Gettin' Fishy With It

In today’s episode, we get to know Dr. Wasseem Emam, the founder and director of Ethical Seafood Research, a nonprofit organization which is helping to uplift the welfare of food fishes. We get into the Canadian education system, talk about the purpose of some of these organizations and how they help fish live better lives. Wasseem has spent time in a lot of different countries and he is doing his part on the ground to engag...

In this episode, "Species Spotlight: Pirahna," the crew chomps off another episode with a look into the “fearsome” piranha!  Many people don't know that piranhas are related to many peaceful community fish and that they are big chickens when it comes to bravery. We also get some words from the late Teddy Roosevelt and his observations on piranhas.  Lastly, we chat about the care of these fish in the hobby in case you ...

In today's episode, the crew once again dives into the Zebrafish Husbandry Association initiative to make science more easily accessible and reproducible. Ana Borges of the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine breaks down the benefits of sharing this information and how it can make the collaborative scientific community even better! The more data we collect and report, the easier it is to draw strong scientific conclusions. ...

In today's episode, the crew chats with Brendan De Grim, the Dive Safety Officer of New Orleans own Audubon Aquarium! Not only is his job super cool but his path to getting there is certainly one you're going to want to hear!  From criminal justice to banking to private investigator to scuba instructor, Brendan teaches us that the path to the fish world can be a windy road. The Aquarium in New Orleans has been revamp...

Did you ever wish there was a real School of Wizardry except for fish? You're in luck! In today's episode, "Marine Science Magnet High School," the crew gets educated with Eric Litvinoff from the Marine Science Magnet High School. Connecticut has excellent magnet schools which are paid for by tax dollars and allow for equal opportunity attendance for anyone in the state. MSMHS is one of those schools and it...

Were you ever envious of the powers of Aquaman? In today's episode, "Training Sharks and Rays", the crew explores the fascinating world of training sea creatures. But did you know it's not just dolphins and sea lions that are trainable? Sharks and rays can be taught to do all sorts of things! We can train them to come to a specific location or sit on a hammock, all to enable them to participate in their own health...

In today's episode, "Federal Funding for Fish Conservation and Human Health," the crew discusses federal funding, its importance in the lives of fish and how we benefit as humans. We cover the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the US Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Most of these agencies cost billio...

In today's episode, "Zebrafish Husbandry Reporting & Reproducibility Initiative (Part 1)," we talk with former Zebrafish Husbandry Association President Michelle Altemara about her new initiative to standardize reporting in fish research papers. Science has a reproducibility problem and oftentimes it's because we don't account for all of the variables. Sometimes, “we keep fish on a recirculating rack” is not a good enough way t...

In this episode, "Species Spotlight: Sturgeon," the crew shines a spotlight on sturgeons! Let's dive into all the facts about these prehistoric & gentle boop noodles!

This podcast is brought to you by the mosquitofish.  These tiny fish are not bloodsucking pests as their names might suggest but rather they consume mosquito larva with gusto.  Mosquito fish are the most widespread fish in the world mostly due to huma...

In this episode, "Story Time with Josh Barber," Josh shares an extremely bizarre story about his senior year in college and the first job opportunity he ever got to work on an ornamental fish farm. This story goes off the rails quickly and the red flags are everywhere! Yet young 21 year old Josh was not to be dissuaded. Come along as Josh takes us back to 2010 as he details his email correspondence. 

**Warning** there are...

In this episode, we interview two of the developers of Fish Game, Erin and Ryan Davis!  We talk to them about their lives and about how they came to be involved with this exciting and very realistic game. If you are looking for a realistic fish simulation game then this is the game for you. Enjoy our conversation as we nerd out about the intricacies of developing a fish videogame!

We can’t even begin to tell you how much we recommen...

In this episode, "Shark Myths", the Gettin’ Fishy crew breaks down the shark-iest myths! Sharks are awesome and fearsome and the subject of many movies and shows. The problem with this is that not every creator does their research and rumors can spread quickly. Today we debunk the top myths in the shark world. Is the Megalodon still living? Can sharks smell blood from a mile away? Will sharks die if they stop swimming? Le...

In this episode, the Gettin’ Fishy With It crew dispels some popular fish myths! From tank size to fish memory to a whole lot about the concept of pain, we leave no stone unturned except we actually do…which is why you’ll see another episode about myths next month! Next up: shark and ray myths!

This podcast is brought to you by the glass catfish, more specifically the ghost catfish or Kryptopterus vitreolus. The latin word “kryptos...

In this episode, the crew looks back on 2024 and talks about their favorite episodes.  When you summarize it all, we had quite an adventure!  We attended and participated in a gaming convention, we appeared on a few science shows and we shared our knowledge at conferences. We had a ton of great guests as well! Conservation biologists, principal investigators, PhD students, science communicators and experts in their fields all made ...

In this episode, "Australia New Zealand Association of Aquarium Professionals," the crew is joined by Lauren Pandolfo and Cameron Mackey, two board members of the Australia New Zealand Association of Aquarium Professionals (ANZAAP). Lauren is the Zebrafish Genetics Core Director at Baylor University and Cameron is the Aquarium Facility Manager at the University of Melbourne. Although they both serve on the ANZAAP board, these are v...

In today's episode, "Fish in Space!", the Gettin' Fishy Crew travel into the great beyond with Dr. Moiya McTier, astrophysicist, folklorist and host of the podcast Pale Blue Pod! We chat about different “fish-stronauts” who have traveled to space for scientific purposes and we get to learn about some very interesting fish related folklore about the stars. Did you know that the mummichog was the first fish into space? Do you not kno...

In this week’s episode, "Fish Health for the Hobbyist (Part 2) with Dr. Nora Hickey and Jen Reynolds," we continue the conversation with the lovely ladies of Fishkeep and Chill! This time we dive even deeper into the topic of fish health, and lots of things that a hobbyist should know about to keep their fish happy and healthy!

Please note that this episode miniseries is not a replacement for a current veterinarian-client-patient r...

In this week’s episode we get to know the lovely ladies of Fishkeep and Chill, an amazing website where you can go to learn more about our fishy friends! We learn about their education and careers and nerd out about all things fish!  The focus of the episode is on fish health and on how we can give our fish the best chance to have great lives. We discuss some important do’s and don’ts for fish keepers and why a fish veterinarian is...

In this episode, "Species Spotlight: Siamese Fighting Fish", the crew breaks down the wild world of bettafish. The Siamese Fighting fish have a myriad of evolutionary adaptations and behaviors which help them survive in tough environments. We learn about how bettas became introduced into the hobby and that they have been cared by humans for over 1000 years!  Lastly, we learn about the research implications of using bettas as a mode...