Animals & Science

Federal and some state biologists closely manage salmon to increase the sustainability of harvest for the commercial fishing industry, particularly in Alaska and Washington state. Among other...

Do you want to setup a fish tank but aren't quite sure how? This article will help walk you through it.

"Pelagic" is an adjective that means "of or relating to the open or high sea, as distinguished from the shallow water near the coast." It is most commonly used to refer specifically to animals...

Most people find dolphins engaging, sociable, funny and clever. They are also extremely efficient hunters, feeding on everything from tiny shrimp to great white sharks. The dolphin diet depends on...

Killies, commonly known as Minnow fish, can be used as bait to catch larger fish such as trout or salmon. Some people even catch killies and keep them as pets. Whatever the reasons for wanting...

Breeding rosy red minnows (Pimephales promelas or fathead minnow) can be an exciting and rewarding experience. In addition to the fun of seeing your hatchlings grow and reproduce generation by...

Throughout the eastern and central United States, fishermen have competition. Northern water snakes inhabit rivers, streams, pond and lakes, and they enjoy a nice fish dinner. These dark brown and...

Colloquially, both "guppy" and "minnow" may refer to diminutive fish. In scientific terms, however, the words have fundamentally different denotations and refer to freshwater fish not closely related.

Did you just catch your first northern pike but you don't know the first thing about taking out the bones and getting it ready to eat? Don't worry because the task is not as scary as it sounds. ...

Ocean City, Md., can be a fisherman's delight with 10 miles of coastal beaches and proximity to the Chesapeake Bay. Ocean City also boasts the world's largest billfish tournament, the White Marlin...

Keeping fish in an aquarium requires regular testing of water to ensure favorable pH (Power of Hydrogen) levels. Water chemistry, and an understanding of how it affects the biological filter, will...

Coral reefs are a widespread habitat strung along the world's tropical belt. Immensely diverse, they're home to the greatest densities of animal life in the world.

There are more than 22,000 species of fish in the world, and they all reproduce at an incredible rate. Along with being some of the most plentiful creatures on Earth, baby fish are some of the...

Brisling (also known as bristling) sardines are small fish that inhabit the North Atlantic. According to International Fish Canners, gourmets around the world consider brislings the tastiest,...

Black algae can clog and choke the life out of a fish pond if left unchecked. The algae grows rapidly when exposed to direct sunlight so good preventive measures include the installation of shade...

The great barracuda, or Sphyraena barracuda, is the largest of the saltwater barracudas. At maturity, it is more than 6 feet long and weighs more than 100 lbs., as compared with freshwater...

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), also known as red spot disease, has affected more than 100 different species of fish. It primarily affects fresh water fish, but can also strike brackish water...

Saltwater fish play host to more than 100 species of parasites. The most commonly found are the Phocanema round worm and the Anisakis round worm.

Whether you are a novice or a professional aquarist, you will no doubt find yourself diagnosing aquarium fish illnesses from time to time. One of the most common ailments is Ichthyophthirius...

You finished setting up your aquarium a few days ago and are ready to add fish - ones you have hand picked yourself from the local pet store. They are your new babies. Over the course of the...

Painted turtles are popular pets due to their wide availability, docile demeanor and colorful markings. Painted turtles thrive in captivity as long as they have adequate housing and a balanced...

The cookie cutter shark is a deep sea shark characterized by a round mouth and long body. It's also known as a luminous shark due to the green light emitted from the shark's belly.

Suckerfish, also known as remoras, are found mostly in tropical open oceans. They are sometimes seen in temperate or coastal areas attached to a larger fish that comes into these waters. Remoras...

The scientific name for fish farming is aquaculture. Types of aquaculture include mariculture, aquaponics, monoculture, polyculture, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.

The fish we call salmon is actually several different species within the family Salmonidae, which also includes trout. There are two very different types of salmon, Atlantic salmon and Pacific...

Dive into almost any coral reef in the world and you will find yourself surrounded by diverse life forms. From fish to coral, anemones to larger life forms, they all live in complex harmony with...

Although fish aren't cute or cuddly, we still have reason to care about their survival. The Earth's waters are made up of different ecosystems, from shallow coastal waters to gulfs and bays and...

Almost all anglers know how vital minnows are to water ecosystems and a great fishing season. These fish are incredibly prolific and have specific characteristics. Out on the water, knowing these...

The Oscar Cichlid is part of the Astronotus Ocellatus species. It is a fish known by a number of different titles including oscar, velvet cichlid, tiger, and marble cichlid. The Oscar Cichlid...

It's a mystery: a new pond forms, where there was no pond before. Over time, it gets fish. Where do the fish come from? Flying fish jetting in from far off places? Fish materializing in the...

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has many regulations that cover fishing in Washington State. These rules cover such aspects of fishing as licenses, minimum lengths of fish, legal...

When oil is spilled into the ocean it can devastate life under the water. Although oil tanker accidents are the most highly publicized causes of water pollution, there are many other ways that oil...

Phytoplankton is one of the smallest and most plentiful organisms on planet Earth and is important to the health and well being of its life in a variety of ways. The collapse of the world's...

Fish obtain food in a wide variety of ways. The numerous species of fish have evolved many unique ways of feeding. Their diets range from microscopic plants to other large fish and aquatic...

Fresh water mussels (Unio) are mollusks. They are soft-bodied, non-metameric and bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates with a ventral flat foot and a visceral hump, living in a variety of fresh...

Fish are found in every temperature and every depth of the ocean, from the cold waters of the polar seas to the tropical, warm waters near the equator. They range in size from less than an inch...

Biologists sample fish in freshwater with electrofishing equipment. Electrofishing allows biologists to capture fish alive and release them unharmed. Electrofishing is illegal for angling, and is...

There are thousands of species of saltwater fish. The Western Atlantic Ocean into the Gulf of Mexico has several fish of interest, including the bar jack, blue parrotfish, northern kingfish, sand...

Wanna catch big catfish? Here is the best technique to catch monster cats in your local pond, lake, or river. Keep in mind though the river is going to produce the largest fish because a fish will...

Determining the age of fish is of importance to biologists for scientific reasons. A common method used is to examine a fish's scales. The cold-blooded metabolism of fish restricts their growth to...

Phytoplankton are microscopic, plant-like organisms that live in abundance on the surface of the ocean. Phytoplankton, which come in a variety of species, each with specific characteristics, are a...

Eagles are a part of a group of birds called raptors. Raptors have strong, hooked bills and talons for grasping their food.

The cookie cutter shark is an unusual-looking shark featuring a long body. These sharks spend most of their time in deep waters, and are generally only caught during the night when they rise to...

This is an instructional article on the easiest method of catching a catfish that I am aware of.

The swordfish, recognized by its distinctive sword-like bill, is a predatory fish found in seas worldwide. A swordfish can live up to nine years, be 14 to 15 feet in length and weigh 1,200 to...

Lampreys attach themselves to fish and feed off the blood of fish. These parasitic animals cause many problems for people engaged in conservation efforts. These eel-like creatures can live for up...

In terms of what whales eat, baleen whales swim through large groups of fish, shrimp, larvae and plankton, filtering the food and flushing out the water and sediment. Discover how toothed whales...

Fish oil is often used when going hunting for small mammals. When the fish oil is applied to your body, the animals will smell it and will naturally follow the smell. There are also many health...

Native to Africa, Tilapia are freshwater fish that are fairly easy to breed. They tolerate most water quality and can even adapt to living in the salty seawater. They reproduce easily (and a lot),...

Though too small to see with the naked eye, the tiny, innocuous group of species known as phytoplankton contains some of the most important organisms on Earth. Phytoplankton are producers of air,...