The LAQE

10/05/2026

We found lamprey ammocetes for Kate's undergraduate project and a lot of other cool fish in north Mississippi!

09/18/2026

The LAQE is out in the field again kick starting Kate’s undergraduate research project on lamprey and invasive Corbicula overlap.

08/27/2026

Today is World Lake Day. This is also your reminder that LAQE is pronounced like "Lake". Shout out to some of our favorite lakes through pics: Lake Baikal, Russia; oxbow lake on the Approuague River, French Guiana; Lake Lurleen, Alabama; flooded forest on the Sinnamary River, French Guiana; and Bluff Lake, Mississippi.

08/14/2026

What a productive couple of days in the field! We accomplished goals for multiple projects, including starting Mayah's undergrad Cyprinella project, and got to see the two most imperiled sunfish in Alabama.

07/27/2026

Wow, two new pubs in one day! David Pounders's work 'Complete mitochondrial genomes of the Spring Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma alabamae)' was published in Mitochondrial DNA Part B. This has been a work in progress that undergrad Mayah Peterson helped wrap up. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2026.2706889

07/27/2026

We've just published a chapter from Anna Eastis's thesis! The article, 'Genomic Insights Into the Origins and Demographic History of the Invasive Green Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)', is out in The Ecology of Freshwater Fish today. We used genomic data to trace the origin of introduced Green Swordtail in the United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.70056

07/23/2026

07/17/2026

The Noxubee River wasn't very nice to us this week. It also didn't cough up any Alburnops edwardraneyi, but we did collect plenty of other cool fish!

07/09/2026

That’s our Mayah!

Interns at Work

Stopping invasive species before they become established is one of the most effective ways to protect Mississippi's coastal ecosystems. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response are essential to keeping our waterways healthy.

During her Coastal Preserves rotation, Mayah Peterson, a Conservation Biology major at Mississippi State University, joined our team in the field, helping monitor and treat aquatic non-native invasives by piloting an MDMR vessel through Paige Bayou and Broadus Lake. Her hands-on experience is helping build the next generation of coastal conservation professionals while supporting the protection of Mississippi's invaluable natural resources.

Thank you, Mayah, for your dedication and hard work!

07/06/2026

Members of LAQE, ancient, old, and new, attended the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in Gulfport. We used the annual event for both data collection and as an outreach event, hoping to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in fisheries biology and genetics.