Fluvial Fishes Lab Year in Review, by Don Orth

Being alive in 2020 meant so many new experiences. The year 2020 was very likely the only year you will live through wherein the first two digits will match the second two digits.   But that is NOT what we will remember about 2020.  In my 2019 year in review I wrote about the nearly completed renovations of the lab.  See video and photo. That did not go as planned. By the time the lab was certified ready to occupy, I was sent home for teleworking as a nonessential employee.  I did manage to raffle off the Mexican Cowboy painting from the lab. But all supplies and equipment have been in storage since 2019. Authors of  the Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia were presented with Distinguished Service Awards from the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.  I received my first royalty check from sales of the Field Guide - and donated this to the Virginia Chapter which supported the work. Order yours now and it may be delivered in time for Christmas. Many planned events to promote the Field Guide were cancelled when COVID-19 began to spike. 

I will have many new memories of 2020.  

2020 was a year when “wear a mask” was a politically charged statement. 

Pandemic online teaching dominated.

How many times was I told "You are still muted." while in a zoom meeting?

Internet speed tests showed I’m not getting what I paid for 

"I can’t breathe.” — George Floyd, a plea to police officer, Minneapolis, May 25.

Watching recorded videos at 2X speed.  

 

Things I never thought I needed:

Subscription toilet paper

Liquor and wine delivery 

Noise-reducing microphone 

Teleworking as a nonessential worker

Unstable internet warnings

Zoom office hours

Virtual Happy Hours 

Netflix bingeing 

Mail-in ballots 

Amazon Prime becomes a good deal

Dog food deliveries 

After spring break, Ichthyology class was entirely online, so we invented virtual specimens, virtual labs, virtual field trips, and virtual lab practical exams. As I was rushed to master online teaching pedagogy, I reminded myself to stick with simple and reliable approaches rather than innovating without preparation. The Lab Notebook is one learning method that is well accepted, long standing, and low tech. Sketching what you observe and writing your observations in your own handwriting in your own words, is how we have always made sense of the world. It is an essential skill of all scientists. High tech tools, photography, CT scans, 3d models, and other visualization tools provide more information, but the Lab Notebook is what may be mastered in person and online. Each day’s observations were recorded, reviewed, corrected, and built upon. And when the education goes fully online, the student has the one constant, the Lab Notebook, to work with and share with others. When this pandemic is over and we return to field work, skills will transfer to the scientist's Field Notebook with observations, sketches, and data. We know that transcribing information has little benefit for learning. However, drawing has a strong influence on memory – even if the student has little artistic ability.  

Recalling his experience with Ichthyology, Sam Scudder was provided a wet, smelly fish in a tin pan by famous naturalist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873).  Take this fish," said Agassiz, "and look at it; we call it a haemulon; by and by I will ask what you have seen." Agassiz would then leave and return hours later. But Agassiz would say very little except “look at your fish!” Agassiz told Scudder “a pencil is one of the best of eyes. I am glad to notice, too, that you keep your specimen wet, and your bottle corked."   Rather than quit, Scudder would really concentrate and take his time in observing the fish. Because each stage of the process of looking at the fish forced him to concentrate and focus more. What Agassiz was seeking was creation of some orderly arrangement of many drawings and facts via observing the fish.  Just look at the fish! Or transfer these skills to other endeavors. Samuel Scudder went on to become a leader in the field of entomology and pioneered studies in insect paleontology. 

No field trip photo of Ichthyology students was possible in 2020. 

As all work became virtual, I reflected more on how we connect in meaningful ways in a virtual world? and How do we build trust in virtual worlds? As Yoda advises, “Do or do not. There is not try.”   Some thoughts were hastily summarized last summer, but my daily struggles continue to put these into practice.  I simplified my hasty thoughts into three essentials for successful conservation and successful online learning. These are (1) communications; (2) trust; and (3) shared understanding.  Each is more challenging to accomplish when students and others see me only as a talking head adjacent to the shared screen (below). 

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, 

and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” ~ Anais Nin

The message of The Lorax, Dr. Seuss (1971) is relevant today. 

In Fall semester, I taught the pilot version of Fish, Fishing, and Conservation, which is the only course about fish offered for non-majors. This course explores "Sensory perception, behavior, and consciousness in fish. Principles, as related to fish and why they matter, fish conservation ethics, food security, recreational fishing, and responsible fishing practices. Ethical reasoning applied to the contemporary issues of conservation and use of fish, such as subsistence fishing, fish farming, marine protected areas, highly migratory fishes, shark tourism, and ornamental fishes."  A syllabus may be reviewed by clicking here.  The course was taught online with synchronous class sessions. All the issues can be understood through a lens of ethical reasoning and planning via public trust principles (Hare and Bossey 2014). My attempt at organizing many seemingly disparate topics focused on encouraging deliberative dialogue. Deliberative dialogues build on the theory that democracy requires citizens to engage in ongoing deliberation on public matters.  Fish conservation and fishing conflicts provide many examples of wicked problems in which participants must learn how to reduce inherent tensions while engaged in problem solving.  Everyday people are part of the dialogues about fishing policy, so we all must be competent in developing and critiquing arguments and detecting logical fallacies and myths (Guişu and  Tindale 2018; Shiffman et al. 2020). We must be the ones who speak for the fishes.  No doubt, my biggest challenge in this first-time offering was my inability to read the faces of students. I could not longer stop and say "Archie [not his real name], you look confused. What questions do you have?" Instead, students were surprised and rattled when I said "Jenny [not her real name], unmute and tell us your thoughts on the chapter." It did not go as hoped, but that is okay. 

A 41-kg Blue Catfish captured from the Rappahannock River is among the trophy-sized catfish that make this and other rivers destination fisheries. Photo credit: Jason Emmel. This photo was published in the Orth et al. 2020 essay.

Fish and fishing have been represented in art for at least 14,000 years in cave paintings by Cro-Magnon people. The Greek God, Poseidon, was often depicted riding a creature that was half horse and half fish.  Ancient art may even serve fish conservation; see this unique article. One assignment in Fish, Fishing, and Conservation engaged students in understanding fish and fishing through existing works of art. At least six functions for art in society (Jackson 2012) have been proposed: 

Art for Delight 
Art as Commentary 
Art in Worship and Ritual
Art for Commemoration 
Art for Persuasion 
Art as Self-Expression

Students explored these functions via artistic depictions of fish near or in the water, at the market, or on the kitchen table, in addition to fishing from many areas (see Bluefin tuna fishing below). 

Bluefin tuna fishing in the Roman city of Baelo Claudia, 2nd century B.C., 

Artist Lineke Zubieta (Santander, Spain) 

New Publications  

Bourquin, R.M., D. J. Orth, E. M. Hallerman, and D. F. Stauffer. 2020. Are road crossing fragmenting populations of Clinch Dace. Northeastern Naturalist 27(4):709-722.

Bourquin, R.M., E.M. Hallerman, M.J. Moore, and D.J. Orth. 2020. Conservation genetics of Clinch Dace Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori. Ichthyology and Herpetology (formerly Copeia) Accepted pending revision

Hilling, C.D., Y. Jiao, A.J. Bunch, R.S. Greenlee, J.D. Schmitt, and D.J. Orth. 2020. Long-term Declining growth trajectories of invasive Blue Catfish in four tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. North American Journal of Fisheries Management  

Martin, Z.P., P.L. Angermeier, S. Ciparis, and D.J. Orth. 2020. Coal-mining intensity influences species and trait distributions of stream fishes in two Central Appalachian watersheds. Ecology of Freshwater Fish Early View

Orth, D.J., J.D. Schmidt, and C.D. Hilling. 2020. Hyperbole, simile, metaphor, invasivore: Messaging about the non-native Blue Catfish expansion. Fisheries 45(12): DOI:10.1002/fsh.10502

Schmitt, J.D., and D.J. Orth. 2020. Estimates of food consumption rates for invasive Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society Accepted pending revision

New Grant Awards

Castello, Leandro, et al. National Science Foundation, Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems.  Understanding cross-scale institutional and ecological feedbacks on the sustainability of freshwater fisheries.  (2020-2025) 

The broader impacts portion of this grant will develop education modules to teach the multifaceted nature of fisheries as an integrated set of fish-environment-people-society interactions that can only be understood or managed through consideration of all their components.   Connections between students, academics, policy makers, and fisher communities will be facilitated through social media. 

Orth, D.J., and A.R. Walz.  Creation of Open Textbook: Fish, Fishing, and Conservation (2020-2022)

New Popular Articles

Orth, D.J. 2020. BOOK REVIEW: Grab Your Mask and Snorkel and Get Ready for a Wet and Wild Adventure. American Currents 45(3):4-5.

Orth, D.J. 2020. A fishy enigma named Pirate Perch. American Currents 45(2):8-10.

Orth, D.J. 2020. Who you callin’ “Chubby?” Chubsuckers are too cool to care. American Currents 45(1):28-31

The all-time most accessed blog post was once again "Mythology of the baby doll head," which you can read by clicking here. 

Motivated by the George Floyd murder and subsequent black lives matter protests, a coalition of alumni, current students, faculty, and related individuals developed a petition for changes desired in our college. This helped to showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests happening across the country.  This has been a long running issue that will not be solved anytime soon. In my day-one introduction to students, I shared my first experiences with riots -- the Chicago Freedom Movement march, August 5, 1966.  The movement inspired the Fair Housing Act of 1968. During this time of riots, Martin Luther King, Jr., said that "a riot is the language of the unheard." I think of that often when people ask "why are people rioting?" The petition started by our students, alumni, staff, and faculty did raise the level of dialogue in our College. That is a good thing.  We all have a need to feel heard.

Steve Gough, river  scientist, environmentalist, inventor and designer (1958-2020) R.I.P.

I was saddened by the death of Steve Gough, friend and fellow river scientist. Steve died on November 2nd, 2020.  Steve was a talented river scientist who did significant stream restoration work and invented the Emriver dynamic stream model and founded Little River Research and Design.  Steve recognized that static design drawings for stream restoration projects were entirely inadequate for planning and education.  Consequently, he invented much-needed dynamic stream models and educational videos. The Emriver model is used by students, scientists, and practitioners around the world for geomorphic simulation, research, and education. His legacy lives on in so many miles of stream values restored through reasonable cost designs and untold numbers of persons enlightened and empowered through his inventions and workshops.  Obituary link. 

"No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away." -- Terry Pratchett 

from Berkeley Breathed

In September 2020, I completed my 40th year at Virginia Tech. Over this time, the average age of faculty increased, and numbers of post-doctoral associates have skyrocketed the last 10 years (Damman et al. 2013; Ghaffarzadegan and Xu 2019; Larson et al. 2014). In 2021,  I will begin my retirement transition and work 50% time. Disengagement from work in academia is difficult (or so I've been warned) and the transition from work to retirement will likely be stranger than I anticipate.  I plan to begin with a few simple rules: no working on nights and weekends, no new grant writing binges, no new graduate students, and no "more study is needed" follow ups.  I will focus on writing and evaluating Fish, Fishing, and Conservation, an open education textbook, and I hope that my plans open a new fish faculty position soon.   

Rocking Chair on my front porch awaiting my transition.

References

Damman, M., K. Henkens, M. Kalmijn. 2013. Late-career work disengagement: The role of proximity to retirement and career experiences. Journal of Gerontology 68(3):455-463.

Ghaffarzadegan, N., and R. Xu. 2019. Late retirement, early careers, and the aging of U.S. science and engineering professors. PLoS ONE 13(12): e0208411.

Guişu, R.C., and C.W. Tindale. 2018. Logical fallacies and invasion biology. Biology & Philosophy 33: 34  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-018-9644-0 

Hare, D., and B. Bossey. 2014. Principles of public trust thinking. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 19:397-406.

Jackson, C. E. 2012. Fish in Art. Reaction Books Ltd, London. 248 pp. 

Larson, R.C., N. Ghaffarzadegan, and Y. Xue. 2014. Too many PhD graduates or too few academic job openings: The basic reproductive number R0 in academia.  Systems Research and Behavioral Science 31(6):745-750.

Shiffman, D.S., S.J. Bittick, M.S. Cashion, S.R. Colla, L.E. Coristine, D.H. Derrick, E.A. Gow, C.C. Macdonald, M.M. O’Ferrall, M. Orobko, R.A. Pollom, J. Provencher, and N.K. Dulvy. 2020. Inaccurate and biased global media coverage underlies public misunderstanding of shark conservation threats and solutions. iScience 23: 101205  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci. 2020.101205 

Fluvial Fishes Lab Year in Review

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

• Read to Me Grandpa Don 
• Will Social Media Empower Fisheries Students?
• Ten Things You Must Know About Stream Restoration
• The Rise of Carp and Fall of Game Fish
• Fishing License Sales and Public Trust Thinking
• Sargassum: Essential Habitat or Beach Nuisance
• Why Alligator Gar Need Floodwaters
• Let's Write More Engaging Stories

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

Fluvial Fishes Lab Accomplishments 2017

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!

• The importance of taking kids fishing. by Joe Schmitt

Lab challenge: Guess who is older!  the catfish or the boy?

ChesapeakeCatfish.com

• How big can North American Catfish get? by Joseph Schmitt
• Defining an invasive species - not as straightforward as you would think. by Joseph Schmitt

Virginia Tech Ichthyology

• Yellow Perch and European Perch.  Dec 8 
• Trends in Dam Removal: Reversing Irreversible Decisions.  Nov 17
• Can weed relieve stress in fish?  Nov 10
• Social Media is About the Social. Sept 22.
• Hackelbacks and  Old Spade Face. Aug 16. 
• Climate Change and the Fishes. July 13.
• Lessons from Lionfish. June 7.
• Playlist for Fish Nerds. June 6. 
• Bowfishing for “Rough”Fish. June 1.
• Congratulations Graduates! May 19
• A Rare Peek at Clinch Dace Spawning.  April 18.
• Mad About Madtoms  April 12.
• Painful Stings of the Notorious Noturus  April 7.
• Learning Lessons about Lampreys.  April 2.
• Pike Killifish: A Small, Specialized Ambush Piscivore. Feb 9 
• Puzzling Over Large Aggregations of Sharks. Jan 31. 
• Shades of Gray Snapper. Jan 26.
• Sea Lamprey and Unexpected Costs of Shipping. Jan 20. 

Cheers to 2018!  If interested,  join Virginia Tech Ichthyology on Facebook and follow Fluvial Fishes Lab on Twitter @donaldorth

I don't always think it was a good year.  But 2017 was awesome. Cheers to the new year.