by Sam Blackburn – If you were to ask someone where climate change-causing greenhouse gases come from, they’d probably say cars, air travel, or manufacturing. Someone from Wisconsin might even say dairy farms. It’s unlikely, however, that anyone would point a finger at streams and rivers. Yet streams and rivers release a lot of greenhouse …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Recent research by a team of scientists reveals that walleye decline in Mille Lacs is linked to loss of habitat and indicates that by adapting harvest policies to account for changing environmental conditions, walleye fisheries may be sustained. The study focuses on Mille Lacs, Minnesota, where walleye populations have dramatically declined …
by Rob Mooney – Spring is always a busy time for people that study freshwater ecosystems in the Midwest – lakes begin to thaw, streams rise after the snow melts, and many species of fishes start to migrate and spawn. For the students in the Ecology of Fishes lab (Zoology 511 for any interested undergrads) …
Tomorrow, as you may have heard, is the first ever “Day of the Badger” a one-day UW–Madison fundraising spree and our little center is one of the participants. We’re raising money to increase our outreach efforts and our ability to give undergraduate students world-class, hands-on research experience on Wisconsin waters. Here are three reasons you …
It’s no joke- the April Fool’s Day view in Madison was one of open water, retreating ice and a few brave American coots and other waterfowl already taking advantage. That’s right, our “ice-on” season is over. Lake Mendota logged 86 days of ice cover, while Lake Monona was frozen for 97 this year – both …
MADISON – The shade of a single tree can provide welcome relief from the hot summer sun. But when that single tree is part of a small forest, it creates a profound cooling effect. According to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, trees play a big role in …
by Kelly April Tyrrell – Plankton, says the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Carol E. Lee, are cows of the sea. These tiny marine organisms eat algae and in turn, fish eat the plankton. If plankton become victims of climate change, which is altering the temperature and salinity of the waters in which they live, fisheries around …
MADISON – When we think about the world’s fisheries, the images that readily spring to mind are big ships hauling nets full of wriggling fish up from the depths of a lake or an ocean. What we don’t picture is an individual angler perched in a boat or standing on a pier casting a line …
Happy Friday everyone. Here’s a fun story for you – an 11-year-old’s long quest to get a state fish for Arkansas has finally paid off! Yesterday, Henry Foster (along with his supportive mother and sidekick sister) watched as the Arkansas state Senate voted on a bill to name alligator gar the “state primitive fish” of …
Every winter, as lakes and rivers freeze over in the colder reaches of the Northern Hemisphere and again when they thaw in the spring, anglers and skaters and snowmobilers all start asking the same question – is the ice safe to go out on? While ice can never be deemed safe with 100% certainty, there …