Virginia Tech Ichthyology Class : Fries Hydroelectric dam

New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” Mark Twain

Many of my good intentions were realized in 2018. The year ended with the delivery of the completed layout for the Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia to Johns Hopkins University Press. Six coauthors (Paul E. Bugas, Jr., Corbin D. Hilling, Val Kells, Michael J. Pinder, Derek A. Wheaton, and Donald J. Orth) developed this up-to-date field guide to all the freshwater fishes of Virginia. The guide contains in introduction to the study of Virginia's freshwater fishes, a key to the families, 175 color illustrations, 29 color photos, illustrations of diagnostic characteristics, range maps, descriptions of the 225 species of freshwater fishes, glossary, and index. If you need to know what fish is also called the "Gaspergou," you can find the answer in this guide. Many fish facts are included in the species accounts and species newly discovered are included. Other publications are listed below along with several favorite blog posts and photos from Ichthyology class.

Poster presentation on Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Click for link.

Publications for 2018

Bugas, P.E., Jr., C.D. Hilling, V. Kells, M.J. Pinder, D.A. Wheaton, and D.J. Orth. In press. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. expected Sept. 2019.

Carey, C.S., D.J. Orth, and V. Emrick. 2018. Biological Surveys for Fries Hydroelectric Project in the upper New River, Grayson County, Virginia. Final Report to TRC Solutions, Reston, Virginia. Conservation Management Institute, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VTCMI-04-2018. 65 pp.

Fries Dam, Fries, Virginia, at low flow. Photo by D.J. Orth.

Dickinson, B.D., S.L. McMullin, D.J. Orth, and J.R. Copeland. 2018. Trotline catch rates vary by hook and bait type in the New River, Virginia. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 5:46-52.

Hilling, C.D., S.L.Wolfe, J.R. Copeland, D.J. Orth, E. M. Hallerman. 2018. Occurrence of two non-indigenous catostomid fishes in the New River, Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 25(2):215-221. DOI: 10.1656/045.025.0204 Link to DNA Barcoding video.

Hilling, C.D., A.J. Bunch, R.S. Greenlee, D.J. Orth and Y. Jiao. 2018. Natural mortality and size structure of introduced Blue Catfish in Virginia tidal rivers. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 5:30-38.

Moore, M.J., and D.J. Orth. 2018. Stories worth sharing. Fisheries 43(12):575-576. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10169 Link to Michael J. Moore video story My Dog Ate My Lab Notebook.

Moore, M.J., D.J. Orth, and E.M. Hallerman. 2018. Multi-metric conservation assessment for the imperiled Clinch Dace. Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings 58:31-56.

Orth, D.J. 2018. Social media may empower fisheries students via learning networks. Fisheries 43(3):130-138. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10034

Orth, D. 2018. Learning lessons about Lampreys. American Currents 43(3):11-16.

Orth, D.J. In press. Socrates opens a Pandora’s box of Northern Snakehead issues. Pages 000-000 in D. Chapman and J. Odenkirk, editors. First International Snakehead Symposium, American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.

Schmitt, J.D., B.K. Peoples, L. Castello, and D.J. Orth. 2018. Feeding ecology of generalist consumers: a case study of invasive blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA. Environmental Biology of Fishes DOI: 10.1007/s10641-018-0783-6

Stang, S.A., C.D. Hilling, and D.J. Orth. In press. Lessons learned from 35 years of students organizing the Mudbass Classic. Fisheries 44 https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10203

Outreach for 2018

Joseph Schmitt defended his dissertation and moved on to a position as Fisheries Research Biologist with the USGS investigating Lake Erie fisheries. Corbin Hilling was awarded a 2-year Virginia Sea Grant Fellowship to further his studies of the nonnative Blue Catfish in tidal rivers. See news release.

Corbin Hilling, doctoral student, received Virginia Sea Grant Fellowship in 2018.

There are new writings and activities on the outreach front. Stories about the non-native catfish appear regularly in a blog, managed by PhD student, Corbin Hilling, and Joseph Schmitt, PhD. The most recent was an interview with Captain John a recreational fishing guide for Blue Catfish on the James River. See ChesapeakeCatfish. Corbin Hilling recently taught a group of young 4-H students about fishes (see below) and Don Orth taught Master Naturalists in the Southwest Piedmont chapter about the fishes of Virginia. With Dan Goetz and Aaron Bunch of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, we organized and presented a Continuing Education session on Field Sampling Design and Statistical Power.

My lab coat was decorated with Gyotaku by a group of young students. Photo by D.J. Orth.

Illustration of the Atlantic cutlassfish, or ribbonfish, Trichiurus lepturus (above) and student's model (below). Photo by Corbin Hilling.

Favorite Blog Posts of 2018

Don Orth after presenting paper at Virginia Chapter AFS meeting in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Photo by Valerie Orth

The #25daysofFishmas hashtag on Twitter celebrated Great Lakes Fishes, thanks to Katie O'Reilly, who organized daily tweets since 2016. The Virginia Tech Ichthyology Facebook group joined in for 2018. You may follow the fishes highlighted for each of the 25 days of Fishmas, starting with the Mahi Mahi.

Photos from Ichthyology 2018

Species of Petromyzontidae in Virginia. Photo and illustrations by Hanna Infanti.

Students dissect a Walleye collected from New River. Photo by D.J. Orth.


Learning to distinguish the Moxostoma is given more than lip service. Photo by Taylor Comer

Pharyngeal arch removed from a minnow. Photo by Jared Rodenas.

Fish memes help us remember scientific names. Photo by D.J. Orth.

Cheers to 2019! If interested, follow our blog, join Virginia Tech Ichthyology on Facebook and/or follow Fluvial Fishes Lab on Twitter @donaldorth

Oprah Winfrey said the “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” At this year's end I chronicle the many transitions, accomplishments, and beginnings in the Fluvial Fishes Laboratory at Virginia Tech. This past summer, technicians Skylar Wolf and Hae Kim, graduated and began graduate programs at Oklahoma State University and West Virginia University, respectively. In March, Jason Emmel accepted a position as Fisheries Biologist with Solitude Lake Management, LLC.

Farewell for Jason Emmel (top, left) with (from left to right) Zach Martin, Joe Schmitt, Hae Kim, Skylar Wolf, Corbin Hilling Katie McBain, Jess Jones, and Don Orth.

Joe Schmitt is now a USGS pathways intern in addition to Virginia Sea Grant Fellow; he passed his preliminary exams this summer, scheduled a spring defense, and assists with field research on Lake Erie. Corbin Hilling won the Department award for outstanding GTA, and Hae Kim won the Skinner Award from the American Fisheries Society. I continue to expect and see great work from the many students and associates that work in the lab. Other awards received are indicated in photos below.

Annual College Awards Banquet. Skylar Wolf, Corbin Hilling (Outstanding GTA), Joel Snodgrass (Dept. Head), and Hae Kim.

Eric Hallerman presents check for Robert Ross Graduate Scholarship to Jason Emmel.

Eric Hallerman presents Robert E. Jenkins Undergraduate Scholarship to Skylar Wolf.

Eric Hallerman presents check for Robert Ross Graduate Scholarship to Corbin Hilling.

Skinner Memorial Travel Award Winners in Tampa, Florida. Hae Kim and former Hokies Dan Weaver and Michael Moore.

The lab members made numerous presentations for the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, New River Symposium, World Recreational Fishing Conference, Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Invasive Catfish Symposium. Many other talks were given wherever and whenever someone asked about fishes, such as the Master Naturalists and James River Rats.

In July, I attended the World Recreational Fishing Conference. Click here or tweets about the conference See photo of poster at this link.

World Recreational Fishing Conference poster session. Background.

Teaching Ichthyology continues to be the most fun activity and all lab members participate. Every year the number of members grow in Ichthyology on Flickr and Virginia Tech Ichthyology public group on Facebook. Students develop their voice and develop a Becoming an Ichthyologist digital story. View one of these. This year some favorite principles of teaching were shared on The Fisheries Blog -- see the Nine principles for instructors to help students learn.

Joe Schmitt, Jason Emmel, and Zach Moran with 40 kg Blue Catfish.

Papers and Reports

Carey, C., D. Orth and V. Emrick. 2017. Biological surveys for the Fries Hydroelectric Dam Project in the upper New River, Virginia. Final Report to TRC Solutions, Reston, Virginia. Conservation Management Institute, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. VTCMI-Technical Report-03-2017.

Dickinson, B.D., S.L. McMullin, D.J. Orth, and J.R. Copeland. In press. Trotline catch rates vary by hook and bait type in the New River, Virginia. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Hatcher, H.R., M.J. Moore, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Spawning observations of Clinch Dace in a mountain stream. The American Midland Naturalist 177:318-326.

Hilling, C.D., S.L.Wolfe, J.R. Copeland, D.J. Orth, E. M. Hallerman. In press. Occurrence of two non-indigenous catostomid fishes in the New River, Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist

Hilling, C.D., A.J. Bunch, R.S. Greenlee, D.J. Orth and Y. Jiao. In press. Natural mortality and size structure of introduced Blue Catfish in Virginia tidal rivers. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Martin, Z.P., S. Ciparis, P.L. Angermeier, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Impact of mining effluent on fish populations. Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, Blacksburg, Virginia. 87 pp.

Moore, M.J., E.M. Hallerman, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Densities and population sizes of Clinch Dace Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori in the upper Clinch River Basin in Virginia. Copeia 105(1):92-99. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/CI-16-506.

Moore, M.J., D.J. Orth, and E.A. Frimpong. 2017. Occupancy and detection of Clinch Dace using two gear types. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 8(2):530-543. https://doi.org/10.3996/022017-JFWM-01 Link to press release

Orth, D. J. in press. Social media may empower fisheries students via learning networks. Fisheries 42:

Orth, D.J., Y. Jiao, J.D. Schmitt, C.D. Hilling, J.A. Emmel, and M.C. Fabrizio. 2017. Dynamics and role of non-native Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus in Virginia's tidal rivers. Final Report, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Henrico, Virginia. 129 pp.

Orth, D.J. 2017. How I got where I am. American Currents 40(4):21-24. To subscribe.

Orth, D.J. 2017. Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West. Book Review Pacific Northwest Quarterly 108:36-37

Schmitt, J.D., E.M. Hallerman, A. Bunch, Z. Moran, J.A. Emmel, and D.J. Orth. 2017. Predation and prey selectivity by non native catfish in an Atlantic slope estuary. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 9(1):108-125. Doi: 10.1080/19425120.2016.1271844

Caitlin Carey, Research Associate, with Muskellunge captured on the New River.

New video media were created for a variety of purposes.

Learn Your Fishes Well -- to the tune of Teach Your Children Well
DNA barcoding -- an introduction to DNA barcoding and confirmation of the new Moxostoma introduced in the New River

Know all the fish -- parody to the tune, King of the Road, by Roger Miller
Say Croppie -- parody to the tune of Let it Be, by Paul McCartney and John Lennon
Accidental Gar -- parody to the tune of The Long and Winding Road, by Paul McCartney and John Lennon
My dog ate my lab notebook -- Michael Moore describes the stories contained in his lab notebook after his dog chewed on it.
My awesome science -- Created for Patrick Goff, Middle School Teacher, summer project on Why My Science is Awesome.

Undergraduate students Hunter Hatcher, left, and Allison Mosley, second from right, help Michael Moore, second from left, and Donald Orth count and identify fish collected from a southwest Virginia stream before safely returning them to the stream. Photo by Valerie F. Orth. see press release.

Rebecca Bourquin, MS student, studies the population genetic differentiation of the Clinch Dace in relation to barriers.

Chanz Hopkins, field and lab assistant with the Fluvial Fishes Lab, worked on the biological surveys for the Fries Hydroelectric Dam Project in the upper New River, Virginia.

Chanz Hopkins with a recent darter capture.

New projects for 2017

E.M. Hallerman, M.H. Schwarz, and D.J. Orth. Commercial production of selected native freshwater ornamental species. Award from NIFA, Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. Project will develop captive production protocols for Rainbow Darter Etheostoma caeruleum and Mountain Redbelly Dace Chrosomus oreas. Sara Sweeten and Caitlin Carey will lead this effort.

Integrative Science and Solutions for Freshwater Systems: Concept Paper - A plan to build a signature-strength in Freshwater Systems. Virginia Tech Global Systems Science Destination Area. This is a multi-investigator effort to enhance an interdisciplinary program whereby a holistic perspective of freshwater systems can permeate into VT-shaped students and bridge the gaps among water-relevant biophysical, social sciences, and the arts.

P. Bugas, M. Pinder, V. Kells, D. Wheaton, C. Hilling, and D. Orth. A Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Johns Hopkins University Press. Field guide will fulfill a longstanding need in nature education. Central and Southern Appalachians are unrivaled in the U.S. for aquatic species diversity, which makes this regional field guide extremely important. The book will teach the beginner how to identify the families and reliably identify the most common species with field characteristics.

Post-doctoral research associate, Sara Sweeten, displays a Jefferson salamander she raised in captivity.

In addition to student essays (example), we frequently post fish-related articles on Chesapeake Catfish, Virginia Tech Ichthyology, and elsewhere.

Catfish Now!