Anglers and fishing enthusiasts now have a site they can utilize to share stories about the one that got away and much more.
University of Alberta researcher Mark Poesch wants the public to share their personal observations and fishing stories in the name of science.
Poesch launched an interactive website, www.markpoesch.com, where he wishes anglers, canoeists, swimmers, hikers and river hobbyists in Alberta and the rest of North America to log their fish sightings and photos.
The site has three interactive tools that allow people to report a fish, take an angler survey and provide their traditional knowledge towards their fishing experiences.
“We launched the site on the Canada Day weekend, hoping we can benchmark changes and get the emphasis out to the public that this is a new tool to collect data,” said Poesch.
The report a fish section asks the user to click on an interactive map to indicate where the sighting took place. You then fill in certain details on the encounter. The angler survey asks about personal fishing practices, such as how much you fish? What bait do you use? Where do you fish the most in a season? The traditional knowledge survey is an open section where users may discuss fishing history, or insight into species that are now extinct.
“The public is more than welcome to post as much information on their sightings and experiences as possible, numerous times,” Poesch said. “Our broad goal is to engage with citizens as much as possible about their local areas and knowledge; local citizens can be the canary in the coal mine.”
Poesch has been involved with citizen science in the past, and has found it’s an engaging tool that helps in collecting data and getting the public involved in the environment and science behind it.
“We can’t be everywhere and the public can supplement our knowledge about certain species and can help find certain surprises,” Poesch said. “Citizens want to help, and we’re providing a forum for them to use.
An avid angler most of his life, Poesch says it helped in having a large impact on his education and profession. “I’ve always loved fishing, that’s why I got into this career. If you do what you love – you’ll never work a day in your life.
“Another big thing is to break the mold people have of professors just being in their ivory towers,” Poesch said. “We want to have a two-way conversation with people; you can communicate, send pictures and we’ll be putting training modules online too.”
Visit www.markpoesch.com to share your fishing information and photographs.
