Bichir: Through the Ages

 

 

"Author of The Bichir Handbook, Joshua Pickett takes us on a journey into the deep past. Long before humans roamed the earth, there were bichirs…"


As seen in Amazonas, July/August 2021. Read the full article here.

 


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What species are Koi Carp?

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♪ Scales 29 lateral, with markings unnatural; that's Amur-ay ♪ Joshua Pickett   Adorned in sunset red daubs; peppered with dalmation-esque speckling; shiny, steel blue scales; streaked in vibrant orange; or completely piebald—these ornated fish come in a wild assortment of markings and colours that would've made the likes of even Vivienne Westwood envious. To the Japanese, they're called Nishikigoi, to species competition organisers, they're known as a nightmare, and to you and me, they're the kicky koi carp!   One of the oldest depictions of Koi Carp, illustrated around the time the "modern" strains were first being selectively bred. Utagawa Hiroshige, 1840-42. Koi weren't always like this, however, and no doubt most people know they are selectively bred "ornamental" fish, but what species are they exactly? For a long time, many of us have assumed they are just domesticated Common Carp ( C...
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2024 Species Tally

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  2024 has been a great year! I picked up where I left off in 2023 with light rock fishing (LRF), accounting for most of my fishing, though I didn’t limit myself, and did some boat charters, shore fishing with bait, and went back to freshwater to tick off some species I had not yet caught. Below is a tally of all the rod and line species I've ticked off this year... All photos/icons are my own catches     #1 - Flounder (Platyichthys flesus) Keen to start off the 2024 tally, I headed over to Charlestown for a couple of hours on New Year's Day for the ever-so-reliable Flounder, which I had some sucess on a few days prior. The conditions weren't really in my favour this time, being right in the middle of the day, and during a bout of hellish rain; though after some persistence, I finally hooked one, on what has fast become one of my favourite lures, the Ecogear Aqua Shirasu. #2 - Painted Goby (Pomatoschistus pictus)   A stunning January morning in P...
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Shore Clingfish vs Cornish Sucker

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Cornish Sucker Lepadogaster purpurea (top) Shore Clingfish Lepadogaster lepadogaster (bottom) Figure: A revision of the status of Lepadogaster lepadogaster (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae): Sympatric subspecies or a long misunderstood blend of species?   As with virtually every contemporary tale of misidentification, it starts with a "Google said"; two words which send a chill down my spine every time I hear or read them. What may feel like a comfort blanket of confirmation bias to some, can mean an investment of hours for science communicators, who often need to access (sometimes quite obscure or costly) papers or surveys to effectively relay the relevant information over, and then summarise why the Google algorithm frequently pushes incorrect or dated material, even from reputable sources, to the top of the search. Sci-comm is generally a rewarding experience, as with every delve into a study, we learn more and become better communicators; though, in this "Age of Informatio...
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A long [sting]way away!

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A long [sting]way away! Not much beats a road trip with a good mate… except if it’s a fishing road trip! Cal popped me a message to ask if I wanted to join him on a mission up country to target stingray. Let’s be honest, it took no convincing. I was completely down for this! With just four species in mind (and a few bonus species), we covered over 530 miles within 14 hours of driving! Armed with 3lb of ragworm from Reefers Fishing Tackle , we had initially planned to do the trip in a day, but upon realising it didn’t leave much time for fishing, we opted to stay overnight on a beach with the rods out, and head home the next day.  In the early hours of Saturday, Cal picks me up on the way, and we make the 2 hour drive to the first stop, Brixham, a location I had stayed before on holiday, but never fished. We both knew some spots for the Rockcook Wrasse, so after finding some parking, we moved over to the mark, with our LRF gear; though we weren’t fishing what I conside...
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The British Bullhead; a case of mistaken identity?

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  *Please note, this is the short version of the article, which excludes discussion around the Cottus revision, their migration history, and the reasons why they are surrounded with misinformation. The full version was published here , on CE Fish Essentials*  The northern branch of Cottus perifretum from the River Wharfe, Yorkshire © max-pics, iNaturalist, 2024   For many years, the classification of the freshwater bullhead has been a topic of much confusion. So what species do we have in Britain, and how did they get here? Growing up along the river Avon, before I’d ever considered fishing with rod and line, as all young children should, I explored! I can recall many fond memories of walking along the margins with a little dip net, catching Three-Spined Stickleback, Minnows, and tadpoles; turning up stones in chalk streams, clutching Stone Loach and prickly Bullhead by hand; and even the using the age-old jam-jar-tied-to-string-with-a-chunk-of-bread-inside tec...
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2023 Species Tally

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  2023 was the year of trying new techniques! I kicked off the year quite late (March) with a little carp fishing, followed by targeting the catfish. Then in June, my fishing mates started getting back into their kayaking, so I borrowed a colleagues kayak to test the water, and got hooked! Ended up buying my own for the next session; a great introduction to sea fishing, but catching some unusual species on my first outing, ended up introducing me to light rock fishing in September — which would go on to dominate the rest of my fishing this year. All photos/icons are my own catches #1 - European/King Carp (Cyprinus carpio) It seems to be a tradition now , where for my birthday, I get taken to a carp fishery for 48 hours. This time it was with Becca and Huw , and I made the fatal mistake of setting my bivvy up on the grass; within hours, there was mud everywhere! Not to mention it was a cold and wet March, and Huw was masterfully outfishing me. I managed to save a blank though with...
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Angling Trust Species Hunt 2024–25

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    1st April 2024 - 31st March 2025 Shore fishing only (sea), with bait and lures   TOTAL 31 SPECIES *7 new species    I found out about this competition late into 2023, and really wanted to join. I decided to start it at the beginning of next years hunt, to give myself a fighting chance. Like all competitions, I don't go in with the intention of winning, but rather my own personal goals; I think these hunts are a fantastic incentive to get out of the house! As these catches overlap with my 2024 species tally, I won't go into detail on every catch, rather I'll do a brief overview of each month.   April Kicking off at the first month to the hunt, I headed to somewhere reliable for at least a few species on LRF. It was still tough following the Winter, but out came a surprise Ringneck Blenny, which wasn't even on the list of counted species (though they accepted the catch), and whilst spending far too long trying to get a Two-Spotted Goby, a micro Co...
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2022 Species Tally

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While 2022 was far from a yearly species hunt, it marked a renewed interest in angling. I had shattered my clavicle in a cycling accident late the previous Summer, so had spent weeks awaiting surgery, with nothing to do but obsess over specimen carp fishing. I used to do a lot of day ticket angling on just one complex, now I wanted to branch out! I refreshed my tackle box, bought a bivvy and bedchair, and was ready to get out in the new year, once I was recovered. All photos/icons are my own catches #1a - European/King [Mirror] Carp (Cyprinus carpio var.“Specularis”) PB For the longest time, my personal best was 14lb, something I was content with, as it matched my dad's PB, but I had been craving a 20lb carp. The venue I always fished no longer produces carp of this size, so I decide to try out a little known private lake. The anglers I spoke to said it's a difficult lake to jump onto, having taken them two or three sessions before they've been able to land a fish. Eventua...
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The Big Lerf Fundraiser & Weekender 2024

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A rough result from a really rough day in Weymouth with Lee. We got up early and headed up together, both with certain goals in mind. Immediately, we found fishing to be tough! Very little was coming out on unscented, and we suspected that the hammering Weymouth got in the lead up days to the event, left many fish bite-shy. Though reliably we had plague levels of Pouting; at least 100 caught by myself alone. The extremely heavy rain ended up defeating us, as it had got underneath our waterproofs, so we headed home a couple of hours early. FUNDRAISER TALLY STATUS #1 Pouting Trisopterus luscus Slim Isome camo 20 Jul 2024 Weymouth #2 Pollack Pollachius pollachius Slim Isome camo 20 Jul 2024 Weymouth #3 Corkwing wrasse Symphodus melops Slim Isome camo 20 Jul 2024 Weymouth #4 Black goby Gobius niger Soft Isome pink 20 Jul 2024 Weymouth #5 Rock goby Gobius paganellus Soft Isome pink 20 Jul 2024 Weymouth Completely soaked through, this was mine and Lee's view for much of the day.   I di...
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The Big Lerf Winter League 2023–24

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  1st December 2023 - 31st March 2024 Shore fishing with lures only   TOTAL 15 SPECIES *6 new species   This was my first Winter League, and having planned ahead and scouted marks and methods throughout November, I felt prepared. I had certain targets in mind, and had taken a week holiday in December specifically to hit the spots early, before the temperatures got too cold. I was probably too ambitious; and I did not take into account that I would catch Covid-19 right before my time off; scuppering my plans. I ended up mostly fishing an hour or two after work some days, plus a couple of full days in January and December. I got out briefly in February, with nothing to add, and didn't fish the league at all in March. Happy to say, I did at least catch six new lifers! WINTER LEAGUE TALLY STATUS #1 Pollack Pollachius pollachius Uneune Stick on light split shot 1 Dec 2023 Charlestown  #2 Pilchard Sardina pilchardus   Shirasu on glow cheb 1 Dec 2023 Charlestow...
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