In our Research Highlights blog series, we debut newly published fisheries research by our women of fisheries colleagues. If you have research you would like to highlight and share with our readers, submit a nomination form here!
This Month’s Research Highlight:
Moran, J., T. Tuten, C. Anderson, K. Dunn, J. O’Connor, J. Saxton, C. Buescher, K. Miller, E. Nagid, L. Ortiz, L. Simonton, and K.R. Holzwart. 2022. Range Extension of Spotted Bullhead, Ameiurus serracanthus, Family Ictaluridae, in Peninsular Florida. Southeastern Naturalist 20:N92–N97.
Dunn, K. J. Moran, J. Saxton, T. Lange, and K. Bonvechio. 2022. Quantifying and Identifying Factors Influencing Length Changes in Popular Freshwater Fishes Preserved in Ice. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 9:54–60.
For this month’s research highlight, we are focusing on the start of a journey and the important role mentorship can play in the process.
Meet Jennifer Moran, a freshwater fisheries biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). In her professional role, she travels across the state of Florida conducting plant and fish surveys for dozens of water bodies, from the Florida Everglades in the south to the Perdido River in the western panhandle. Like many who venture into the world of fisheries, she loves spending time outdoors and collecting important data decision makers can use for conserving our aquatic resources. Sometimes, through exploration, one may even come upon a discovery worth sharing with the world.
The world is changing rapidly and having a pulse on what is happening with our aquatic resources is essential. Spending so much time on the water and near the resource affords Jennifer and her colleagues a great opportunity to observe (and report) these changes. In 2020, a group of biologists were conducting boat electrofishing sampling on the Withlacoochee River near Yankeetown, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico coast. On the very first transect, Jennifer netted a Spotted Bullhead Ameiurus serracanthus. The only problem is that this species isn’t supposed to be found this far south. In fact, it has one of the smallest distributions of Ameiurus species, occurring only in portions of southeastern Alabama, southwestern Georgia, and northern Florida. Despite their initial doubts, other specimens would be caught later that same day and the next. Indeed, they just discovered range expansion for this species. Jennifer would take the lead to document this discovery in a note in Southeastern Naturalist, her first career publication. She notes, “In Florida, I think we are used to hearing and seeing nonnative fish expand their range. For natives, it is easy to assume that since it is not in known range it MUST be something different. Taking the time to verify is key.”
Photo Credit: Jennifer Moran, FWC
But even prior to this, Jennifer and several of her sampling team expressed interest in learning to write scientific publications. As many of us can attest, it can be an intimidating process particularly in the beginning. A new opportunity would soon arise thanks to a question posed by local law enforcement about how much fish shrink when anglers put their catches on ice. It turns out not very much, no more than about quarter or half inch depending on the sportfish species. Working with a senior biologist familiar with publishing, the team met over the course of nine months to outline the paper, interpret and write up the results, and complete the publishing process from submission to revision. This information was shared with their law enforcement partners and others, documenting not just the amount of shrinkage to expect for angler-caught fish on ice but also how this can vary by species and water temperature.
Photo Credit: Kirk Dunn, FWC
There are several guides available, like A Step by Step Guide to Writing a Scientific Manuscript, and various workshops and courses to help people develop the skills necessary to be a successful scientific author. I asked Jennifer if she could expand on her experiences as a newly published author and what guidance she would give to others who are new to this process. She offered the following tips:
- Start with and continue to go back to your study objectives. It can be a great time-saving step in the future when analyzing the data and writing your paper.
- Make an outline to help you stay focused. Start with bullet points of main ideas and then fill in the information with main results and other literature.
- Organize your literature review into a short, annotated bibliography to help locate sources of information during the writing process.
- It is important to be part of a group where ideas can be discussed, literature can be shared, and the manuscript can be reviewed before submitting to a journal.
- Having mentors can be a great resource of information, inspiration, and encouragement, because this process can be frustrating at times.
Speaking to the last point, mentorship can have a tremendous impact on women in this field. Most of us who have been around a while can identify at least one mentor who has significantly impacted our careers in a positive way – and if we’re lucky, several. Although it can take many forms, mentoring someone through their first publication(s) can lead to a career-long skill of effectively communicating fisheries science to other professionals. Jennifer reflects upon her work with both of her mentors on these papers: “I think these qualities are important in a mentor/leader – someone who is able to lead/guide while acknowledging and understanding the student/mentee. Everyone comes with an expressed skillset and both of my mentors were able to identify these qualities, nurture the strengths, and guide our groups to publishing success. They both share a vast variety of experience and were always open to providing any assistance when needed.”
Every journey begins with a first step, which for many is the hardest one of all. In situations where we find ourselves faced with unknowns, obstacles, or doubts, this quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. can be a helpful motivator, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” And if you’re lucky, there will be someone who reaches over to help guide and encourage you to take that first step and keep climbing that staircase.
We congratulate Jennifer and her colleagues on taking those first steps and successfully publishing their findings. From documenting the expanding range of a species to providing information to law enforcement, their work is contributing to the protection and conservation of our fisheries resources.
I first got involved with fisheries as a Wildlife Biology student during my time in undergrad at Unity College in Maine. I wanted to be “well rounded” and so I decided to take several fisheries-based classes and write my thesis using fisheries data. I had never driven a boat, had minimal trailer training, and had only ever had goldfish, but I found that I really enjoyed everything about the experience. One day I got a call from a fellow Unity graduate who was working on FWC’s Freshwater Fisheries Long-Term Monitoring crew asking if I would like to help for three months on a project setting fyke nets throughout Florida. I said yes and left two weeks later to move to Florida for “three months.” Needless to say, after seven years, I am still here! I have been able to learn and grow so much while here and always strive to continue to learn something new. Sometimes opportunities of interest come knocking – you just have to open the door and have the courage to say, “Yes.”
Photo Credit: Kyle Miller, FWC
The full manuscripts can be found or downloaded here:
Spotted Bullhead – https://doi.org/10.1656/058.020.0311
Fish Shrinkage – pdf