About 70% of our planet is covered by oceans and seas: large, full of life and mysterious.
They are a source of food, way of transportation, oxygen producer, and more.

But the sea is in danger: overfishing, plastic waste, acidification, species extinction.
We need to better understand the marine life and deal with it in a sustainable way, because our life is closely linked to the sea. If it is sick, we cannot stay healthy.

Production:
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Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the difference between jawless and jawed fishesDiscuss the distinguishing features of sharks and rays compared to other modern fishes

Biomimetics is based on the belief that nature, at least at times, is a good engineer. Biomimesis is the scientific method of learning new principles and processes based on systematic study, observation and experimentation with live animals and organisms. This Freshman Advising Seminar on the topic is a way for freshmen to explore some of MIT’s richness and learn more about what they may want to study in later years.

In this interactive activity from Shedd Aquarium, build a fish and then release it into the reef to search for food and evade predators. Try different combinations and observe how each kind of fish has unique adaptations that help it survive in its habitat.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The immune systems of fish and other animals follow circadian rhythms related to light/dark cycles. In aquaculture, the light period is commonly lengthened to enhance growth and control reproduction, but the effects on fish immunity are unclear and parasite infestations and infectious diseases remain major challenges to the industry, so a better understanding of fish immunity is needed. Microbial communities living on fish's skin - their microbiome - can help defend against parasites and pathogens, but it is currently unknown if they too have daily rhythms. To learn more, researchers recently characterized the circadian dynamics of clock genes, immune genes, and microbes in the skin of rainbow trout. They found that skin immune gene expression and the skin microbiome exhibited daily rhythms. These rhythms were affected by both a change in photoperiod and infestation with lice (Argulus foliaceus), and fish under constant light were less able to defend themselves against lice infestation..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This lesson introduces students to the idea of biomimicry or looking to nature for engineering ideas. Biomimicry involves solving human problems by mimicking natural solutions, and it works well because the solutions exist naturally. There are numerous examples of useful applications of biomimicry, and in this lesson we look at a few fun examples.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Our mouths are a vast jungle of microbial life. Here, more than 700 distinct types of microbes make their home, but not everywhere all at once. Each region (the tongue, teeth, gums, etc.) hosts a unique community of microorganisms. To explore this complex living structure, researchers examined the community of bacteria found in the dental plaque of 14 healthy volunteers. Samples indicated the well-known formation of intricate corncob-like structures, where a central filament made of cells of Corynebacteria (magenta) is decorated with “kernels” of spherical Streptococcus bacteria (green). A closer look revealed that these kernels can be composed of a single species of bacteria or contain mixtures of different species. The major corncob species were common to all 14 donors. Corncob composition likely was dictated by the metabolic and binding interactions shared between corncob residents..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

While the creation of a dam provides many benefits, it can have negative impacts on local ecosystems. Students learn about the major environmental impacts of dams and the engineering solutions used to address them.

In this lesson, students play a game about fishing, write a story about what happened, and learn how climate change impacts fish populations.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students describe photos depicting different ways of fishing and discuss their knowledge and experience of fishing.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students play the fish game, a role-play about a fishing community.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students make connections between a news report about climate change and the results of the fish game and create a comic strip to tell the story.

In this lesson, students play a game about fishing, write a story about what happened, and learn how climate change impacts fish populations.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students describe photos depicting different ways of fishing and discuss their knowledge and experience of fishing.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students play the fish game, a role-play about a fishing community.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students make connections between a news report about climate change and the results of the fish game and create a comic strip to tell the story.

In this lesson, students play a game, participate in communicative activities, and research recipes to explore the role of consumers in supporting climate change resilience in the oceans.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students describe photos and talk about cultural traditions related to eating fish and seafood.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students play an interactive board game to explore the challenges of buying and selling sustainable, climate-resilient fish.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students research and present recipes for a class competition, “La Gran Receta de los Océanos.”

In this lesson, students play a game, participate in communicative activities, and research recipes to explore the role of consumers in supporting climate change resilience in the oceans.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students describe photos and talk about cultural traditions related to eating fish and seafood.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students play an interactive board game to explore the challenges of buying and selling sustainable, climate-resilient fish.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students research and present recipes for a class competition, “La Gran Receta de los Océanos.”

Fish, Fishing, and Conservation is a 389-page, peer-reviewed open textbook intended for undergraduate students who are exploring majors in Fish & Wildlife. It is also relevant to a general audience or for use in courses which explore social and ethical aspects of fish, fishing and conservation.

Are you reviewing or adopting this book for a course?
Please help us understand your use by completing this form https://bit.ly/fishandconservation_interest

People, places, and approaches to fishing are as varied as the diverse fish fauna that exist on the planet. As conservation planners recognize the value of substantial engagement of stakeholders in decision making and ineffectiveness of rigid top-down management approaches, Fish, Fishing, and Conservation asserts that all peoples must play a role in conservation. Through case studies, engaging narrative and graphics, and exercises, the text explores major motivations for fishing and non-fishing related values, responsible fisheries practices, the rights of all people to decide how to manage and conserve fish, their habitats, and how they are utilized in the context of overfishing as a pressing global problem for which appropriate solutions are not easily found nor implemented.

Introductory chapters examine fish, fishing, and why fish matter and examine the role of values in driving conservation initiatives. Fish and their unique sensory capabilities are described along with a review of recent studies to examine issues of pain, sentience, and learning in fishes living in a foreign, underwater world. The text incorporates these new findings in conservation and management leading readers to evaluate and adopt suitable approaches to ethical reasoning which consider the welfare needs of wild and cultured fishes. Later chapters focus on the role of gender in fishing, conservation organizations, recreational fishing, and a focus on specific fisheries that reveal the principles of conservation and management as they play out in major controversies. Additionally, the textbook contains audio recordings of professional profiles by Virginia Tech students. These are linked at the beginning of each end-of-chapter Professional Profile. Audio recordings are also available on Spotify.

How to Access the Book
The main landing page for this book is https://doi.org/10.21061/fishandconservation. The text is available in multiple formats, including PDF, ePub, and Pressbooks https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/fishandconservation.

Teaching Resources
Additional teaching resources including a sample syllabus, course schedule, and selected assignments related to this book are available at http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115425. Individuals who wish to share their materials relevant to teaching in this subject area are encouraged to join and share their openly-licensed resources via the Fish, Fishing, and Conservation Instructor Group in OERCommons

ISBN
ISBN PDF 978-1-957213-27-9
ISBN Print 978-1-957213-28-6
ISBN Pressbooks 978-1-957213-31-6 https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/fishandconservation
ISBN ePub 978-1-957213-29-3

Table of Contents
1. Fish, Fishing, and Why They Matter
2. Values Drive Fish Conservation
3. Sensory Capabilities of Fish
4. Ethical Reasoning and Conservation Planning
5. Pain, Sentience, and Animal Welfare
6. Public Aquariums and Their Role in Education, Science, and Conservation
7. Gender and Fishing
8. Angling and Conservation of Living Fishy Dinosaurs
9. Fly Fishing’s Legacy for Conservation
10. Recreational Fishing and Keep Fish Wet
11. Integrating Fishers in the Management of Arapaima
12. Conserving Tunas: The Most Commercially Valuable Fish on Earth
13. Groupers and Spawning Aggregations
14. Menhaden and Forage Fish Management
15. Takeaways for Successful Fish Conservation

Suggested Citation: Orth, Donald (2023). Fish, Fishing, and Conservation. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. https://doi.org/10.21061/fishandconservation. Licensed with CC BY 4.0.

About the Author
Donald J. Orth is the Thomas H. Jones Professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has taught the following courses: Ichthyology, Stream Habitat Management, Fisheries Management, Fish Population Dynamics, Fish, Fishing, and Conservation, and First-Year Experience in Natural Resources. His principal interests are in population and community ecology, stream fish ecology, regulated rivers, instream flow and stream habitat assessment, fisheries management, and fish population dynamics. He has guided numerous undergraduate research projects and advised 33 graduate students during his career.

Don attended Eastern Illinois University (BS) and Oklahoma State University (MS and PhD). He is a Life Member of the American Fisheries Society and a Certified Fisheries Professional. He is also a Fellow of the American Fisheries Society, the American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists, and the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute. Don has published more than 150 primary papers and 50 technical reports on fish, fisheries, and riverine management. Much of his research was also communicated with a general audience in over 180 popular articles. He has received numerous awards for his teaching and contributions to conservation and public outreach. Most recently, the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society awarded him the Eugene W. Surber Award for years of significant contributions to the field of fisheries science.

Selected Acknowledgments
Publication of this work was made possible in part by grants from VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia, and the University Libraries at Virginia Tech through its Open Education Initiative, which provides development assistance and financial support to Virginia Tech faculty who wish to use, create, or adapt openly licensed teaching materials to support student learning. The University Libraries also contributed faculty and staff support. Donald Orth’s contributions were supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Program and Virginia Tech Polytechnic Institute and State University. Additional funding support was provided by the Thomas H. Jones Endowment.

Errata and Error Reporting
Errata
Error Reporting

Accessibility Statement: Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Open Education Initiative is committed to continuous improvement regarding accessibility. The text, images, and links in the PDF versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. Audio recordings of each profile in fish conservation are available as mp3 files via Spotify and Pressbooks. Please contact openeducation at vt.edu if you are a person with a disability and have suggestions to make this book more accessible.

Cover Art: Nora Ligus
Cover Design: Kindred Grey

Students further their understanding of the salmon life cycle and the human structures and actions that aid in the migration of fish around hydroelectric dams by playing an animated PowerPoint game involving a fish that must climb a fish ladder to get over a dam. They first brainstorm their own ideas, and then learn about existing ways engineers have made dams "friendlier" to migrating fish, before being quizzed as part of the game.

This is a unit for K-2 students on fish habitats. The last day is a field trip to a local lake.

The evolutionary tree presented focuses on relationships among the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). You can click on the colored logos to read about evolutionary innovations and see lists of characteristics that evolved in different lineages. Note that this tree has been pruned to focus on certain groups of interest.

In this video segment from Evolution: "Great Transformations," paleontologist Jenny Clack explains that vertebrates evolved fingers before they invaded land.