274 - Managing Virginia’s notorious invasive species with Chief of Fisheries Dr. Mike Bednarski

This week, Preston chats with Dr. Mike Bednarski, who is the Chief of Fisheries for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR). Mike compares and contrasts the infamous "big three" invasive freshwater fishes that are hot topics of conversation in Virginia. They also discuss Mike's career arc, as well as some of the threats facing the future of fishing and fisheries management and a few recent "wins" for the VDWR. Finally, they chat about the economic importance of recreational fishing and the careful art of balancing multiple stakeholder groups when it comes to management decisions. We hope that you enjoy this episode!

 

Main point: "Don't move fish around."

Mike's email address: mike.bednarski@dwr.virginia.gov

 

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Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic intro/outro music.

The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).