Iowa Department of Natural Resources fish biologist Jonathan Meerbeek recently released the findings of a multiyear research project that should enthuse muskie anglers in Iowa and beyond. His work stands to make muskie conservation more efficient and the fishing better anywhere state fish and wildlife agencies rely on supplemental stocking from hatcheries.
Barton Evermann was among the most accomplished American fisheries scientists. He was born in 1853, came of age in central Indiana, enrolled in ichthyology in 1881 at Indiana University and studied under Professor David Starr Jordan.
New Springfield Armory National Historic Site exhibit explores the American System of Conservation Funding and the Connecticut River Valley’s legacy in firearm manufacturing.
For outdoor enthusiasts, wetlands are more than just places on a map. They are where outdoor skills are sharpened, traditions are carried on, and the connection between people and resources are strengthened season after season.
There’s a quality in the quantity of brook trout populations on the rise, thanks to Sport Fish Restoration.
Along the West Coast, salmon and trout are threads in the cultural fabric. They have sustained Native Tribes, fueled the economies of entire towns, and sparked wonder in countless anglers. They have even found their way into thousands of schools. Through state fish and wildlife agency salmon and trout in the classroom programs, students are rolling up their sleeves and becoming fish stewards.
In this season of gratitude, we give thanks for another year outdoors, for time well spent with loved ones, for meals gathered from the land and waters we all share, and for the generations of foresight that made this abundance possible.
With funding from the Sport Fish Restoration Act, Virginia DWR has been collecting data and building one of the most expansive long-term snakehead research repositories to understand how the non-native fish are interacting with Virginia fish communities. The species has established itself in creeks, rivers, and even reservoirs through illegal introductions.
In California’s Central Valley, along the Merced River, the low rumble of bulldozers signals renewal. Crews are returning clean, sorted gravel to the riverbed, rebuilding spawning habitat that salmon and steelhead have relied on for thousands of years.
Established in 1972, National Hunting and Fishing Day is a reminder of how hunters and anglers helped build the foundation of modern wildlife management in America. Outdoor pursuits like hunting and fishing, away from the hum of traffic and the grind of full calendars, connect people with nature. And this connection carries with it a responsibility.
Beneath the Atlantic surface, concrete pyramids, stripped subway cars, and massive steel skeletons of vessels lie purposefully placed across the ocean floor repurposed into bustling undersea metropolises. These are artificial reefs, human-made sanctuaries giving new life to marine ecosystems and new opportunities for anglers.
Six feet in length and tipping the scales at over 200 pounds, adult lake sturgeon once swam the tributaries of the Great Lakes in great seasonal spawning migrations—prehistoric giants returning home. A century ago, rivers ran thick with them. But their numbers fell as water fouled, dams rose, and populations were overfished.
