Category Archives: Fish

Oceans as Barren Deserts

Posted on November 19, 2021 by mikethemadbiologist

Many moons ago, I noted this about Boston’s annual display of a fish weir, which is a glorified fence used to catch fish–yes, a fence: Every year, a fishweir is reconstructed on the Boston Common (more information is available here). … Continue reading →

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We Have Turned Oceans Into Deserts

Posted on August 30, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

At least when it comes to the macrofauna. Every year, Boston builds a fish weir: A fishweir is basically a large fence that is used to trap fish, which are then caught (usually scooped out of the water)… During the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Fish, Food, We're Really Fucked | 3 Comments

The Oceans Might Not Be Suffering A Mass Extinction But The Carnage Is Awful

Posted on June 29, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Before I get to the oceans, I’ll describe something that Boston builds every year on the Boston Common: a fishweir. A fishweir is a fence used to catch fish. Believe it or not, it used to work: During the excavation … Continue reading →

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Understanding the Limitations of Your Data: The Fisheries Edition

Posted on January 27, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

This is disturbing (boldface mine): Astudy published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications suggests that the national data many countries have submitted to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has not always accurately reflected the amount of fish actually … Continue reading →

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Clear-Cut Fishing

Posted on September 30, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

A few years ago, in a post about a reconstructed fish weir–a fence used to trap fish–I noted that, historically, this was a good strategy: Every year, a fishweir is reconstructed on the Boston Common (more information is available here). … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Fish, Food | 1 Comment

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE11!!!!11

Posted on June 27, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

From Alberta, Canada: Goldfish, some the size of dinner plates, are being found from Lethbridge to Fort McMurray, the province says. “It’s quite a surprise how large we’re finding them and the sheer number,” said Kate Wilson, aquatic invasive species … Continue reading →

Posted in Fish | 2 Comments

I Suppose I’m an Amateur Hipster Ichthyologist

Posted on May 18, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

There has been a spate of stories about the fish known as the opah, since recent work shows that it’s sort of <a href="http://First discovery of a warm-blooded fish!“>warm-blooded. The Mad Biologist was enthralled by the opah long before it … Continue reading →

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Meet the Flying Gurnard

Posted on July 16, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

The New England Aquarium has finished renovating the Giant Ocean Tank. At the top level of the tank, some small exhibits have been added. One of them features a flying gurnard (a fish). They’re not native to New England, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Fish, Museums etc. | 2 Comments

Fishweir on the Common

Posted on May 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

So there’s a fish weir on the Boston Common for the next few weeks: Here’s the reason why there is a giant fence in the middle of Boston designed to catch fish.

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On Boston’s Fishweirs and the Demise of Coral Reefs

Posted on July 16, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Andrew Revkin, in response to a NY Times op-ed claiming that the coral reefs are doomed, finds some other marine ecologists who disagree. Frank Bruno states: It is scary, but is it true? I don’t think so. I have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Ecology, Environment, Fish, Food, Lobstah! | 2 Comments