Link to complete article

Sharon Moen at MN Sea Grant communicates science to the broader community.  Here, Sharon explains what fish research entails and some of our recent findings.

Master's Thesis

Keyler Thesis: Foraging Mechanisms of Siscowet Lake Trout

Defended my Master's thesis today.  It is now available at UMN Digital Conservancy. Click the above link to read.

A big "thank you" to friends and family for all your support

MN Sea Grant and Muskies Inc

Seiche and Muskies Inc. link

http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2014/07/keyler_receives_muskies_incminnesota_sea_grant_scholarship.html

A big thank you to the Lake Superior Chapter of Muskies Inc. and MN Sea Grant for the generous scholarship to help fund our fish behavioral research!  Looking forward to giving a presentation on Lake Trout foraging this fall to the Muskies Inc Chapter.

Click HERE for MBL website

This Spring, the Mensinger lab graduate students got to join 20 undergraduates at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Cape Cod Massachusetts for a 2 week intensive course entitled field studies in marine biology.  Students participated in individual research projects and studies amidst other activities highlighted below.

Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.

The Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories on Eel Pond

From the MBL Site: "The MBL’s oldest and most singular strength is our convening power, attracting the world’s leading scientists and students to Woods Hole. Once largely a feature of summers at the MBL, this convening power is now evident year-round, with research programs, courses and conferences in all seasons. Well over 500 scientists and faculty are involved annually in our research and educational programs – some based at MBL full-time in our research division, some coming to the MBL for portions of the year, and some leading or lecturing in our broad range of research courses."

The UMD students, grad students and professor in MBL.

Activities included but were not limited to: Inter-tidal collections, whaling museum, seining, collection trawls aboard the Gemma, duck boat tours in Boston, cycling in Martha's Vineyard, whale watching and fishing charters.

Brooke Vetter and I hold a Horseshoe crab (Limulus)

We took many opportunities to visit different tidal areas at low tide.  Here, students would collect specimens (both flora and fauna) that they need to identify as part of a lab practical.  Collection methods included kick nets and seining.

A humpback consumes krill caught in its bubblenet

Students were able to visit a whaling museum in New Bedford where they learned the history of whaling.  On a brighter note, students were then able to take a trip to Provincetown and the end of Cape Cod to take a whale watching trip where we witnessed many humpbacks feeding.

Lee Austin examines some plankton 

We did a collection trawl aboard the RV Gemma, and students were able to collect fish and other specimens to identify

Kelcey holds a bluefish she caught on our fishing trip

 Students were also able to join a fishing charter and angle for fish off the coast of the cape.  Fish caught include sea robins, scup, sea bass and bluefish.

For more info on the MBL, visit the link at the top of the page.

UMD outreach article

link to article

Check out an article that UMD put together for their homepage story and alumni news.  Lee Austin, our tech guru, conducted undergraduate research along with our studies.

Friday Harbor Labs

The last couple weeks were spent in Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, WA assisting a group of undergraduates in a field studies in marine biology course.  The article below highlights some of the trip's activities.

A few flies tied

Fly tying is what introduced me to fly fishing.  I started tying flies when a friend of my dad's gave me some initial equipment back when I was young. I tied a few crude flies  and put it away in the closet.  5 years ago I found the kit, and began tying flies again.  I tied a few flies, but was more curious if I could catch something with a fly I actually tied.  I ventured out to the closest trout stream, which happened to be the Vermillion.  By the end of the day, I had caught the first rainbow trout since I was 10.

Rainbow caught on a Superior X-legs pattern tied in 2008

Below are some flies (in no particular order) that I have tied over the past few years. I 

The Set-Up

Double Bead Head Prince

Royal Wulff

Ariculated Pike Pattern

Superior X-legs. Pattern design by John Fehnel

Steelhead Spey Fly

Pike Fly

Horror

 Vladi worm- tied using a pink condom

Bass Popper

Cadis pupa- minimalist approach

Muddler

Crayfish pattern

Dahlberg Diver

Moorish Mouse

Flash Spey Fly

Glo-bugs

First  trout caught since I was 10 on a hand-tied fly