Get to know a beautiful and rare native species found in pockets of tea-like blackwater habitats along the East Coast. Katrina and Guy are joined by three guests from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Jay Kilian, Seth Moessinger, and Jason Cessna. Learn more about the fish, their patchy habitats, and the amazing work being done by a variety of partners and states to locate, understand, and give these fish a helping hand!

If you enjoyed this sunfish you might also like these episodes:

1. S2:E8 Longear Sunfish: Slab-Sided Beauty
2. S3:E6 Sacramento Perch: California's Heritage Sunfish!
3. S3:E28 Pygmy Sunfish: The Mini Seven
4. S4:E15 Green Sunfish: Aggressive Bigmouth

Read more: https://www.fws.gov/story/2026-01/bringing-blackbanded-sunfish-back-blackwater-habitat-maryland

Get to know the Pumpkinseed, "perfect in all its parts, looking like a brilliant coin, fresh from the mint." Learn what makes this fish tick, where to find it, how to catch it (in both open water and through the ice), and how fishing can take you to a happy place. Katrina and Guy are joined by Jeff Kopaska (Executive Director of the American Fisheries Society) and retired Minnesota fish biologist Mike McInerny.

In contrast to the clinical, objective science of descriptive taxonomy, naming a fish is the one time scientists can be creative, personal, poetic, whimsical, and even mysterious. We dig into the process and history of formally naming fish species. Our special guest, Christopher Sharpf (the brains behind the ETYFish Project), has researched the names of literally ALL THE FISH!! You'll particularly like this episode if you like history, are curious about etymology or language, and want to be inspired to find your own very unique "Everest" to tackle (in the name of fish).

What looks like a rock, vocalizes using its own bizarre internal instrument, and vibrates like a cell phone when picked up? Get to know the Rockhead Poacher: a fish that's developed a very special way to make itself heard in loud, acoustically complex tidepools along the Pacific coast. Whether you're a fish enthusiast, computer geek, gamer or art lover, this episode is for you. Fish biologist and recent LSU master's graduate Dan Geldof is our enthusiastic guest/guide.

Get to know the Saugeye! You'll get extensive tips how to angle for this fish, how it tastes, and what goes into producing this hybrid for fun fishing opportunities in Virginia. Katrina and Guy are joined by two guests from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Get to know a notoriously difficult-to-detect Noturus species: the Piebald Madtom! Matt Wagner, a biologist from our Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office, takes us into the field to learn about this very neat little American catfish with a big sting!

Tune in this week as Katrina and Guy head to Alaska's Kuskokwim River! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guests Frank Harris and Aaron Moses describe this fish, its importance to people, the river + Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, and the logistical challenges of studying fish in remote Alaska (MacGyver story included!).

If you like this episode, we've got another for you that offers an Iñupiat perspective and science from a different region of Alaska: S2:E47: Broad Whitefish: Trade and Table Fare

Get to know the Trout-Perch, an understudied yet important forage fish that makes its living across a large swath of North America! Katrina and Guy are joined by guests Ray Katula and Justin Lesser.