Most people see fish and think dinner, but I see a lifetime of data hidden inside its ear bones.
I study fish growth using tiny little bones called otoliths which are basically the fish version of tree rings. By looking at these rings, I can work out how old the fish is, how fast it grew, and if its growth is being affected by fishing. By studying these patterns, I can uncover how fishing changes fish populations in ways that are invisible at first glance.
A big part of my research is figuring out what happens when we fish. If we catch only the big, fast-growing fish, all that’s left will be the small, slow-growing ones, which aren’t very filling meals! If we know whether there’s only small fish left, then we can try to manage the populations to let them get big again.
Although much of my work is getting seasick on boats trying to catch fish or cutting open month-old stinky fish in the lab, it’s important to understand how to manage fisheries sustainably. Science lets me make the little things (like tiny little bones) into the answers we need to make sure everyone gets to eat fish for dinner!
