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I Speak for the Fish

Read the latest column from Great Lakes Now contributor Kathy Johnson

I Speak for the Fish: Courting Sunfish
- by Kathy Johnson

Sunfish offer a special opportunity for people, particularly families with children, to develop a lifelong love affair with nature and fish — no worm required.

I Speak for the Fish: And the survey says…
- by Kathy Johnson

Doom and gloom coverage of the Great Lakes’ underwater realm has unfairly skewed the public’s perception.

I Speak for the Fish: Favorite fish books
- by Kathy Johnson

A short, curated list of books that have in one way or another influenced my career.

I Speak for the Fish: These catfish have something to say
- by Kathy Johnson

Northern madtom are an indicator species. What does it mean to be an indicator species? What can the tiny catfish tell us? And who, if anyone, is listening?

I Speak for the Fish: Water snakes are spooktacular
- by Kathy Johnson

Fear of the natural world is often amplified underwater, and water snakes in particular are one of the species that can intimidate even the bravest of souls.

I Speak for the Fish: A Fish’s Shelf Life
- by Kathy Johnson

A private tour of the Royal Ontario Museum’s fish collection with its 1.5 million specimens, representing 7,500 species preserved in 110,000 jars.

I Speak for the Fish: A jarring look at gizzard shad
- by Kathy Johnson

In years past, acres of shad could be seen schooling just beneath Lake Erie’s surface. These days, schools large enough to block out the sun are a rare sight.

I Speak for the Fish: Taking the measure of a rainbow darter
- by Kathy Johnson

The rainbow darter is a tiny freshwater fish. Scale for scale, it’s as flamboyant as many colorful species living among coral reefs.

I Speak for the Fish: Not all lampreys are killers, but all are paying the price for their reputation
- by Kathy Johnson

Native lamprey species in the Great Lakes generally get reviled by association with sea lamprey even though they don’t normally kill their host fish.

I Speak for the Fish: Inside a trout feeding frenzy
- by Kathy Johnson

Gilboa Quarry is a popular Midwest dive destination with underwater attractions that include a helicopter, a plane and an aggressive school of rainbow trout.

I Speak for the Fish: How the round goby changed the Great Lakes, twice
- by Kathy Johnson

In this month’s column, Kathy Johnson looks at how, when and where round goby were first identified in the Great Lakes.

I Speak for the Fish: Playing peek-a-boo with the ducks
- by Kathy Johnson

An intuitive distrust of scuba divers reflects a key survival strategy of ducks and other waterfowl.