The Fisheries Podcast

For the final episode of 2025 The Fisheries Podcast brings you an absolutely delightful conversation between Brendan and Dr. Nicholas Mandrak of the University of Toronto Scarborough on binomial nomenclature, the Committee on Names of Fishes, and most importantly, how and why fish get and keep and or change their scientific and or common names! Dr. Mandrak is a legendary scientist in Canadian circ...

This week, Conrad speaks with his friend Ryan Burch of @talesofthe48. Ryan is on an inspiring journey, traveling across the lower 48 states in a truck camper with his dog. His mission? To create a documentary about catching a fish on the fly in each state he visits. In the spirit of the holiday season, Ryan reflects on the kindness he's encountered from people across the first 24 states. He shares...

This week Alanna chats with Dr. John Mohan, a Conservation Biologist in Protected Resources at the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, about his work using chemical tracers such as trace elements and isotopes in fisheries science. The two chemistry fans talk about applications in species such as striped bass, Atlantic croakers, Pacific bluefin tuna, and a variety of sharks. John provides...

This week, a busy 2025, a lack of sleep, and possible procrastination result in Preston having to do a solo episode. He provides updates on his career journey since he was last on the show as a guest in late 2023. He then opens up about some of the personal challenges going on at home and he wraps up by giving out some of his top book recommendations in several science-y categories.    Main point:...

This week, Elise (IG: @elisemobranchii) hosts Dr. David Shiffman (@whysharksmatter), an interdisciplinary ocean conservation scientist whose research focuses on the ecology and conservation of chondrichthyan fishes, to talk about this week's COP20 CITES shark and ray proposals! David is a public science engagement specialist, an award-winning writer and educator, and author of the book “Why Sharks...

Brendan is joined by Dr. Kathryn Peiman to discuss the history of non-native salmonids in the Lake Ontario, and her current work on an opinion piece regarding the stocking of Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes.  Tune in to learn about the history of how long ago these fishes found themselves in Lake Ontario, how many times it's been tried, and the impacts that managing Lake Ontario for these salmon...

This week's episode showcases the result of when two dedicated fisheries biologists and passionate anglers come together to record a podcast. Conrad had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Erin Wilson, an avid multispecies angler and fisheries biologist. Erin has leveraged her passion and skills in her career, discussing how instrumental being an angler has been for her success in the fisheries...

This week Alanna interviews PhD candidate Ali Frey. Ali obtained her Bachelor's degree at the University of Rhode Island where she researched little skates and ichthyoplankton before working at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center. The two discuss Ali's current research into southern New England Atlantic Cod at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Scho...

This week, Preston sits down with Jeremy Risley and Eric Naas from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Black Bass Program. They highlight many of the important projects that the Black Bass Program conducts and their innovative process to formulate their statewide Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan. They also discuss the immense excitement that is building for the upcoming Legacy Lunker Progr...

Brendan is joined by Dr. Dave Roon from Oregon State University to discuss his work on modelling the effects of wildfire on fish and aquatic habitats in the Pacific North West. Dr. Roon and his coauthors have been using foodweb models to understand how changing fire disturbance regimes could impact aquatic life with an emphasis on fish.  Tune in to learn how fire can negatively and positively impa...

This week, Conrad had the pleasure of speaking with Madison Casey, a first-year Master's student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Learning from Anatomy, Morphology, and Phylogenetics Lab (LAMP). In their conversation, Madison shared the valuable perspectives she gained from her various fisheries jobs before pursuing her Master’s. These experiences were instrumental in shaping her caree...

In this episode Alanna chats with PhD student and plankton specialist Sierra Wachala. Sierra has studied larval shrimp in South Carolina, mysids in Wisconsin, and now lobster larvae in Massachusetts. The two also discuss Sierra's time as a NOAA Hollings Scholar, a research exchange to Alaska, and living and working in the field of marine science with severe allergies. Tune in if you are interested...

This week, Preston chats with the new Executive Director of The American Fisheries Society (AFS), Jeff Kopaska. They cover the unprecedented challenges Jeff has faced in his first year in the new role and the success of the San Antonio meeting in August. Jeff then discusses his innovative vision for how AFS can evolve to continue to meet the needs of its diverse membership base and to support fede...

Brendan is joined by Luc LaRochelle, a PhD Candidate at Carleton University where he's working with Dr. Steven Cooke and Dr. Andy Danylchuk.  Luc gives an update on what he's been up to since his last appearance on the podcast, starting off with a novel biologging tool he's created as part of his Ph. D work.  In addition, they discuss the who what and when of the novel biologger, work on gear size...

This week, join Conrad as he reconnects with his good friend George, the new owner of The Tackle Shop in Falmouth, Maine. In their engaging conversation, they dive into the impact of the striper fishery's status on George's business, emphasizing the vital role conservation plays in ensuring its longevity. They discuss how being a well-informed fisherman is key to effective conservation of our fish...

This week, Alanna hosts shark scientist Lindsay Graff. Lindsay has worked with countless shark species globally, from the Bahamas, South Africa, and Fiji, to Cape Cod. Lindsay is currently pursuing her PhD, with her dissertation research focusing on post-release behavior of young-of-year white sharks, sand tiger sharks, and dusky sharks. You may be familiar with Lindsay through her recent Washingt...

This week, Elise (IG: @elisemobranchii) chats with Cardiff University PhD researcher Chessie Mason as they discuss Chessie's career in shark research. They cover her role as the former Outreach Coordinator at the Bimini Biological Field Station, her Masters and ongoing PhD research in ecotoxicology, and the study she co-led with Project SIARC which was focused on using TEK from Welsh fishers to un...

August 9th, 2025, marked the 75th anniversary of US President Harry Truman signing the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Act into law. To help listeners better appreciate the impact the act has had on fish conservation activities throughout its 75 year history, Preston sits down with Paul Wilkes from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They discuss how Paul eventually shifted to the grants and fu...

Brendan is joined by Dr. Premek Hamr, a Canadian researcher who has dedicated much of his life's work to Canadian crayfish.  They discuss how he got his start in Tasmania on the largest Freshwater Crayfish in the world, to his work in Canada where he has specialized in life history characteristics of this understudied infraorder of amazing animals.  His work most recently has focused on invasive c...

This week, Conrad reconnects with his good friend Andre Ascura, a current researcher at Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory. Andre discusses his journey toward securing a Ph. D., highlighting the challenges he has faced and the similarities between his path and Conrad's. He reflects on his military experience, emphasizing how it shaped his leadership skills and discipline—qualities that have been...

This week, Alanna talks to Dr. Jessie Kittel, a research scientist at the Blue World Research Institute, about her path in fisheries from Oregon to Hawaii to Scotland to New England. Jessie's research using modeling techniques has varied from humpback whales to yellowtail flounder. Alanna and Jessie discuss the integration of her ecosystem based fisheries model into yellowtail flounder stock asses...

This week, Preston chats with Dr. Mark Scott from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Mark shares some of the unique projects that his statewide research team has completed over the years, including the pending launch of a web-based tool that will allow organizations to predict how changes to the landscapes could impact the biodiversity throughout the watershed. They wrap up the ep...

On this weeks episode Brendan sits down with Brian Beckley and Josh Murauskas for a deep dive into PIT tags - a small electronic device used in fisheries science for a number of interesting applications.  You're in good hands as Brian is the president of Voda IQ, a company that makes PIT Tags and Josh has used them throughout North America in a number of applications.  They discuss the what how an...

In this week's episode, Conrad had the pleasure of talking with Nick Haddad. Together, they delve into Nick's career journey and how it set him up to secure two dream jobs immediately after completing his master's program. The bulk of their discussion focuses on his experiences with the International Game Fish Association and his current role as the Sustainable Fisheries Communications Manager, wh...

This week, Alanna talks to Dr. Matt Mensinger, a postdoctoral researcher with the University of California Santa Cruz and The Nature Conservancy, to discuss his research on diadromous species. They discuss his prior work in Maine on American eel and Atlantic salmon as well as his current project focused on habitat restoration for endangered southern California steelhead in the Dangermond Preserve...