See @eatguineapigs #GarWars stories for response to @outdoorlife et al’s take on bowfishing native species: blog.nature.org/science/2015/06/01/its-t...
This hashtag is my destiny. #GarWars #AddFishToAMovie
Epic #GarWars thread returns for #MayTheFourthBeWithYou
While I went on a bit of a rant about the article https://x.com/solomonrdavid/status/609034699604779008 #GarWars
(invasives), further stating they’re detrimental to ecosystems. #GarWars
2. Coincidently, around the same time as @eatguineapigs #GarWars post, the Springfield News Leader promoted an upcoming bowfishing tournament (BassPro).
The article put gars & invasive species in the same category. Some readers, like @DavidJakubiak & myself, were NOT happy...
This “episode” of #GarWars ends with two #scicomm efforts on the ancient fishes’ behalf (in 2015, when #StarWars: The Force Awakens came out!)
1. @eatguineapigs wrote this great piece @nature_brains “It’s Time to End the Gar Wars”...
Media attention to the bowfishing industry grew, and for some of us, this article at Outdoor Life was a tipping point. http://bit.ly/2PYroyv
Bowfishing for invasive species can be a viable removal method, but it’s NOT ok to simply kill native animals “for sport.” #GarWars
Whether you appreciated them as an angler, scientist, even aquarium hobbyist, small groups of gar fans built networks over the years. http://bit.ly/34vXerA
📷 @moxostoma, Bill Meyer (Gar Anglers Sporting Society), and I with a 100 yo Alligator Gar mount @FieldMuseum #GarWars
Meanwhile, scientists were doing gar research for decades, working toward improved understanding (and reputation) of these fishes.
++Knowledge of gar aquaculture came from scientists in Mexico, Cuba, and Central America!
📷International Gar Meeting, Costa Rica 2008 #GarWars
Thankfully, there’s been a growing number of advocates for these much-maligned, native species. Author Mark Spitzer brings their plight to light in “Season of the Gar” #GarWars
*We became friends and I’ve advised on his later garish books!
Bowfishing for gars (and other “trash fish”, often native species) became big business, with the support of “empires” like BassPro/Cabelas, who play an active role in this kind of behavior https://x.com/solomonrdavid/status/1029375073893974018 #GarWars
Gars have persisted since the late Jurassic, outlasting the dinosaurs.
But humans continue to treat them as trash animals (or invasive species), often killing them simply for sport - enter bowfishing and wasteful harvest. #GarWars
Over the years, these fishy underdogs garnered the support of a growing number of anglers, scientists, and conservationists.
Gars gained particular (albeit sensationalized) exposure in pop-culture through 2009’s “River Monsters” http://bit.ly/35I3spu #GarWars
📷Animal Planet
There had been a disturbance among anglers, fishery managers, and conservationists for some time...
Were predatory fishes like gars and bowfins really “trash fish” that needed to be eradicated? Scarnecchia shared a “new hope” in back in 1992 http://bit.ly/2YXiaX9 #GarWars
It’s that time! You MAY have heard there’s a new #StarWars movie coming out...
Join us on the gar side as we take a conservation angle with #GarWars, revisiting why native species are important parts of ecosystems!...
Here’s the award-winning follow up to #GarWars by @eatguineapigs blog.nature.org/science/2017/11/13/gar-w...
Another important article by @eatguineapigs: “It’s Time to End the #GarWars” blog.nature.org/science/2015/06/01/its-t...
Around this same time, @eatguineapigs @nature_brains posted another in the series regarding value of native, “non-game” fishes blog.nature.org/science/2015/06/01/its-t... #scicomm #GarWars
Appropriate reading for a day when #StarWars, #25DaysOfFishmas, and #GarWars all intersect!
A Fish Force Awakens t.co/nVo5YnJZc8?amp… by @eatguineapigs
A #GarWars Sequel: Latest on Conservation of Ancient Fishes solomondavid.net/2017/11/30/a-garwars-seq...
@DavidELPC @moxostoma @SFEL_Stein also make cameos for their integral conservation efforts! https://x.com/solomonrdavid/status/930083471254605824 #GarWars
Dinosaur Fish! Angling Adventure! Conservation! All in the latest @nature_brains #GarWars: A Fish Force Awakens blog.nature.org/science/2017/11/13/gar-w... by @eatguineapigs #AncientSportFish
Worth revisiting if you're unfamiliar with conservation efforts for these ancient fishes www.google.com/amp/blog.nature.org/scie... #GarWars by @eatguineapigs
WASTE. If you need a crane for your bowfished 8-ft, 258-lb Alligator Gar, probably didn't need to kill it. http://bit.ly/2nb9LhC #GarWars
OF COURSE we're seeing #StarWars tonight! Prob only time you'll see AT-AT & gar in same pic. Also check out http://bit.ly/1AFjaAW #GarWars