Through the Ears of a Fish

by Ed Kluender, guest blogger

Ask a fish its age or where it's been and what it ate for lunch, and chances are it couldn't tell you.  It could probably hear your question, though, with the help of its inner ear bones, called otoliths.  Otoliths are one of the most useful tools in a fish biologist’s toolbox.  When removed and studied, otoliths can reveal a fish’s age, growth rate, and some history of where it’s been. 

Otoliths are similar to the bones in human inner ears.  They are three pairs of small stone-like structures, called the lapilli, sagittae, and asterisci (singular: lapillus, sagitta, asteriscus).  Otoliths are suspended in fluid-filled sacs, and as in humans, help with balance and orientation. 

Inner ear structure and otolith location in typical teleost fish.  The sagittae and lapilli are the two typically used for aging fish.  Source: David Secor, University of Maryland. 

Reflections on 2013

It has been a great 2013 for The Fisheries Blog as we've seen our audience grow, largely as our topics and writers have increased.  To finish up the year, we will borrow a concept from others and give you what you are truly craving—the best of 2013! 

But before we hit the highlights, listen to Patrick Cooney, a writer with The Fisheries Blog, give a presentation about how we approach scientific communication.  This was presented at the American Fisheries Society conference in September 2013.



Click Here to watch the Presentation!

Thanksgiving Fish: The Missing Ingredient

By Steve Midway

As many of us in the U.S. prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday later this week, a litany of traditional foods comes to mind: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie.  Indeed—in some form or another—many of these foods were present at the first Thanksgiving.  However, conspicuously absent from both the traditional shopping list and holiday table are fish and shellfish, which were most certainly featured prominently at the first Thanksgiving.

Pass the eel, please. (Source)

Top 5 Most Poisonous Fish!

By Dana Sackett

Many TV shows and nature guides have been dedicated to educating the public on the most poisonous and venomous spiders, snakes and even frogs, but what about fish? Unlike spiders or snakes, we rarely hear about which fish are the most poisonous (or venomous). This week we are dedicating our blog post to these hazardous fish.

(Cooney)

The Swimming Dead: Videos of Zombie Fish

By Patrick Cooney

Like an underwater horror show, I filmed dead fish swimming amongst the living last week in a coastal river of western Washington.  Or at least, the zombie fish looked like they were dead.



Nowhere is the "Circle of Life" more apparent than in a river during

Topless Mermaid Protestor Misunderstands Scientists

By Patrick Cooney

Mermaids misunderstand scientists that are presenting in hotel behind (source).

In the 1980s box office hit titled Splash, a scientist nearly goes mad while attempting to advance his cause by exploiting a mermaid. As if making a reference to the movie, but in a complete reversal of roles, a topless mermaid took to

Finding Nemo lied to your kids, and they will do it again in the sequel: Finding Dory!

By Patrick Cooney

The Disney film, Finding Nemo, lied to your kids!  Disney would simply argue that they altered reality to create a more entertaining storyline, but read below for the true story, and you tell me which you think is a more entertaining.

Disney forced them to hide the truth!

Why fishes need floods

In April of 2011, the river near my house was bigger than I had ever seen it. One afternoon I went to get a closer look at the flooding at a park near the dam. Although the park sat more than 20 feet higher than the normal river’s edge, water stood where children had played a few days before. As I watched luxury boats and floating docks bang against the dam, several loud splashes near the monkey bars caught my eye. A group of longnose gar was laying eggs on a patch of grass near the edge of the park!

Last week’s post focused on man’s success at reducing

What do your pet and my study fish have in common?

By Patrick Cooney

Question: What do Jackson, my mutt dog, and my research fish all have in common?

Besides both being incredibly photogenic,
what do Jackson and this Brook Trout have in common?

The Christmas Carp in My Bathtub

By Patrick Cooney

Taking a morning bath with my Christmas dinner is growing stranger by the day.

While many Christmas cooks will opt for an encore performance of a holiday gobbler or a stereotypical honey baked ham, I on the other hand have taken the challenge of raising a Christmas Carp.

Elaborate holiday fish meals are more generally associated with the Christian season of Lent when fish are the only acceptable meat to be consumed on Fridays, or during Jewish Passover with a delicious Gefilte fish.  However, in the Czech Republic and Poland, a Christmas Carp creates the centerpiece of a rich meal on the crowded Christmas table.  As a person who enjoys all things fish, this dish sounded like a worthy challenge.

Waterfall Climbing Fish

By Patrick Cooney

Patrick Cooney

     My perch atop a 100-foot waterfall affords a small break in the tropical rainforest canopy that frames a distant golden-sand Caribbean beach.  I crouch in the heavy humid air, anxiously awaiting the arrival of a fish that is reaching the tail end of an arduous journey incredibly disproportionate to the creature’s size.

    A drop of salty sweat slips into my eye and clouds my vision, but not before I catch a glimpse of what I trekked so far to witness.  Like being hauled up by a rod wielding angler, a turquoise and tangerine infused sirajo (“si-rah-ho”) goby defies gravity as it nears the crest of the waterfall from below.  This jewel of the river strains against the current, tenuously gripping the slick bedrock with a single suction-cup-like fin.  One wrong move and this sojourner will surely plunge into hungry mouths of predators in the distant pool below.  Little by little, the long distance traveler lunges forward, each a victorious step not only in the struggle to escape hungry mouths, but also to perpetuate the species in the face of drastic declines.

What is the Most Popular Outdoor Activity in the US?

Before you leave, be sure to check below for the

"Take a Kid Fishing Challenge"

where you could be rewarded
with a free rod and reel combo!

Question:

How do you entertain 16 children with diverse backgrounds for 2 hours without a single complaint?  

Answer:

Take them fishing of course!

What a catch!  Me and my wife teaching kids how to fish.
Isn't she a good sport?  (Photo: Josh Raabe)

Fishing Rises in Popularity

Recreational fishing is currently the most popular outdoor activity in the country according to a recent report, even surpassing running, camping, hiking, and biking.  Despite being incredibly popular, a sharp decline was seen in the number of anglers in the US from 52 million (2007) to 45 million (2010), giving worry that declines would continue.  Thankfully, 2011 broke the downward trend with a rise to 46 million anglers, indicating that 16.2% of the population went fishing last year!

Fracking Harms Fish Through the Halliburton Loophole



(Credit: Gasland)

 

  Before we begin to grasp the impacts of Fracking on fish, let's take a quick look at an energy boom that swept the continent and world more than a century ago that presented similar challenges.

   Like a scene in a cheesy 80's movie, my family pushed south on Interstate 5 on our annual journey through California's Central Valley in the family station wagon on a sizzling hot summer day.  As I peeled my sweat soaked skin from the fake leather bench seat, my parents announced we were taking a detour to visit the Iron Zoo.  I was crazy about animals, and anticipation of the zoo was probably the only feeling of excitement I ever experienced on what I consider the most boring stretch of road in America.