Featured Scientist

In the Fish family, hunting and fishing is a family affair. Max Fish, right, accompanied by his son and brother, pose for a photo after a successful archery hunt for wild turkey.


Fishing in Alaska, Max and his wife, Carly, show off their catch.


As a father of two young children, Max makes it a priority to take his kids fishing, hunting and into the outdoors every chance he gets. Max and his son, Ryland, and daughter, Ellie, spend time surf fishing in Southern California.
 

There is not a more appropriately named employee anywhere within CDFW than Max Fish. An environmental scientist with the Inland Fisheries Assessment and Monitoring Program, Max is tasked with, well, helping to maximize fish and fishing opportunities within California’s inland lakes and reservoirs. He is based in West Sacramento.

The tools of his trade include the heavy duty, Smith-Root SR18 electrofishing boat he captains, a research vessel that can pump 170 to 1,000 volts of electricity through the water, temporarily stunning fish to the surface in order to survey populations and assess health in the state’s inland waters.

From Kokanee Salmon to crappie and catfish, Max works with more than three dozen inland fish species found in California. He also collects and analyzes all the data submitted by tournament anglers and fishing contests throughout the state.

Born and raised in Palo Alto, Max earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fish conservation biology from UC Davis and joined CDFW shortly after graduating in 2007.

You’ve seen the data from all the big bass tournaments. Where would you send someone interested in catching a really big black bass?

We have several species of black bass in California, which are largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, Alabama and redeye.

My area of expertise is really in northern California. I’d start with any of our central California lakes that have Kokanee Salmon populations. California holds the world record for Alabama Bass out of New Bullards Bar Reservoir (Yuba County). For awhile, it seemed like New Bullards Bar would kick out a new world record bass every season. Right now, the world record fish is sitting at just about 11 ½ pounds.

For Largemouth Bass, we don’t have the world record but we’re close. Of the top 25 largest Largemouth Bass ever caught anywhere in the world, 20 have come from California – all from Southern California lakes. In northern California, it’s hard to beat the quality of large fish in Clear Lake (Lake County) and the California Delta.

Tell us about the special projects you’re involved with.

I work on a program to promote and expand Sacramento Perch. Sacramento Perch are the only species of sunfish native to California. They are the only native sunfish west of the Rockies. They are now extirpated from their native range in California, which was the Delta, but we’ve got them in about 20 lakes where they’ve been translocated.

We’ve been trying to promote the Sacramento Perch on a variety of fronts – for private industry, for private stocking and recreational angling. There are a lot of private landowners who are really interested in native fish, especially native gamefish that are warm-water tolerant. There’s really only one – and that’s the Sacramento Perch. So we’ve been working on that front. We’ve collected all the tissue samples to identify which populations are more genetically robust, more diverse and suitable to create new populations.

Can Sacramento Perch be reintroduced into the Delta or are there too many other predatory fish there now?

The literature shows that predators aren’t as big of a problem as are competitors. Sacramento Perch evolved in California when the main competitors on the valley floor were Pikeminnow and Steelhead. All the introduced sunfish from the Midwest had dozens of competitors they had to compete with so they developed breeding strategies and feeding strategies that are really aggressive.

Sacramento Perch just don’t have that. So when you put them in an environment with a bunch of Green Sunfish or Bluegill or Redear Sunfish, they just seem to get pushed out over the course of a few years. So that’s been, I think, by far the biggest challenge in trying to expand them. All of our surface waters in the Sacramento Valley and the foothills have sunfish in them.

But when you talk to people about Sacramento Perch, they get super excited to hear about a native gamefish that’s warm-water tolerant. You can stock them in a pond and they will do great. They will survive under ice. As far as environmental conditions go, they are super tolerant.

What’s happening with California’s landlocked salmon such as Kokanee and Chinook?

One of the things I’m doing now is a mark and recapture study of Kokanee Salmon. Last year, we began marking fish by clipping the adipose fins of all the Kokanee we stocked into Stampede Reservoir (Sierra County). Stampede Reservoir is our brood stock water for Kokanee Salmon. In lakes like Stampede where there is natural recruitment and a stocking allotment it’s tough to make management decisions when you don’t know what relative contributions either of those make to the fishery. By fin-clipping those fish when we stock them, we can see how many return to spawn or how many show up in anglers’ catches. We can see the relative number of hatchery fish versus natural fish and determine if we are stocking too many, too few and adjust our stocking accordingly. In 2019, we released marked Kokanee into New Melones Reservoir (Calaveras/Tuolumne counties).

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to undertake?

I’d do two. One is create a Sacramento Perch broodstock facility. Like I said, we have an idea from our genetic work on where to get our broodstock, but there is the question of where to put them. We’d like something on state lands that we can control. A natural pond could function as a production facility as well as a grow-out facility but finding something that doesn’t already have non-native fish and has a secure water source that is not going to go dry is a challenge. A solar-powered well would be perfect. We could dig a pond, put in a well, know that we would have good water – but all of that costs money. We are headed there but it is slow going.

I’d also expand our Kokanee mark and recapture study. Instead of fin-clipping 40,000 Kokanee a year, I would love to do all of the Kokanee we plant – but that’s the expensive part. Collecting the data on the back end isn’t too bad. We use creel surveys of angler-caught fish. At least in Stampede, that’s where we collect our eggs so we are seeing all the fish that come up the river to spawn anyway. Maybe we wouldn’t have to fin-clip all of the fish but at least the ones we stock into lakes with naturally reproducing populations. We could get a lot more data a lot more efficiently.

What advice would you give a young person today thinking about a career in natural resources?

If you haven’t already, read “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. That book had an impact on me and still does to this day. I think it’s a valuable read for anyone going into this field.

What about the book spoke to you?

It’s just the way Aldo Leopold viewed the natural world and the way we as human beings fit into it.

Away from work, where are we most likely to find you?

Usually fishing, hunting, backpacking or otherwise spending time with family. It depends on the season. In the spring, I really enjoy turkey hunting and fishing – stripers in the river, and Kokanee, bass and crappie in lakes. In the fall, I’m deer hunting, duck hunting, crabbing, and fishing for rockfish.

I hunt and fish for food – not out of necessity but because I feel more integrated into the natural world and more connected to the earth. I think it’s a uniquely satisfying experience in our society that’s increasingly disconnected from the earth. It’s what Aldo Leopold wrote a long time ago that holds true today: “There is value in any experience that reminds us of our dependency on the soil, plant, animal, man food chain.”

CDFW Photos. Top Photo: Max Fish captains a CDFW electrofishing boat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in January to help collect Largemouth Bass for live display at the International Sportsmen’s Exposition in Sacramento in January.

Travis preparing for an abalone survey dive, Catalina Island. Photo credit Derek Stein, CDFW


Travis working on the California Recreational Fisheries Survey, San Diego. Photo courtesy of Travis Buck


Travis at a CDFW scientific diver recertification training, Catalina Island. Photo credit Colleen Wisniewski


Travis and Scientific Aid Nima Farchadi collecting Pacific Bluefin Tuna biological data, San Diego. Photo credit Erica Mills, CDFW

Travis Buck is an environmental scientist with the CDFW Marine Region’s Highly Migratory Species and Ecosystem Management Project in San Diego. His primary responsibilities include data collection and analysis for highly migratory species and representing CDFW on the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Ecosystem Workgroup.

A Midwest native, Travis moved to California in 2003 after receiving a degree in Geography with an emphasis in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. He also completed Tropical Marine Ecology graduate level coursework in Florida and the Bahamas.

What led you to a career in marine biology?

I became fascinated with the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it at an early age. I remember my grandfather used to take me fishing in Florida and that was always very exciting. I especially liked the idea that you never knew what was on the end of your line until it surfaced, and so I began identifying fish as a kid on those trips. I was a big fan of aquariums too, and when I got a little older I became really interested in snorkeling, freediving and exploring reefs in Florida and the Bahamas. It seemed to be a more serene, foreign world, and I wanted to live closer to it and understand the life that existed within it.

In school, I also excelled at math and science, so marine biology seemed like a natural fit. I have an aunt who jokes that I told her when I was five years old that I was going to be a marine biologist. She can’t believe I followed through with what I said at such a young age.

What brought you to CDFW? What inspires you to stay?

I began my career with CDFW in 2007 after three years as a contractor working on the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS). For the first 10 years of my career, I worked for the Marine Region’s Invertebrate Management Project, primarily on research and management of the spiny lobster fishery. I recently transferred to the Marine Region’s Highly Migratory Species and Ecosystem Management Project to expand my knowledge of marine fisheries.

I think the mandate of CDFW is a pretty epic one, to ensure that California’s natural resources are there and are healthy for future generations. I can’t really think of a responsibility more noble than that. When I look back on the almost 15 years I’ve been associated with CDFW, it’s almost impossible to fathom how much I have learned, and also how much of the state I’ve been able to see through being employed here.

What is a typical day at work like for you?

It might be crunching numbers to track Pacific Bluefin Tuna landings (since they are managed with a quota), or it might be assisting scientific aids with dockside sampling questions, or it might be traveling out of state for a Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, or a plethora of other duties. Issues with natural resources are dynamic and always changing, and so are the assignments at CDFW. I think most environmental scientists working for CDFW will tell you that there’s no such thing as a “typical day,” and that’s another reason that keeps me here, there’s not a lot of repetition of tasks. You’re constantly learning new skills.

What is the best thing about your job?

I love being at the forefront of marine-related research and being “in the know” about major issues affecting the ocean and its fisheries when sometimes the majority of the public aren’t even aware. And it’s not only about the major issues affecting the ocean, but also the cool discoveries. My job provides the opportunity to act as a messenger, to disseminate these cool discoveries, as well as important problems, to a wider audience.

Diving at the Channel Islands over the years for CDFW, particularly the abalone surveys, provided some of the best memories I’ll ever have. Some of the things I saw underwater were so amazing and surreal. For instance, after one survey at Catalina Island, as we were slowly ascending to the boat, it started to rain. A school of barracuda were above us, and we could see raindrops breaking the ocean’s surface right above them while we hung out in the kelp forest for our safety stop. Scenes like that I’ll never forget. And all the people I’ve been able to meet and work with. Wow, it’s kind of mind-blowing looking back at how much information and how many people and places this type of work can expose you to.

What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of?

I’m proud of the work I did to successfully develop and manage the lobster report card program. Before lobster report cards, which gather data and are required for lobster fishing, we had no idea how large the recreational fishery was for lobster, or how much lobster that sector landed each year. Now we have a much better grasp on that information. Also, I’ve enjoyed writing two articles for Outdoor California magazine that detailed CDFW research on abalone and lobster. Writing is a passion of mine.

I’m also proud of becoming a CDFW diver. I passed the entry examination with only the bare minimum number of required dives under my belt. It was very physical, with underwater breath-holding exercises in the ocean that are pretty difficult. I was pumped when I completed those.

What interesting projects are you working on currently?

I’m really interested in the work my project is doing with Pacific Bluefin Tuna. Not only do I track the total landings of this species in California, but we recently began collecting genetic samples of Pacific Bluefin Tuna landed in San Diego, which could give us further insight into the population being targeted by offshore fishing here. Pacific Bluefin Tuna were so heavily fished over the last century by other countries, the population is at a small fraction of its historic levels. There are real efforts being made at the international level to rebuild the population, however. That’s a good thing.

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to do?

I would organize a giant collaboration to better understand how the combination of warming ocean temperatures, increasing ocean acidification, and increasing hypoxia (like we are seeing take place around the world) will affect all of the commercially and recreationally important marine species off the U.S. West Coast. Humans need to know these things, so we can prepare for a rapidly changing world.

Do you have any advice for people considering careers in science or natural resources?

Work on your math and writing skills! There are a lot of numbers involved, and there is a lot of writing involved. Also, natural resource management actually involves managing people, since we are the ones exploiting the natural resources. So, work on your interpersonal skills – you’ll need them!

Tell us something about yourself that people might be surprised to learn.

I love surfing. I’m obsessed with everything about it! I’m convinced it’s the most beautiful, healthy and rewarding passion there is. I’ve also survived two boat crashes! Honestly, I have. Both were research trips, and neither was the fault of the researchers on board!

CDFW Photos. Top Photo: Travis with a yellowtail, San Clemente Island. Photo courtesy of Travis Buck.

Ed trains a CRFS sampler aboard a CPFV off Fort Bragg



Ed examining catch aboard a boat in Shelter Cove

Ed preparing to tag a brown rockfish aboard a CPFV off La Jolla

Ed collecting a salmon head in Shelter Cove

Trinidad Pier Youth Fishing Tournament CDFW Staff

Ed and his new grandson, Edgar V

Ed training new CRFS samplers in Shelter Cove

Edgar “Ed” W. Roberts III is an environmental scientist in CDFW’s Eureka office. As the lead for the California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) in Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, Ed is responsible for all aspects of the CRFS on the north coast, from training new staff, to creating sampling schedules, to making sure sampling goals are met.

Ed was born in Oceanside and grew up in San Diego, where he lived until he left for college at Humboldt State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology.

Who or what inspired you to become a scientist?

My passion for fishing and stewardship of the environment was instilled in me by my father and grandfather along the streams and lakeshores of the Sierra Nevada. I kept the first fish I caught (a nice CDFG stocked rainbow trout taken at June Lake when I was 5) in my mother’s freezer for years and would break it out for show-and-tell whenever someone new would come to the house. Growing up in San Diego, I spent a lot of time at the ocean, and I read and watched Jacques Cousteau religiously. I had a sense early on in life that I wanted to become a marine fisheries biologist.

During those fishing trips with my father and grandfather, I also met many CDFW game wardens. Through them I learned about CDFW’s mission, which really appealed to me and my outdoor ethics.

How did you come to work for CDFW?

I started my fisheries career working seasonal and part-time jobs, as most CDFW scientists do. I worked on the CRFS’ predecessor, the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, as well as several CDFW scientific aid positions. Those projects were interesting and included an aerial census of the harbor seal population in California and a bycatch study of the commercial spot prawn fishery.

In 2000, I was hired as a marine biologist to work primarily on outreach and developing youth fishing and educational programs at the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and Back Bay Science Center. Since then I’ve worked on the implementation of the Marine Life Management Act, the Nearshore Fishery Management Plan, the development and implementation of CRFS, and other work for the Marine Region’s Groundfish and Invertebrate projects.

What is the most rewarding project that you’ve worked on for CDFW?

I represented CDFW on a collaborative groundfish tagging project from 2002 to 2006. At the time, I believe it was the biggest fish tagging program of its kind in the state – we tagged over 32,300 fish from 32 species and learned quite a bit about the life histories and movements of some previously little-studied species. During the early 2000s, the California charter boat industry was hit hard by recently implemented bottomfishing restrictions that were necessary to help depleted fish stocks recover. This tagging study was paid for primarily through federal groundfish disaster relief funds. We hired sportfishing boats that were impacted by these new restrictions to use as research platforms, helping to ease the economic problems their owners and operators were facing. At the same time, we, the fishery biologists, worked side-by-side with the captains, crews and volunteer anglers we enlisted to help us with the work, benefiting from their experience and on-the-water observations. It was a great example of resource managers and consumptive users working together for a common purpose. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of that project.

 

Tell us about your current work with the CRFS.

The CRFS is a statewide survey of marine recreational anglers. CRFS samplers intercept saltwater sportfishers at the completion of their fishing trips, ask them some questions about that trip and their fishing habits and collect biological data from their catch. The data we collect are then used to create estimates of saltwater sport catch and effort. Those estimates are used by fishery managers at both the state and federal level to manage our state’s finfish resources for sustainability. If you’re reading this and you’ve ever participated in our survey, I want to thank you for your cooperation, and for doing your part to conserve our resources.

Within the CRFS, my specific and primary responsibility is to ensure that the data we collect is of the highest quality. I work towards fulfilling that responsibility by cultivating and maintaining good working relationships with the angling public to increase awareness of and cooperation with our survey, by working with my staff in the field to make sure our strict sampling protocols are followed, by reviewing the data my staff collect for quality control purposes, and by reviewing the estimates of marine finfish catch and effort that are generated using those data.

CRFS, by design, can be used to document changes in fisheries and species assemblages that may be due to variable oceanic conditions caused by climate change. We observed many unusual occurrences this last year, and I’m currently working to publish some of those findings.

What is the best thing about your job?

Aside from the pride I have in knowing I am working to maintain, enhance and restore our marine ecosystems for the use and enjoyment of present and future Californians, I get a lot of satisfaction from helping students and recent graduates with degrees in natural resources gain valuable experience in their chosen field. Many former employees have expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to hone their skills. Those thanks really mean a lot to me and make me feel like I’m making a difference.

Over the course of your career, was there a discovery or incident that surprised you?

I recently published a note regarding a tag return from a California scorpionfish that I tagged in 2004 (tagged during the same project I mentioned previously). It was recaptured in 2017, after spending almost 14 years at liberty with my tag in its back. Interestingly, the fish was caught in almost the same location where it was originally captured and remains the longest documented tag retention for this species.

Do you have any advice for people considering careers in science or natural resources?

Most of the people I’ve met during my career are not here for the money – they do their jobs because they have a desire to learn and passion for the resource with the end goal being sustainability. Don’t go into the field expecting to get rich. Cultivate your passion for science and resource management during your education, and be prepared to work entry level, seasonal, part-time jobs to make connections and get your foot in the door. Success in this field is equal parts passion and perseverance.

Away from work, where are we likely to find you?

Fishing and camping with my family is the greatest pleasure in my life. On a day off, or even after work, you might find me fishing the south jetty at Humboldt Bay with my wife, children, brother-in-law and nephews. On vacation, you might find me camping and fishing with the same crew, plus some aunts and uncles, at Trinity Lake or on the Kern River.

Tell us something about yourself that many people would be surprised to learn.

I’m an Eagle Scout, volunteered with Scouting for more than 15 years, and I am an Army veteran. I’ve played fantasy baseball with the same group of people for the last 30 years. Also, my grandson, Edgar V, was born on March 16, 2019. I can’t wait to help my son pass on our love for fishing to his son.