Katie O'Reilly

Photo of a crayon sketch of a hokke fish resting on the substrate

Dinner with a friend the other night saw ホッケ（マホッケ）Pleurogrammus azonus 花魚 Arabesque greenling on the menu. Exquisite flavor from the 一夜干 ichiyaboshi curing process, and my pick for #SundayFishSketch today! 🐡🦑🧪

"Everyone wants to be you, valentine" with a photo of a true crab

"I keep crawling back to you, valentine" with a photo of a hermit crab

"Oh I'll get in there real good, valentine" and "(and I'll probably not cheat) (maybe)" in smaller font. Photo is of a cleaner wrasse cleaning a tang.

"Be careful, valentine, these suckers leave a mark ;)" with a photo of a Giant Pacific Octopus

It's that time of year again for bad marine biology-themed Valentine's Day cards. Maybe don't show these to your kids.

A Valentine's Day poem from a pink salmon

Happy Valentine's Day from the Pink Salmon!

Tired: Your date got slightly dressed up for the occasion

Wired: Your date develops a pronounced hump and a hooked jaw full of sharp teeth

Some partnerships just make sense. Happy Valentine’s Day from IISG! 💕

New children’s book celebrates sturgeon conservation in Wisconsin “Saving our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish,” tells the story of how conservation efforts rescued the famous fish from extinction.

Sturgeon spearing season opens this weekend, and we've got a book for that!

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/new-childrens-book-celebrates-sturgeon-conservation-in-wisconsin/

"You said it feels like there's a barrier between you two, can you build on that?"

Darwin also famously had beef with the marine iguanas of the Galapagos, writing "The black lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large, most disgusting, clumsy lizards" and calling them "imps of darkness"

Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin

Keep it Shrimple

CASS WOTUS Comment

Explore the public comment that SFS, as part of the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS), contributed on proposed changes to the definition of "Waters of the U.S." These changes would reduce protections for isolated wetlands and intermittent and ephemeral streams. buff.ly/u2Xabu7 (1/2)

Lake Michigan covered in ice with Kenosha in the background

Lake Michigan covered in ice

Lake Michigan covered in ice

Lake Michigan covered in ice

#LakeMichigan #slushie!

#Wisconsin #Kenosha #GreatLakes

YouTube video by Jeep All-New 2026 Jeep® Cherokee Hybrid | Billy Bass Goes To The River (Big Game Ad)

I know everyone's sick of Super Bowl ads, but I'm still thinking of this one www.youtube.com/watch?v=FimJ...

My first ever attempt at #SundayFishSketch. Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus).

Watercolor painting of a tiger shark

Here is a tiger shark for #sundayfishsketch
#sciart #coralreefs #marinelife

Horizontal photo of a crayon sketch of scrawny fish larvae, with large eyes, long body, and pigment cells

To celebrate adding "Eggs and Larvae of 500 Taiwan Fishes" 《魚大十八變：魚卵及仔稚魚多樣性圖鑑》by Shao et al. to my #TeamFish library, here is the larvae of Coryphaena equiselis 棘鬼頭刀 pompano dolphinfish, drawn after the book's great photo. Another #TaiwanFishes #台灣魚類 for #SundayFishSketch! 🦑🐡🧪

Rainbow Parrotfish sketch in graphite, color pencil and water-based marker

#SundayFishSketch #FishArt #Fish #Parrotfish #RainbowParrotfish #Scarusguacamaia #Rainbow #🌈

Colored pencil drawing of a cling fish which is basically like a red noodle

#SundayFishSketch is a lil cutie cling fish!

Coloured pencil sketches of pacific reef fish. Middle four are tetraodontiforms

Anyone have any fish field guide recs?
Been having fun going through my trove of aquarium pics but would be nice to learn more about the fish. These are all pacific reef fish i think, mostly puffer/box fish family

#art #sciart #sundayfishsketch

🚨 PLEASE SHARE! 3 more days to apply! 🔈 #CIGLR is excited for our 2026 #GreatLakes Summer Fellow applications! There are (4) full-time, 12-week positions paying $10,000 each. Apps are due 09 Feb 2026 @ 11:59 pm (EST)! Eligibility & how to apply: ciglr.seas.umich.edu/2026-great-l...

PFAS levels in Great Lakes fish are dropping, study finds A new study shows PFAS levels in Great Lakes fish are on the decline as manufacturers have phased out some chemicals in recent decades.

PFAS levels in #GreatLakes fish are dropping, study finds

The declining levels were driven by an industry phase-out of legacy PFAS chemicals

www.wpr.org/news/pfas-le...

A report released we released in January found that in 2024, 35.7 billion gallons per day were withdrawn from the #GreatLakes basin: https://ow.ly/YOi150Y8lXH

Find out more in our new fact sheet summarizing the report!

YouTube video by Great Lakes Now How This River Keeps Unwanted Fish Away | Great Lakes Now

As dams come down, native fish are returning to their home waters. But invasive species are taking advantage of that same access. How do we separate native fish from undesirable ones?

In Traverse City, researchers are testing an innovative solution called FishPass: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdUj...

A manatee turned around ever so slowly and came back to investigate the Cam and warm us up inside on a chilly February afternoon 🤗〰️🐮〰️🥶 #manatee #manateesofcoralcity #seacow #seapotato #coldsnap #sirenia #closeup #comehere #coralcity #coralcitycamera #miami #coral #portmiami #biscaynebay

How healthy are the Great Lakes? It depends where. Results are being shared at the GL Forum this week in Chicago.

See full report: binational.net/2026/01/20/2...

Illinois Rewilding Law, first in US, a step toward state wetland protection Officials and environmentalists, pushing for state regulation of wetlands, say law will help close federal gaps after Trump rollbacks.

As sweeping changes to the federal Clean Water Act in recent years have weakened protections for wetlands, Illinois has become the first state in the nation to officially recognize a conservation tactic known as rewilding.

As a scientist, this is my favorite type of email to receive…

Grad students & recent alums: Only 2 days left to apply for the MN Sea Grant Science & Policy Fellowship! 🌊

🔹 $55k stipend + $2.5k for prof dev
🔹 Work with MN DNR, MDH & more
🔹 Real-world water policy impact

Deadline: Feb 5 at 11:59 PM CT. ⏳

Apply on eSeaGrant: z.umn.edu/mnsg_science...

A map of the Great Lakes showing the number of federal employees lost by each state

Since January 20, 2025, the #GreatLakes region has lost 19,450 federal jobs including at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (which lost 20% of its workforce) + US Fish & Wildlife Service, threatening scientific research and ecosystem protection www.nemw.org/trump-admini...

PFAS are turning up in the Great Lakes, putting fish and water supplies at risk – here’s how they get there Some of these ‘forever chemicals’ are toxic at very low levels. They can get into water systems and bioaccumulate in fish, ultimately posing risks to people.

How do #PFAS get into drinking water? Our director, Christy Remucal, describes how "forever chemicals" move around the #GreatLakes in The Conversation.

https://theconversation.com/pfas-are-turning-up-in-the-great-lakes-putting-fish-and-water-supplies-at-risk-heres-how-they-get-there-271489

In Pursuit of Alligator Gar, the Ancient Giant of the Shallows The prehistoric fish with a toothy grin is fueling floodplain restoration efforts on the Mississippi River

How understanding Alligator Gars can help Mississippi River floodplain restoration! @nfwfnews.bsky.social

New conservation story: gardenandgun.com/feature/in-p...