Fish of the Week!

American Star Drum: Estuarine Candy!

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."

Southern Appalachian Brook Trout!

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!).

Abyssal Rattail & Rough Abyssal Grenadier!

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.

Alabama's Watercress Darter!

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.

The Blackbanded Sunfish of East Coast Blackwaters

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: 1. S2:E8 Longear Sunfish: Slab-Sided Beauty 2. S3:E6 Sacramento Perch: California's Heritage Sunfish! 3. S3:E28 Pygmy Sunfish: The Mini Seven 4. S4:E15 Green Sunfish: Aggressive Bigmouth Read more: https://www.fws.gov/story/2026-01/bringing-blackbanded-sunfish-back-blackwater-habitat-maryland