart from other sunfish species, where to find Redbreasts, and gain some excellent fishing tips.
Get to know the minnow that "has the most normal looking head of any minnow" - the Weed Shiner! There's a lot of mystery surrounding this overlooked native fish, which, in addition to being a tasty treat for sportfish like Largemouth Bass and Bluegill, can tell us a lot about the success of habitat restoration efforts. Guest Ben Patschull from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) tells an inspiring comeback story about this fish in "Pool 8" of the Upper Mississippi River.
Get to know the Gizzard Shad, a native fish that eats mud, feeds sportfish, and has something in common with birds! On this episode we delve into the ecology of this fish (including competition with invasive carp and positive interactions with native mussels), its nuanced role in nutrient cycling, and how the public perceives and interacts with Gizzard Shad. We've even got some math for folks who like working with numbers and want to optimize decision-making in fisheries. Our guests are Mike Vanni from Miami University and Richie Erickson from the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center.
Get to know the only surviving member of genus Empetrichthys, the desert-dwelling Pahrump Poolfish! This Nevada native is not nearly as well-known as its neighbor, the Devils Hole Pupfish, but similarly is endangered and endemic to isolated, highly specific desert habitat. In six seasons of Fish of the Week, this is the FIRST species we've covered in the family Goodeidae! Our guests are fish biologists Kevin Guadalupe from the Nevada Department of Wildlife's Native Fish and Amphibian Program and James Harter from our Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office. You'll get a slice of history, hear about a creative and collaborative conservation approach, and leave with hope for the future. You might also enjoy these episodes: S1:E46 - Devils Hole Pupfish: A Tiny Oasis S2:E14 - Rio Grande Suckers S2:E30 - Long Valley Speckled Dace: Cryptic Desert Fish S4:E39 - Owens Pupfish: Blue California Jewel S5:E19 - Rio Grande Silvery Minnow
Get to know the habits of the Blacktip Shark and why they aggregate so close to shore. Just in time for summer, Katrina and Guy visit with shark expert Stephen Kajiura from Florida Atlantic University about shifting baselines and why these sharks are adjusting their migration farther north up the East Coast. We discuss how scientists study these sharks, what drives their migration, beachgoing safety tips, fishing considerations, and what it's like to be a shark biologist. If you like sharks, you might enjoy these episodes as well: S1:E29 - Salmon Sharks S2:E42 - Goblin Sharks S3:E29 - Greenland Sharks S4:E23 - Pacific Sleeper Sharks S4:E30 - Blacktip Reef Sharks S4:E49 - Cookiecutter Sharks
The scene is set: two neighbors with very different ways of living. One is large, long-lived, free-to-roam, blimp-like. The other: small, shorter-lived, confined, butter-like. These are the people's fish, occupying international waters and places on earth that are quite impossible for us to truly experience from the perspectives of these amazingly adapted, beautiful fish. Get to know the "albatross" of the abyssal plain, the unfortunately (or fortunately?) named Robust Assfish, AND the Atacama Trench Snailfishes in our first ever compare and contrast episode. Our guest, Dr. Thom Linley, is Curator of Fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and co-host of The Deep-Sea Podcast. Other episodes you might like: S3:E25 - Mariana Snailfish: Trench Fish Extraordinaire S4:E13 - The Unassuming Bony-eared Assfish! Read more: Fishes of the hadal zone including new species, in situ observations and depth records of Liparidae: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063716300656 Independent radiation of snailfishes into the hadal zone confirmed by Paraliparis selti sp. nov. (Perciformes: Liparidae) from the Atacama Trench, SE Pacific: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12526-022-01294-0.pdf
Get to know the Gilt Darter complex! Katrina and Guy are joined by two guests from Yale University's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Tom Near and Julia Wood. They imagine sitting down with the five species (Gilt, Masquerade, Brassy, Western Gilt, and Russet Darters) over dinner to understand the identity of each fish and how they're doing, dig into what makes a species a species, the definition of a species complex, and how the advancement of biodiversity discovery is important to conservation.
This week we're heading to New England to get to know its very large, blobby, thick-tailed electric ray that's super cool but not well-understood. In this episode, we get a peek into the torpedo ray's personality and deep dive into the how-tos and value of rescuing and necropsying stranded fish. Guy ponders if anyone has used uterine "milk" to make a cheese and Katrina wonders about historical accounts of these fish curing migraines and gout. Our guest is Carol "Krill" Carson from the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance.
Prized for their blue spot and legendary as bait for big snook and other sportfish, the frowny-faced Fat Sleeper is valued wherever it is: judging you from your aquarium, breathing air from the top of its head while trying to avoid becoming candy for herons, predicting storms, or unlocking nutrients from mangroves to benefit the entire food chain. You'll learn how this fish is the ultimate survivor, where it lives, and all about its weird "storm minnow parade" and sticky eggs. Guest Eddie Perry joins from our Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office to build appreciation for this wonderful fish. If you liked this episode, you might also like "Florida's Remarkable Opossum Pipefish" (S5:E14)
In waters that are "just right" across America, you can find colorful, unfamiliar fish living on the edge. Embark on a weird treasure hunt with Katrina, Guy, and guest Matt Miller from The Nature Conservancy to learn about Central American Convict Cichlids in Idaho to feral fancy guppies in George Washington's Bathtub and Jack Dempsey Cichlids in South Dakota. We explore American's bizarre relationship with certain fish, as well as tips for travel to and fishing hot springs. Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale: we also learn how introducing unwanted aquarium pets into hot springs puts our own unique native fish at risk.
Get the latest scoop on Northern Pike in Southcentral Alaska with Alaska Department of Fish and Game guest Parker Bradley. While this fish is highly sought-after and valued for subsistence and sport in the regions of Alaska where it's native, it is causing problems for salmon in Southcentral Alaska where it's been introduced. We deep dive into a nuanced look at how species can cause harm when they're put into new places, and what's being done to detect and manage populations in a very large and logistically-challenging environment.
Get to know the Golden Redhorse! They fight hard, they're beautiful, and they're a great fish to introduce kids to fishing (soft mouth, no spines). During this episode you'll gain strategies to see their migration and catch/cook redhorse, identify redhorse species in your neck of the woods, learn how anglers are helping scientists understand more about these fish through an amazing piece of anatomy called the otolith and more. Our two Minnesota-based guests are Drew Geving (Native Fish for Tomorrow) and Alec Lackmann (University of Minnesota Duluth's Otolith Lab). Become the ultimate sucker lover by catching all of our sucker episodes! S2: E14 - Rio Grande Suckers S2: E15 - Ugiidatli / Sicklefin Redhorse S2: E22 - Bigmouth Buffalo S2: E41 - June Sucker S2: E46 - Blue Sucker S3: E5 + S4: E17 Razorback Sucker S3: E34 - Hogsuckers S3: E46 - Cui-ui / Pyramid Lake Suckers S4: E3 - C'waam / Lost River Suckers S4: E16 - White Sucker S4: E29 - Smallmouth Buffalo S5: E25 - Shorthead Redhorse
Get to know the Emerald Bowfin, one of two native species of bowfin found in North America! Always hungry and angry, this gamest of fish is a dedicated parent and will roll and jump spectacularly on the end of your line if hooked...and once landed, it about as close as you can get to holding a living dinosaur. Guests Griffin Blegen and Tyler Winter help Katrina and Guy dig into where this fish is found, its aggressive personality, how their dietary habits help you catch bigger bluegill, how to best cook bowfin at the water's edge, and why you absolutely should NOT throw this treasure on the bank like trash.
Get to know the American Star Drum: an abundant, silvery little bulldog-faced fish that feeds everything from popular sportfish to beloved birds and dolphins! Katrina and Guy are joined by two Georgia-based guests: Rachel Guy with the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve/Georgia DNR and Bryan Fluech with the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. You'll learn about the biology of this fish and other lesser-known drums, the key role of estuaries, the Estuarine Fish Monitoring Cooperative, and coastal Georgia's fish/crustacean ID tool "What's My Bait."
Travel to North Carolina with Katrina, Guy, and guest Tyler Pait to get to know the beautiful Brook Trout of the Southern Appalachians! You'll learn about the habits of these fish, where you can still find them in the south, how to safely approach a high-elevation Brook Trout fishing adventure, and how folks with non-fish day jobs are making a difference (and how you can too!).
Head with us to the abyssal sea floor, a fascinating and important place with rolling hills, rock outcrops, and amazing creatures drifting by and sticking out of deep, fine mud. This is where an abundance of fish with rat-like tails are feeling around and tracking the populations of surface dwelling fish above. Guest Jeff Drazen from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa joins Katrina and Guy to answer questions and help listeners understand what life is like at this depth.
