Cover of the December issue of Fisheries Magazine, featuring the Grand Rapids, Michigan, skyline at dusk and the Blue Bridge over the Grand River. Photo credit: Experience Grand Rapids.

In the latest issue of Fisheries: Grand Rapids #AFS153 Annual Meeting Recap; Aging, Climate, and Invasions Threaten Reservoirs in the Mississippi River Basin, 8th Edition of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes, and more: afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15488446... #fisheries 🐠🐟🧪

After several days at #AFS153, my #GarTrek resumed and we are *almost* there (to new home in St. Paul, MN)

Incredible week at #AFS153 full of awesome science and engaging conversations. Huge thanks to @MichiganAFS, @NCD_AFS, and @AmFisheriesSoc for putting on a spectacular conference!

The A-Team on our last night of #AFS153 in #grandrapids. What an amazing conference, crowd, and city! Can’t wait for #AFS154 🌺 🤙😎🏄🌈🏝 @PatonWillbanks @muehlerfish

The rallying of support for NONGAME Native Fishes across states, agencies, and researchers was tangible and inspiring @AmFisheriesSoc #AFS153!!!

We have a lot of work to do, but we are excited & hopeful. Thanks to all who presented, commented, shared at our symposium!

DaTS what I’m talking about @FisheriesPod #AFS153. @afsfits

Group of longtime #SciComm’ers & friends (scicomrades?) @AmFisheriesSoc #AFS153 😎👍

For our periodic fishy items exchange, @DrFishSG got a Louisiana Alligator Gar skull and I got a #GreatLakes basin Cisco gyotaku fish print😎 #AFS153

FINally met longtime (remote) @TheGarLab member Alec Lackmann at #AFS153!

Our “otolith guy,” he’s a prof at U of M-Duluth; so we’ll be closer now! Alec got his UMN-colors GarLab hat, and I picked up this Bigmouth Buffalo artwork by his wife Ewelina (going up in new lab/office)👍

Hello #AFS153 folks! I have 10 gar figurines (aka fiGARines) to give away at the Grand Networking Event this evening!

If you’d like one, find me and share your favorite gar story/fact! My @TheGarLab grad student @Wrightfish MIGHT have some too…

One of the take-home messages that developed out of our #NONGAME symposium at #AFS153 was a need to coordinate thoughts, ideas, research updates, and generalized management updates benefiting nongame fishes *outside of these meetings* …

Reintroducing @muehlerfish, pinball wizard. “It’s all about ball control” #AFS153

Today’s wisdom-
“For every complex problem, there's a solution that is simple, neat, & wrong.” -H.L. Mencken 

Embrace nuance, explore dimensions, & approach the problem with an informed perspective. The solution(s) may be imperfect, but the work is worth it. #nongame #AFS153

*hear, not here 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

ReGARdless, @Wrightfish did a FINtastic job introducing her thesis project at #AFS153!

Come here about ALLIGATOR GAR ➡️ NONGAME fishes symposium 4:20pm Grand Gallery Overlook F
By @Wrightfish @TheGarLab #AFS153

Glad to see such a big crowd for the morning session of our #NONGAME symposium! Hope this momentum continues after lunch in the Grand Gallery Overlook F as we dive into some more life history findings and a need for #management
#AFS153

NONGAME NATIVE FISHES!!!

Join us for an entire #AFS153 symposium dedicated to conservation & management of under-appreciated fishes! https://www.xcdsystem.com/afs/program/d0djZHu/index.cfm

I’ll be giving the intro talk bright and early on Tuesday 8/22 at 8:00am in Grand Gallery...

Annual #AFS153 conference book sale is happening in the exhibit hall.
I hear this one on #paddlefish is ok.

SSE Renewables’ @RossGlvr getting into character at the @afsfits #AFS153 MacGyver symposium. He MacGyvered a smolt release cage that significantly increased post-release survival

Here’s where to see some Longnose Gar just outside #AFS153 🐟🧐

To say I was excited to see them is a GARgantuan understatement 😂👍
HT @lepisosteibae for seeing them first!

GAR BREACH right outside #AFS153!!!

Lots of Longnose Gars in the Grand River alongside the @AmFisheriesSoc meeting!!!

@LCut14 we are missing you at #AFS153; especially since your SDSU crew has been something of fixtures at recent fisheries meetings! I’ll make sure @mullyfish gets you some new stickers…maybe 😂😎👍

All set for tomorrow’s “MacGyvering Science” symposium at #AFS153. Starting 8-5 in River Overlook D. Grab a paper clip and join us! @afsfits

We gar headed your way #AFS153! Almost there!

Starting my bike ride to #AFS153

Rise and shine, it’s #AFS153 time! Looking forward to a great conference in Michigan and a full day of muskellunge/pike talks tomorrow

Made the short drive over to the Shiawassee River for a Lake #Sturgeon release event. Several great organizations teamed up for these efforts 👍
#AFS153

Attending #AFS153 and looking for great talks at bad times? Check out these doozies from The Venturelli lab! Invasive species, human dimensions, and R3

Hey #AFS153 attendees- is anyone planning to go to the #sturgeon releases tomorrow? I’m looking for a ride because my ground transportation plan fell through twice already. Please reach out! Thanks. afsannualmeeting.fisheries.org/sturgeon-releases/

Road trip from Louisiana to Grand Rapids, MI (#AFS153) to St.Paul, MN begins!

Didn’t see my last Louisiana gar in this canal, but settled for some Gizzard Shad (a favorite gar food). Onward!