The Fisheries Podcast

This week, Preston chats with the Assistant Chief of SCDNR's Freshwater Fisheries Section Lynn Quattro. They discuss Lynn's meandering (riverine pun intended!) career journey and the myriad day-to-day responsibilities of an Assistant Fish Chief in a natural resources management agency. Lynn also highlights her involvement with AFS and how her role in the AFS Fisheries Administration Section has he...

On this weeks episode Brendan connects with Dr. Matthew Yates to talk about his work on GEN-FISH, a massive collaboration of researchers, professionals, and community-members who collectively worked to determine the location and abundance of Canada’s 200+ freshwater fish species, and measure how they are performing in the face of increasing (mostly human-caused) stressors.   Dr. Yates discusses th...

This week, Conrad spoke with Dr. Dylan Kiene, a postdoctoral researcher at Mississippi State University and lifelong angler turned fisheries scientist. Dylan shares insights from his Ph. D. research on Southern Flounder ecology, discusses a new Gulf-wide Cobia and Tripletail tagging project he's helping lead, and talks about bridging the gap between fisheries science and the recreational fishing c...

This week, Preston sits down with Tennessee Tech's Tom Miles and TWRA's Cole Harty to discuss the ongoing battle between Tennessee and Alabama. We aren't talking about football, but instead the invasive Alabama Bass and how it is impacting Tennessee's black bass fisheries. From competition issues to hybridization impacts, this nonnative species is a serious cause for concern for black bass manager...

This week, Elise chats with Katie Miller, the logistics and outreach coordinator for the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami! They discuss her recently completed MS research in sandbar and blacknose shark reproduction at UM and ongoing work on the Atlantic guitarfish with the Florida Manta Project, her career shift from education into marine science, some of the uniq...

On this weeks episode Brendan is joined by Colin Cassin, Executive Director, and Rebecca D'Orazio, Aquatic Invasive Species Team Lead from the Invasive Species Centre in Sault St. Marie!  This NGO has been working on aquatic and terrestrial invasive species issues in Ontario and Canada, and they're celebrating 15 years of doing the good work! Colin and Rebecca chat with Brendan on how ISC's progra...

From a chance meeting on a plane to recording a podcast episode, this week Conrad interviews wildlife biologist Adam Hensley. Adam shares how a childhood love for fishing evolved into a career studying fish, insects, and entire ecosystems—highlighting the power of curiosity, asking questions, and embracing a non-linear path. From switching out of criminal justice to discovering aquatic ecology, hi...

This week on the Fisheries Podcast, Alanna hosts longtime friend Shubham Mathur. Shubham, a Florida native, completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School. Shubham speaks about his time at the UM Experimental Fish Hatchery, working at Spring Genetics, and moving back into academia at Roger Williams University. The two talk cobia, Japanese olive flounder, a...

On this weeks episode Brendan sits down with Dr. Jérôme Marty, Executive Director of the International Association of Great Lakes Research & Dr. Kathryn Peiman, Executive Director of the Society of Canadian Aquatic Sciences to discuss their upcoming joint conference in Winnipeg happening May 25-29th! The four day conference is being hosted by the International Institute of Sustainable Developm...

This week, Conrad had the pleasure of interviewing two of his coworkers within the Marine Fisheries Ecology Program at Mississippi State University — Danielle McAree and Alena Anderson — to discuss their journeys through fisheries science, their graduate research on shark life history, and the unique experiences that shaped their careers. Together, they explored how hands-on fieldwork, data analys...

This week, Alanna chats with Fisheries Podcast guest Drake Ssempijja. Drake was born and raised in Uganda along Lake Victoria and is now a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology. Drake shares all about his work on Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Lake Victoria, some of the most important regional fisheries, and discus...

This week, Preston visits with SCDNR's head malacologist, Ericah Beason. They with the basics of describing what freshwater mussels are and why they are important, before covering the diversity of mussels and the threats they face. Along the way, they cover the formation of SCDNR's freshwater mussels program and how it has evolved since its creation. We hope that you enjoy this episode!   Main poi...

This week, Elise (IG: @elisemobranchii) sits down with Dr. Marcus Reamer, a Lecturer at the University of Miami, to discuss his research on communication and media as an invisible and influential force in conservation. They focus on his exploration of the media portrayal of North Atlantic right whale conservation and conflicts between various stakeholder groups, namely, New England American lobste...

On this weeks episode Brendan is joined by Jason Barnucz, an Aquatic Science Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ontario Mussel team to talk about his 30+ years of field work in Ontario working on species at risk, including his work on the ground floor of the then new Species at Risk program in 2002!  We also dive into Jason's new work with the mussel team, why he made the switch, a bit o...

What happens beneath the surface of an aquatic system is a world most people never see—but today’s guest is bringing that hidden world to life through science and underwater storytelling. This week, Conrad had the pleasure of speaking with PhD candidate and underwater videographer Graham Montague from the University of Vermont in a fascinating conversation that explored both his research and creat...

On this episode of The Fisheries Podcast, Alanna hosts Dr. Gretchen McCarthy. The two discuss experiences in oyster farming, Gretchen's time as a Hollings Scholar and her bivalve research, as well as her more recent work into kelp forests, polyculture systems, and the importance of ecosystems for major bivalve resources in New Zealand. We hope you enjoy this episode!   Main point: "People are a pa...

This week, Preston sits down with Dr. Mike Allen from the University of Florida. They discuss just a few of the myriad research projects that Mike has been a part of since getting to Florida, from the impacts of Lionfish to Florida Bass and from forward facing sonar to his current work with snook in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We hope that you enjoy this episode!   Main point: "Make your job...

On this weeks episode Brendan is joined by the delightful minds behind Gonzo Ichthyology, A Graphic Guide. This incredibly illustrated book is a hilarious guide on the history of ichthyology, anatomy, behaviour, evolution, and achievements of fish.  This book is absolutely filled with illustrations that are both surreal and hilarious.  This book is both engaging, funny, and absolutely Gonzo.  We d...

Conrad sat down with Michael Sipos, Florida Sea Grant Agent, to explore his journey from aquarium hobbyist to marine biologist—connecting his passion for science, sustainability, and the sea. From his master’s research on hormonal induction spawning in ornamental fish, advancing sustainable aquaculture practices, to his current work addressing invasive species and fishing education in Florida, Mik...

This week, Alanna speaks with Janelle Layton, a MS/PHD student at Oregon State University about her multi-faceted research on the famous grouper spawning aggregations of Little Cayman. Listen to this week's episode to hear more about Nassau, Tiger, and Yellowfin grouper, as well as learn about some of the unique methods that Janelle uses in her work, such as heat shock protein analysis and bomb ca...

This week, Preston chats with John Odenkirk from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. They discuss John's involvement with the Northern Snakehead introduction into the Potomac River, covering everything from the initial media-driven public hysteria to the current population status and the documented impacts (or lack thereof) of the introduction. They also discuss aquatic species that hav...

Brendan is joined by Joel Zhang, who is currently working on his PhD with Dr. Steven Cooke and Dr. David Phillip at Carleton University.  Brendan and Joel discuss Joel's current work looking at the impact of sanctuaries on local black bass populations, and how they used local angler knowledge to gain more information about how the fishery has performed over time.  They also discuss Joel's goals of...

This week, Conrad had the pleasure of speaking with his good friend, Natalie Ritter. Natalie is currently pursuing her master's degree in marine and environmental science at the University of the Virgin Islands. Her research focuses on the biodiversity and taxonomy of Apicomplexan blood parasites that infect coral reef fishes. They speak on the accessibility of scientific information and the benef...

Joining Alanna on the podcast this week is Dr. Emily Lester, a marine ecologist with an interest in coral reef ecosystems, predator-prey dynamics, and anthropogenic changes to animal behavior. Emily shares her experience working with the whale sharks of Ningaloo and explains the process to becoming a Fulbright researcher. Listeners will get a sneak peak of Emily's newest research on meeting goals...

This week, Preston catches up with Andrew Bade, the supervisor of the Warmwater and Coldwater Fisheries Management Programs for Connecticut DEEP. They discuss Andrew's education and career journeys, before diving into the history of introduced Smallmouth Bass in Connecticut. Andrew focuses in and shares the unique and cyclical history of Smallmouth Bass in one of Connecticut's lakes, as well as th...