Fish of the Week!

Get to know the Gilt Darter complex! Katrina and Guy are joined by two guests from Yale University's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Tom Near and Julia Wood. They imagine sitting down with the five species (Gilt, Masquerade, Brassy, Western Gilt, and Russet Darters) over dinner to understand the identity of each fish and how they're doing, dig into what makes a species a species, the definition of a species complex, and how the advancement of biodiversity discovery is important to conservation.

This week we're heading to New England to get to know its very large, blobby, thick-tailed electric ray that's super cool but not well-understood. In this episode, we get a peek into the torpedo ray's personality and deep dive into the how-tos and value of rescuing and necropsying stranded fish. Guy ponders if anyone has used uterine "milk" to make a cheese and Katrina wonders about historical accounts of these fish curing migraines and gout. Our guest is Carol "Krill" Carson from the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance.

Prized for their blue spot and legendary as bait for big snook and other sportfish, the frowny-faced Fat Sleeper is valued wherever it is: judging you from your aquarium, breathing air from the top of its head while trying to avoid becoming candy for herons, predicting storms, or unlocking nutrients from mangroves to benefit the entire food chain. You'll learn how this fish is the ultimate survivor, where it lives, and all about its weird "storm minnow parade" and sticky eggs. Guest Eddie Perry joins from our Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office to build appreciation for this wonderful fish.If you liked this episode, you might also like "Florida's Remarkable Opossum Pipefish" (S5:E14)

In waters that are "just right" across America, you can find colorful, unfamiliar fish living on the edge. Embark on a weird treasure hunt with Katrina, Guy, and guest Matt Miller from The Nature Conservancy to learn about Central American Convict Cichlids in Idaho to feral fancy guppies in George Washington's Bathtub and Jack Dempsey Cichlids in South Dakota. We explore American's bizarre relationship with certain fish, as well as tips for travel to and fishing hot springs. Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale: we also learn how introducing unwanted aquarium pets into hot springs puts our own unique native fish at risk.

Get the latest scoop on Northern Pike in Southcentral Alaska with Alaska Department of Fish and Game guest Parker Bradley. While this fish is highly sought-after and valued for subsistence and sport in the regions of Alaska where it's native, it is causing problems for salmon in Southcentral Alaska where it's been introduced. We deep dive into a nuanced look at how species can cause harm when they're put into new places, and what's being done to detect and manage populations in a very large and logistically-challenging environment.

Get to know the Golden Redhorse! They fight hard, they're beautiful, and they're a great fish to introduce kids to fishing (soft mouth, no spines). During this episode you'll gain strategies to see their migration and catch/cook redhorse, identify redhorse species in your neck of the woods, learn how anglers are helping scientists understand more about these fish through an amazing piece of anatomy called the otolith and more. Our two Minnesota-based guests are Drew Geving (Native Fish for Tomorrow) and Alec Lackmann (University of Minnesota Duluth's Otolith Lab). Become the ultimate sucker lover by catching all of our sucker episodes!S2: E14 - Rio Grande SuckersS2: E15 - Ugiidatli / Sicklefin RedhorseS2: E22 - Bigmouth BuffaloS2: E41 - June SuckerS2: E46 - Blue SuckerS3: E5 + S4: E17 Razorback SuckerS3: E34 - HogsuckersS3: E46 - Cui-ui / Pyramid Lake SuckersS4: E3 - C'waam / Lost River SuckersS4: E16 - White SuckerS4: E29 - Smallmouth BuffaloS5: E25 - Shorthead Redhorse

Get to know the Emerald Bowfin, one of two native species of bowfin found in North America! Always hungry and angry, this gamest of fish is a dedicated parent and will roll and jump spectacularly on the end of your line if hooked...and once landed, it about as close as you can get to holding a living dinosaur. Guests Griffin Blegen and Tyler Winter help Katrina and Guy dig into where this fish is found, its aggressive personality, how their dietary habits help you catch bigger bluegill, how to best cook bowfin at the water's edge, and why you absolutely should NOT throw this treasure on the bank like trash.

Get to know the American Star Drum: an abundant, silvery little bulldog-faced fish that feeds everything from popular sportfish to beloved birds and dolphins! Katrina and Guy are joined by two Georgia-based guests: Rachel Guy with the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve/Georgia DNR and Bryan Fluech with the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. You'll learn about the biology of this fish and other lesser-known drums, the key role of estuaries, the Estuarine Fish Monitoring Cooperative, and coastal Georgia's fish/crustacean ID tool "What's My Bait."

Travel to North Carolina with Katrina, Guy, and guest Tyler Pait to get to know the beautiful Brook Trout of the Southern Appalachians! You'll learn about the habits of these fish, where you can still find them in the south, how to safely approach a high-elevation Brook Trout fishing adventure, and how folks with non-fish day jobs are making a difference (and how you can too!).

Head with us to the abyssal sea floor, a fascinating and important place with rolling hills, rock outcrops, and amazing creatures drifting by and sticking out of deep, fine mud.  This is where an abundance of fish with rat-like tails are feeling around and tracking the populations of surface dwelling fish above. Guest Jeff Drazen from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa joins Katrina and Guy to answer questions and help listeners understand what life is like at this depth.

Head to Birmingham, Alabama with us to get to know this fish and several other endangered urban darters. We explore the city and the well-known spring oases the Watercress Darter calls home, as well as the ways in which the community has rallied around their care. You'll hear from the man who first discovered and described this fish in 1965 and two guests from our Alabama Ecological Services Field Office. With so many darter enthusiasts within the Magic City, the future of this fish is bright just like its beautiful blue fins.

Get to know a beautiful and rare native species found in pockets of tea-like blackwater habitats along the East Coast. Katrina and Guy are joined by three guests from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Jay Kilian, Seth Moessinger, and Jason Cessna. Learn more about the fish, their patchy habitats, and the amazing work being done by a variety of partners and states to locate, understand, and give these fish a helping hand!If you enjoyed this sunfish you might also like these episodes:S2:E8 Longear Sunfish: Slab-Sided BeautyS3:E6 Sacramento Perch: California's Heritage Sunfish!S3:E28 Pygmy Sunfish: The Mini SevenS4:E15 Green Sunfish: Aggressive BigmouthRead more: https://www.fws.gov/story/2026-01/bringing-blackbanded-sunfish-back-blackwater-habitat-maryland

Get to know the Pumpkinseed, "perfect in all its parts, looking like a brilliant coin, fresh from the mint." Learn what makes this fish tick, where to find it, how to catch it (in both open water and through the ice), and how fishing can take you to a happy place. Katrina and Guy are joined by Jeff Kopaska (Executive Director of the American Fisheries Society) and retired Minnesota fish biologist Mike McInerny.

In contrast to the clinical, objective science of descriptive taxonomy, naming a fish is the one time scientists can be creative, personal, poetic, whimsical, and even mysterious. We dig into the process and history of formally naming fish species. Our special guest, Christopher Sharpf (the brains behind the ETYFish Project), has researched the names of literally ALL THE FISH!! You'll particularly like this episode if you like history, are curious about etymology or language, and want to be inspired to find your own very unique "Everest" to tackle (in the name of fish).

What looks like a rock, vocalizes using its own bizarre internal instrument, and vibrates like a cell phone when picked up? Get to know the Rockhead Poacher: a fish that's developed a very special way to make itself heard in loud, acoustically complex tidepools along the Pacific coast. Whether you're a fish enthusiast, computer geek, gamer or art lover, this episode is for you. Fish biologist and recent LSU master's graduate Dan Geldof is our enthusiastic guest/guide.

Get to know the Saugeye! You'll get extensive tips how to angle for this fish, how it tastes, and what goes into producing this hybrid for fun fishing opportunities in Virginia. Katrina and Guy are joined by two guests from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Get to know a notoriously difficult-to-detect Noturus species: the Piebald Madtom! Matt Wagner, a biologist from our Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office, takes us into the field to learn about this very neat little American catfish with a big sting!

Tune in this week as Katrina and Guy head to Alaska's Kuskokwim River! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guests Frank Harris and Aaron Moses describe this fish, its importance to people, the river + Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, and the logistical challenges of studying fish in remote Alaska (MacGyver story included!).If you like this episode, we've got another for you that offers an Iñupiat perspective and science from a different region of Alaska: S2:E47: Broad Whitefish: Trade and Table Fare

Get to know the Trout-Perch, an understudied yet important forage fish that makes its living across a large swath of North America! Katrina and Guy are joined by guests Ray Katula and Justin Lesser.

Co-hosts Katrina and Guy reflect on the past five seasons and take a sneak peek into season 6. Learn which 25 American fish top their lists and their shortlist of Mount Rushmore-worthy fishes. The episode ends with listeners' "fanmail darter" recommendations.

Fish of the Week will resume once appropriations funding is approved by Congress and the Government returns to normal operation.

Get to know 'o'opu nākea, 'o'opu 'alamo'o, ‘o'opu nopili, ‘o'opu naniha, and ‘o'opu ‘akupa! From scaling waterfalls to farming algae, Hawaii's native ‘o'opu gobies embody a mauka to makai (mountains to sea) way of living. These fascinating obligate amphidromous fishes (and our guests - Cory Yap, Cody Chacon, and Tim Grabowski), help us to open a window into Hawaiian culture, sense of place, and kuleana. Check out these other Hawaii-focused episodes:S4:E43 Guests Andie Le Doux and Iokepa Frederick discuss the once-great coastal O'ahu mullet migration and conserving muliwai (estuary) environments.S4:E21 Awa (Milkfish) with guest Keli'i Kotubetey (Assistant Executive Director of Paepae o He'eia on the island of O'ahu)S3:E18 Guest William Aila discusses traditional and contemporary Hawaiian fishing techniques and dishes, management and conservation of tuna. S2:E18 Moi (Pacific Threadfin) + fishponds of Molokai with guests Uncle Mac Poepoe and Hi'ilei Kawelo

Get to know the invasive Round Goby! You'll learn about the history of this fish in the Great Lakes, their impacts, and how to tell them apart from native fishes like Mottled Sculpin and Johnny Darter. Our guests are Julie Nitz and Abby Wicks from Wayne State University.

Per listener request, get to know the fish so nice they named it twice! In this episode you'll learn about their fascinating coloration and behavior, fishing and underwater viewing strategies, and how to contribute to our collective understanding of the movements and lives of these fish by participating in one of the world's largest fishermen-driven tagging programs. Our guest is Wess Merten: Director of Beyond Our Shores Foundation and its Dolphinfish Research Program. You might also like these episodes:S4:E41 - Sea Robin: Sustaining SeafoodS4:E2 - Swordfish: Lessons From SeaS3: E48 - Atlantic Tarpon: Silver KingS3:E23 - Red SnapperS3:E18 - Tuna: a Hawaiian PerspectiveS3:E3 - Opah: Warmest Fish in the Cold Blue Sea

Meet a rockstar of a fish who develops a big pink head adorned with tubercles during the spawning season. Not only that, it moves thousands of rocks into spawning mounds that benefit all kinds of other fish! This species and other chubs in the Nocomis genus are very important indeed. Guy and Katrina dig into this fish and recent fan mail.

Meet the official state fish of Texas and the gem of central Texas: the Guadalupe Bass! Native only to the clear, groundwater-influenced streams of the Texas Hill Country, this spunky fish is an amazing catch and will absolutely tear into your light tackle and crater your topwater. "If they want to eat your fly, there's nothing you can do to get it away from them. They will outrun it, they will eat it, and if they miss it, a lot of times they'll eat it again. They have a pretty bad attitude and I love that about them."Our Guest Chris Johnson from Living Waters Fly Fishing brings enthusiasm and passion for what the Texas Hill Country has to offer from a native fishing and place-based perspective. Come experience this special place and fish and while you're at it, get after your Hill Country double (Guadalupe Bass + Rio Grande Cichlid)!You might also like these episodes:S2:E31 Rio Grande (Texas) CichlidS2:E43 Beneath the City: North America's BlindcatsS3:E13 Mexican TetraS3:E49 Texas' Fountain Darter

Get to know a fan favorite! Katrina and Guy visit with guests Bo Baxter and Derek Wheaton from Conservation Fisheries to understand the habits and history of this tiny cog and wheel in our amazing, beautiful world. You'll learn how and where to best visit with and photograph bluemask and related darters underwater...and how Conservation Fisheries raises and feeds (!) tiny millimeters-long "set-of-eyeballs" babies to adults. If you're a fish or aquarium enthusiast, or a nature photographer, you'll enjoy this week's discussion.

Get to know the lunkers of the lake that also need free-flowing rivers...Lake Sturgeon! This episode takes Katrina and Guy to Michigan where they talk with guest Ed Baker from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Delve into the history of Lake Sturgeon in Michigan, learn what makes this fish so very cool, and explore what's being done to help them achieve the comeback they (and anglers) deserve.

Head to Alaska and get to know the big, beautiful rainbow trout of the Kenai River! You'll learn tips about when and how to float and fish the river, the habits of rainbow trout and other Kenai River fish, and how your fishing license and gear purchases contribute to improved access points along the river and beyond.  Our guests are Tracy Smith (Statewide Boating & Angler Access Program Coordinator with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game), Ken Gates (Fish Biologist with our Kenai Field Office), and Cary Myler with our Office of Conservation Investment.You might also like: S1:E20: Kenai KingsS3:E4: Rainbow Trout

Get to know and explore the state of Utah by discovering its amazing cutthroat trout diversity! We are joined by two guests with the Utah Department of Natural Resources: Mike Slater and Trina Hedrick. You'll learn where these fish live, why they're so cool, how to go about completing the Utah Cutthroat Trout Slam, and how your license and gear purchases are put towards conservation and unforgettable angling opportunities. Learn more: https://www.utahcutthroatslam.org/

Get to know the history behind the Sport Fish Restoration Act as we kick off a month celebrating its role (and yours) in fisheries conservation and access. Our guests are Mark Madison (a historian at our National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia) and Tom Decker (branch manager with our Office of Conservation Investment).

Get to know the Yelloweye Rockfish and (bonus!) spot shrimp! This episode explores the close relationship between these two species in Prince William Sound, Alaska. You'll gain insight into their diet and reproduction, fishing tips and how-tos, and best practices to help both species continue to provide enjoyment and sustenance for years to come. Our guests are Brittany Blain-Roth and Donnie Arthur from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Katrina and Guy do a deep dive into lifelist fishing including how to start from scratch, lessons learned, tips for parents who want to set their kids up for lifelisting success, and how this fun activity can open doors to deep friendships and fish-focused vacations (the best kind!). Guy also discusses his wearable seine and Katrina catches listeners up on "fanmail darter."

Get to know the Laurel Dace, a Tennessee native named for the mountain laurel that covers the streams where it lives. You'll love this handsome fish with the gold, yellow, black and tan ensemble and splash of red on their lips. This endangered Southern Appalachian fish is an emblem of a very special place and what it means to live as part of a community and watch out for your neighbors, both above and below the water. Anna George from the Tennessee Aquarium and  Emily Granstaff/Warren Styles join from our U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office.

Get to know the beautiful Shorthead Redhorse: a far-ranging, classically shiny fish that's very accessible, tasty, and fun to catch! All while it continues to provide ecosystem services for other valued fish and wildlife. Our guests are Native Fish for Tomorrow's Olaf Nelson and Tyler Winter: two guys who are true sucker lovers willing share a wealth of information and big dose of enthusiasm for perhaps  one of America's greatest underappreciated treasures.

We've got a fascinating story for you about the discovery of nonnative Weather Loaches in Georgia! You'll want to get to know these butt-breathing, temperature tolerant fishes and the cool work being done to understand their distribution and impact. Our guests are researchers from the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources: Wesley Gerrin and Sarah McNair!Story Map: https://bit.ly/weatherloach

Get to know the Rainbow Darter! Whether you're microfishing, snorkeling, or combining the two, this is a great first fish to start your lifelist...and life list fishing is a great way to celebrate the amazing biodiversity of fish! Cody Cromer, a native fish enthusiast, aquarium keeper, microfisherman and lifelist angler from Ohio brings his passion for these pursuits and for these beautiful native fish.

Meet a really neat member of North America's native sunfish family: the Flier! You can find this fantastic aquaria fish and worthy ultralight target sipping midges and chasing their small fish prey in cypress swamps. You'll come away from this episode with a great understanding of and appreciation for these beautiful, underappreciated fish. Our guests, both members of the North American Native Fishes Association, unpack their knowledge gained through first hand experience catching and keeping these fish: Tyler Goodale  is a flier enthusiast and fisherman from Southeast Missouri and Dylan Bane is a teacher, football coach and native fish enthusiast/aquarist in Illinois.

Get to know the Spotfin Chub! This beautiful, sometimes shimmery blue fish is endemic/unique to the Tennessee River basin in the Southeast United States and the only species in its genus. After listening, you'll know all about it's cool bedrock/crevice spawning habits, how the impacts of Hurricane Helene are still at play, and tips for interacting with this fish and other cool native species along the increasingly popular Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail. Our guests are Luke Etchison from North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission and Pat Ciccotto from Warren Wilson College.

Get to know the Blue Catfish! From their habits in big rivers like the Missouri and Mississippi to fishing opportunities in small reservoirs, we have two great guests to help dig into the details:  Kurt Hentschke and Joe McMullen from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Joe is a big river specialist and manages Missouri's commercial fishing program and Kurt manages Missouri's Hunnewell Fish Hatchery. You won't want to miss fun facts about hotdogs, deer hair, and catfish testes!Learn more:https://research.mdc.mo.gov/project/big-rivers-catfish-assessment

Take a trip to the middle Rio Grande: a sandy river that, in its heyday, was "a mile wide and an inch deep" and chock full of millions of minnows. Our guests are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists Andy Dean from our New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office and Thomas Archdeacon from our New Mexico Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office.

Get to know the peacock basses! By the end of this episode you'll be familiar with the different species, their savage feeding habits and habitat preferences, and how to put that knowledge to use for fishing in South America or south Florida. Our guest, Dr. Kirk Winemiller, professor at Texas A&M University, brings a huge wealth of knowledge about peacock bass ecology, diversity, and behavior.

Come to the southern Sierra Nevada mountains with Katrina and Guy to learn about the fish that some consider the most beautiful of all trouts: the California Golden Trout. You might also like these trout episodes:S5:E9 Greenback Cutthroat TroutS4:E45 Redband TroutS4:E42 Apache TroutS4:E10 Mexico's Native TroutS1:E49 Bull TroutS1:E35 Gila TroutLearn more:Spiciest Trout in the West (cutthroats) https://www.fws.gov/story/spiciest-trout-westWestern Native Trout Initiative https://westernnativetrout.org/

We've got two fish, four guests, and one closed basin for you this week! Get to know a couple of New Mexico's special fishes and the place they call home. Our guests are Jill Wick with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Serena Kucera with our NM Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Robert Prather with our NM Ecological Services Field Office, and Tracy Diver from our Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center.

It may not be the "most" chub, but this unique native fish has a lot to offer! Kaitlyn Purington and Chance Broderius from the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife Resources offer a state perspective on the public value of the very cool Least Chub. Like chubs? You might like these episodes:S3:E51 Bonytail ChubS2:E7 Bluehead ChubS2:E6 Humpback ChubS1:E47 Lake Chub

Have you ever held a small, wet stick in your hand? What if, upon taking a closer look, you noticed it was a fish? Time to go explore Florida and get to know perhaps its most underappreciated and remarkable native fish: the Opossum Pipefish! Fish Biologist Eddy Perri with our Peninsular Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is going to get you pumped about this straightened-out seahorse relative.

Katrina and Guy dig into one of America's native catfish groups: the bullheads! Learn how to find and identify these fish, and get hyped to complete the bullhead slam for all seven species! This episode also includes a dive into the latest fanmail darter, so take a listen to hear what's on listeners' minds!

What does it mean to be an "amphibious" fish? How many fish fall into this category? It might be more than you think! We've got guest Noah Bressman from Salisbury University's Department of Biology to help us dig into this very interesting behavior.

 Get to know the shimmery sister species to the East Coast's American Shad. The beautiful, migratory Alabama Shad is native to the the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf, and other Gulf coast rivers. Katrina, Guy, and guest Steve Herrington with The Nature Conservancy explore the decline of this fish and all the current and potential future values it holds. If you like this episode you might also like:S3:E45 Pacific Herring: Haida/Tlingít PerspectiveS3:E15 River Herring Return: A Spring WonderS2:E28 Great Lakes Cisco (Lake Herring)S2:E20 American Shad: Running Silver

Get to know a valuable species in North America and the Great Lakes region. We dig into what it might look like to local economies to place value on 100% of the fish instead of just the fillet by highlighting a project lead by the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. Our guests are Dave Naftzger (Executive Director and founder of the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge) and Bill Bodin (Owner of Bodin Fisheries in Bayfield, Wisconsin).

Get to know Colorado's state fish and its roller coaster history. Once abundant in the South Platte drainage, it's now found in only a few high-elevation streams and lakes. Josh Homer from our Leadville National Fish Hatchery in Colorado and Chris Kennedy from our Colorado Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office are guests. If you like cutthroat trout, you might also like these episodes:S3:E47 Lahontan Cutthroat Trout of Pyramid LakeS1: E11 Coastal Cutthroat TroutRead more: https://www.fws.gov/story/spiciest-trout-west