Ink and watercolor sketch of an Ohio lamprey.
Three ink and watercolor fish sketches.
Three ink and watercolor fish sketches.
Wrapping up the final four #25DaysOfFishmas plus three more for #SundayFishSketch. Ohio Lamprey, Ghost Shiner, American Shad, Atlantic Sturgeon, Common Shiner, Whale Shark, and a Cisco in a pear tree!
A sweater with a Santa holding a muskie that says "Merry Fishmas" and a set of trout cards
get you family members who support/enable you #25DaysofFishmas
All of the fish species featured during the 2025 #25DaysofFishmas
That's a wrap on 2025's #25DaysofFishmas - the 10th year of #Fishmas silliness! Thanks to everyone who has followed along as we explored some of the amazing fish that call the US home.
From Atlantic to Pacific, there's a lot worth protecting - wishing everyone peace and renewal of hope for 2026.
Southern Appalachian brook trout, caught in Tennessee. One of my favorite fishes of 2025.
Thanks for all the informative & fun #Fishmas facts, @drkatfish.bsky.social. Science storytelling at its finest.
Here’s to a new year exploring creeks, lakes & rivers and working to conserve the diversity of freshwater fishes.
#25DaysofFishmas
A map of the US showing different species of sturgeon that can be found in different regions
Everybody's gone sturgeon'
Sturgeon' U.S.A
Though we ended #25DaysofFishmas with the Atlantic sturgeon on the East Coast, there are several species of sturgeon all across North America - from Atlantic to Pacific. Maybe even in your own backyard!
Two people hold a large Atlantic sturgeon
Despite these challenges, Atlantic sturgeon are showing signs of recovery in places like the Chesapeake Bay. Habitat restoration + dam removal have improved spawning success, but since females take a while to mature + may only spawn once every 2-5 years, it takes time to see results #25DaysofFishmas
Several Atlantic sturgeon underwater
Fishing for Atlantic sturgeon has mostly ended + protections have been put in place via the endangered/threatened listing, but they still face other threats to recovery including dams that cut off access to spawning rivers, entanglement in fishing gear + mortality from ship strikes #25DaysofFishmas
An image showing historical harvest of Atlantic sturgeon
By the late 1800s, Atlantic sturgeon had become the focus of intense harvesting for their eggs/roe that were prized as caviar - for a time, New Jersey supplied more of the world’s caviar than anywhere else. Since females were targeted, this contributed to dramatic population crashes #25DaysofFishmas
Two Atlantic sturgeon underwater
Native Americans harvested Atlantic sturgeon for their meat + roe (eggs) for 1000s of years pre-European settlers. While credited with saving Jamestown during a famine in 1609, settlers initially thought of sturgeon meat as for the poor/lower-class + its eggs fit only for livestock #25DaysofFishmas
Like other sturgeon species, Atlantic sturgeon feed along the bottom. They find food using their sensitive barbels and use their toothless, expandable mouth like a vacuum, sucking up worms, small fish, and other small animals living on the bottom #25DaysofFishmas
Four people hold a very large Atlantic sturgeon caught in New York state
One of the East Coast’s largest fish, Atlantic sturgeon are slow-growing. They can grow up to 14 ft/4.3 m long, weigh up to 800 lbs/363 kg and live up to 60 years! Depending on where they live (north vs. south), female sturgeon may not mature until they’re 22-34 years old #25DaysofFishmas
A map of the east coast of the United States with the different Atlantic sturgeon distinct populations highlighted
Atlantic sturgeon are migratory, spawning + spending the first few years of life in large rivers from Canada to Florida before moving to coastal waters as adults. All US Atlantic sturgeon populations are currently listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act #25DaysofFishmas
An Atlantic sturgeon wearing a Santa hat; the text says December 25
Atlantic sturgeon is one of ~27 species in the sturgeon family Acipenseridae, a group whose looks haven’t changed much since the Cretaceous. They have bony plates (scutes) instead of scales, barbels by their mouths + heterocercal tails (one side larger than the other - like sharks) #25DaysofFishmas
The #25DaysofFishmas calendar with Atlantic Sturgeon on December 25
The big day is finally here - and with it, a very big fish!
Our #25DaysofFishmas road trip ends on the East Coast with the ancient-looking Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus). Once close to becoming a Ghost of Fishmas Past, their ongoing recovery represents a possible brighter Fishmas Future
An advent calendar-style graphic with all 25 windows filled in with Neoceratodus forsteri, Polyodon spathula, Pantodon buchholzi, Protanguilla palau, Cyema atrum, Chanos chanos, Phractolaemus ansorgii, Tarumania walkerae, Lepidogalaxias salamandroides, Omosudis lowii, Stylephorus chordatus, Steindachneria argentea, Barbourisia rufa, Icosteus aenigmaticus, Scombrolabrax heterolepis, Oncopterus darwinii, Nematistius pectoralis, Xiphias gladius, Zaprora silenus, Enoplosus armatus, Cheimmarichthys fosteri, Luvaris imperialis, Capros aper, Triodon macropterus, Neoceratias spinifer. Merry Fishmas!!
#25DaysOfFishmas 2025
Monospecific Families/"Lonely This Fishmas"
Day 25 - Neoceratias spinifer, needlebeard seadevil
An illustration of a strange black fish on a white background. It has a big head with long, needle-like teeth emerging from its upper and lower lips, and the eye is very small. The fins have strange, branching rays, and a smaller, more traditionally-shaped fish hangs off its tail. Credit: Bertelsen via Fishes of Australia
For our final day of #25DaysOfFishmas, we're going full weird. Today's bizarre, lonely little fish is the needlebeard seadevil, Neoceratias spinifer. This prickly little lady is the only member of the family Neoceratiidae, nestling within the larger deep-sea anglefish order Ceratoidei.
For context, carp is traditionally a popular Christmas Eve dish in parts of Central Europe, and people often keep them alive in bathtubs for a few days before the meal #25DaysofFishmas www.npr.org/sections/the...
A child observes a carp in a bathtub
Christmas Eve Checklist:
Wrapped presents ✅
Cookies for Santa ✅
Bathtub Carp ✅ (www.npr.org/sections/the...)
#25DaysofFishmas
A sewn stuffed plushie of an American shad on a beach
Need a last-minute gift for the fish-lover in your life? Have sewing supplies, fabric, and time? The National Parks Service can *hook* you up with a pattern to make your very own stuffed American shad #25DaysofFishmas www.nps.gov/articles/000...
A shad bake where American shad are cooked on planks near a fire
Shad bakes are common along the East Coast, including in Connecticut where American shad is the state fish. While cooking shad on wood planks goes back to native peoples, the "shad bake" as we know it was developed by marketers in the 1800s #25DaysofFishmas www.atlasobscura.com/foods/shad-b...
A person holds an American shad
American shad historically spawned in nearly every accessible river along the East Coast. Between overharvest + dams that cut off access to spawning grounds, shad numbers declined even before the 20th century. Commercial ocean fishing for shad closed in 2005 + stocks remain low #25DaysofFishmas
A person holding an American shad
American shad “hear” better than other fish + can detect ultrasonic signals up to 180 kHz (above the limit of human hearing). It’s thought that this ability helps them be sensitive to noises like the clicks/echolocation communication used by dolphins, one of their major predators #25DaysofFishmas
A painting called "Shad Fishing on the Hudson" from 1846 depicting fishermen pulling in nets of fish
American shad have been called “America’s Founding Fish” because they were once one of the East Coast’s most abundant and economically important species, feeding native peoples, early colonists, and even George Washington. Their species name sapidissima even means “most delicious”! #25DaysofFishmas
A school of American shad
On the East Coast, American shad spawning runs herald the beginning of spring as the fish return from the ocean to their birth rivers to spawn. You thought you had a long way to travel home for the holidays? Over the course of their lives, shad may migrate over 12,000 mi/19,000 km! #25DaysofFishmas
A map of the continental US with the American shad's native (orange) and introduced (purple) ranges
American shad is a migratory fish who spawns in coastal rivers along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Florida. Shad were also introduced to the West Coast in the 1800s + rapidly expanded - in the Columbia River, it's now the predominant migratory species, outnumbering salmon #25DaysofFishmas
An American shad wearing a Santa hat; the text says December 24
American shad is the largest member of the genus Alosa (river herrings), bigger than other members common along the East Coast (alewife, hickory shad, blueback herring). American shad from the southern part of their range (like FL) are generally smaller than those from the north #25DaysofFishmas
The #25DaysofFishmas calendar with American shad on December 24
Shad tidings we bring to you and your fin! 🐟
Our #25DaysofFishmas road trip heads up the East Coast for a fish as American as apple pie - American Shad (Alosa sapidissima)! Known for their spawning runs, shad know that no matter how far away you roam, no trip could be too far when it comes to home
An advent calendar-style graphic with days 1-24 filled in with Neoceratodus forsteri, Polyodon spathula, Pantodon buchholzi, Protanguilla palau, Cyema atrum, Chanos chanos, Phractolaemus ansorgii, Tarumania walkerae, Lepidogalaxias salamandroides, Omosudis lowii, Stylephorus chordatus, Steindachneria argentea, Barbourisia rufa, Icosteus aenigmaticus, Scombrolabrax heterolepis, Oncopterus darwinii, Nematistius pectoralis, Xiphias gladius, Zaprora silenus, Enoplosus armatus, Cheimmarichthys fosteri, Luvaris imperialis, Capros aper, Triodon macropterus.
#25DaysOfFishmas 2025
Monospecific Families/"Lonely This Fishmas"
Day 24 - Triodon macropterus, threetooth puffer
