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!

The Role of Social Media in Fisheries Science

Brandon Peoples (@FisheriesBlog)

Let me tell you a little secret: I don’t have a smart phone or keep up with Game of Thrones.  As a matter of fact, for a younger guy, I’m pretty old-school.  Accordingly, I was a huge skeptic of online social media…but I’ve always seen the value of non-technical communication in science. In fact, some people (e.g. M*A*S*H's Alan Alda) would even argue that communicating with the public is a scientist's foremost responsibility.

With success stories like Deep Sea News, Science Sushi, Southern Fried Science, and The Fisheries Blog, it’s hard to ignore the value of social media in fisheries science.  Even chapters of the American Fisheries Society are getting in on the action.  Hell, even this fish found value in the use of a smart phone!

Despite my initial skepticism, I recently began to understand the necessity to use social media or run the risk of quickly losing scientific relevancy.  That is why I started writing for The Fisheries Blog.