I'm a fish nerd...ask me anything!

[EstimatedProphet]

XemaSab is a bird nerd, I'm a fish nerd. Studied fish and aquatic ecology for 3 degrees. Taxonomy, management, ecology, aquaculture, fish diseases, population dynamics-you name it. Fire away!

[Road Scholar]

1. What's the best water temp to catch King Mackeral??

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Low 70's farenheit

Especially in shallows, where the deeper waters are in the 60°'s.

[Road Scholar]

8. I fish about 20 miles offshore and we look for 68 to 70 deg. F

but didn't have info on it.

[EstimatedProphet]

20. According to what I've heard, that's about right

Interesting fact about mackerel-they are one of the few fish that can regulate their body temperature. They will always be around 5° above the surrounding water temperature.

[XemaSab]

2. So what's your opinion on the thermal curtain?

:shrug:

[Road Scholar]

5. Pretty darn nice when I shower on a cold winter night.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[EstimatedProphet]

11. I think it's a bad idea

I just had to do a fast research on this, since I'm not up on California ecology issues. It looks bad.

In brief, what they are talking about is withdrawing a part of a couple alpine lakes that feed some trout streams. The lakewater heats up in the summer, and removing part of the water flow will chill the water flowing into the stream, making it more productive for trout. Here's the problem: the lakes in question are shallow, and removing some of the weater will shrink the lake itself and alter the aquatic habitat-and, it will only lower the temperature about 1°C, so why do it? Why not throw up some shade cloth over the 1st 100 yards of the stream? That would have the same effect.

[XemaSab]

13. Sort of

They're talking about sucking water from the bottom of the lake to go down the river and cool water temperatures in the river.

It's contingent to a hydropower relicencing.

You could move to California and work on it! :bounce:

[EstimatedProphet]

22. And I wouldn't miond doing just that!

Taking water from the bottom of the lake would be a bad idea anyway-it won't have the oxygen that upper levels will. If they oxygenate it, it will likely heat it up anyway.

[XemaSab]

25. I think it would be aerated going over the spillway

No?

[EstimatedProphet]

28. It would, and it would warm up too

Seriously, I think actually covering the stream (shadecloth, run it through 100 yards underground, etc.) would be a better solution. It's probably more expensive though.

[Droopy]

3. Is it safe to eat catfish from the Ohio River?

[EstimatedProphet]

12. No

The major river systems on the Us are contaminated with Chlordane, an insecticide which gets stored in fatty tissues. You could eat one every now and then without ill effects, but it will build up in your own fat deposits and stay there until the fat gets metabolized, when it gets released back into your system. you never get rid of it, and it has all sorts of long-term effects like increased cancer risks, nerve damage, etc.

BTW add aquatic toxicology to my original post.

[Droopy]

16. That's a shame

There's some good fishing in that river. Catch and release is probably better for your karma anyway.

[EstimatedProphet]

23. It is a shame

I used to live just a few miles from the Missouri river, and I loved to fish there. Never could eat any of it though...

[Call Me Wesley]

4. If we're going to adopt you and the Prophetess,

you think we can become famous as Koi breeders?

[EstimatedProphet]

14. I expect so

you know what the market value is for full-grown koi? Ouch! Money to be made my friend!

[Call Me Wesley]

21. I know!

I just have to buy some land here to establish all the ponds we might need! Mine is way to little. Of course, wen would need to give us Japanese names and stuff, too!

Here are some of mine:


Unfortunately, the one in front (Kohaku, red-white) died last week. :(

[EstimatedProphet]

24. Nice looking koi!

Shame about the orange one though

[BikeWriter]

6. What's the best wine with broiled flounder?

[EstimatedProphet]

15. A good full-bodied white

A white Burgundy would be very nice. Pinot Noir would be a good choice too.

[BikeWriter]

33. You are a well-rounded expert, Pard!

:thumbsup:

[EstimatedProphet]

35. Thank you!

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Have you read "The Secret Life of Lobsters?"

(I know, I know. They're crustaceans not fish.)

If so, what did you think of it?

[EstimatedProphet]

17. No, I haven't

However, I raised crustaceans for my Master's study (crayfish and freshwater prawns), and I just had an all you can eat lobster buffet for lunch! That's another thread though...

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

10. Do you have any aquariums? If so, what do you keep? nt

[EstimatedProphet]

18. I can't have an aquarium here-against apartment rules.

I did have them before though, several times. When I was a kid I kept tropical fish-too many really, because I kept overcrowding my tank. In college I had a native fishes tank that I kept stocked with fish we would collect during field research. In grad school I had an aquatik insect tank that had diving beetles, water boatmen, and dragonfly larvae, along with a crayfish. That was pretty cool to watch.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. That sucks.

I had a 55g African Cichlid tank that was awesome (they bred & everything) that went through several moves with me. My roommate managed to kill them all in the 3 weeks the tank was in her care. I mean, not only did that tank look amazing, but I these were fish I had for years and were now quite valuable at their size.

[EstimatedProphet]

29. Oh no!

A friend of mine had one that size that died of a distended stomach. Surgery couldn't correct it. Sorry for your loss.

[DUHandle]

19. What is the most common quote from Dr. Axelrod?

[EstimatedProphet]

26. Is it this one?

"Photographs alone do not identify fishes, nor can anyone really make an absolutely positive identification of a fish without the fish's body at hand..."

He's right, too. Fish are really tricky. They look entirely different when they are preserved, or when they are photographed.

[DUHandle]

30. No, it is

your typical savage chiclid.

[EstimatedProphet]

31. OK

Well, chiclids can be pretty aggressive.

[jpak]

32. Snakeheads - boon...or boondoggle?????

:evilgrin:

[EstimatedProphet]

34. Snakeheads SUCK!

Remember the snakehead problem in DC/Maryland a few years ago? I volunteered for the cleanup operation. They are a pain in the a$$, they don't belong here, they overreproduce ant take over everything they can. It's a bad situation.