Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Are the Ospreys Starving?

Another article on the possible connection between Menhaden fishing, and the struggling Osprey populations in the Bay. At What's Up Media, The Osprey-Menhaden Bay Connection

Each spring, birders eagerly await the return of ospreys to the Chesapeake Bay—a welcome sight that signals the end of winter. An estimated 8,000 to 12,000 breeding pairs of ospreys live in the Chesapeake Bay, which is home to the largest breeding osprey population in the world. Since ospreys are sensitive to changes in their environment, they serve as a monitor of the health of the Bay.

So, when 2024 breeding performance results released by the College of William & Mary’s Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) showed that osprey chicks continue to starve in their nests in portions of the Bay where they typically depend on menhaden—a small, silvery, nutrient-packed fish—for food, the findings intensified ongoing, decades-long concerns.

 

According to a press release issued on September 13, 2024, by the CCB, osprey chicks aren’t surviving at rates that sustain the population. A survey monitored 571 osprey pairs in 12 sites in Virginia and Maryland during the nesting season (March through August). Ten study areas were located within the main stem of the Bay, where salinity exceeded 10 parts per thousand (ppt), and ospreys are highly dependent on menhaden. Two additional study areas (used for comparison) were located on upper tributaries within tidal fresh waters, where salinity was less than 1 ppt, and ospreys feed primarily on catfish and gizzard shad.

The generally accepted reproductive rate for population maintenance is 1.15 young/pair. Breeding performance varied between the higher-salinity sites—ranging from minor, moderate, and major deficit. However, the reproductive rate within the tidal freshwater sites was 1.36 young/pair, which is above the maintenance target (surplus).

“It’s clear to researchers that ospreys are struggling due to food stress, but the starvation issue is mostly confined to the main stem of the Bay, where waters are greater than 10 ppt salinity,” says Bryan Watts, Ph.D., director of the CCB. “We do not know why menhaden have become less available to ospreys. The osprey-menhaden issue is a moving target. Some have suggested that ongoing harvest, warming waters, water quality, or other factors are impacting menhaden in the Bay. However, we do know that osprey broods [groups of chicks] are starving in their nests and that there is not enough menhaden in their diet to support sustainable reproductive rates.”

Snakehead! It's what's for dinner!
 

In addition to starvation, scientists and researchers are also observing uncharacteristic behaviors among ospreys. According to Watts, a large number of osprey pairs didn’t lay clutches during the 2024 nesting season. This is the first time that this behavior has been documented on a large scale within the Chesapeake Bay. Researchers believe that the most likely explanation is that the females didn’t reach the nutritional condition required to produce eggs.

Single-chick broods and asymmetric broods were also widespread throughout the Bay in 2024. Asymmetry develops when food coming into the nest is inadequate to feed all of the chicks—resulting in a dominance hierarchy, which allows the dominant chick to monopolize access to food. Depending on the available food supply, one or all of the chicks may starve.

For what it's worth, I'm beginning to give this hypothesis a little more credence. Ospreys have been noticeably in short supply in our neighborhood this year. I've seen them a couple of times, but usually, by this time of year, Ospreys would be hunting out in front of the beach almost constantly.  Ospreys return to the same nest every year, which suggests that one or more pairs failed to return from their winter vacations. I do wonder about the role of Bald Eagles in this matter too. Ospreys bringing food back to the nest have to run the gauntlet of hungry eagles to get to the nest. From what I've observed, about one in ten catches results in a steal from an eagle. If fish are a limiting resource, that could definitely affect the Osprey nesting success. 

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Flotsam and Jetsam - Dem Pols Planned "Proof of Life" Presidency

Mike La Chance at LI reports a Journalist Claims Biden Aides Planned Second Term Where They Only Needed to Sometimes Show ‘Proof of Life’, “if you believe — and I think a lot of these people do sincerely believe that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy — you can rationalize anything,” including cheating in the election, per chance? Ace, Unnamed Biden Aide Admits Plan Was for Biden to Get "Re"-Elected and Then Disappear, Letting His "Aides" Run the Government, and Only Occasionally Appearing on Video to Demonstrate "Proof of Life" "The aide also says that "when you vote for a president, you're voting for the aides around him." Oh, so that's what "Democracy" turns out to be. An illicit government run by unelected criminals and grifters." Emma-Jo Morris @EmmaJoNYC, "I don’t want to hear about “norms” ever again." Quote Leading Report @LeadingReport, "BREAKING: Biden White House staff reportedly felt justified in taking “undemocratic” actions to stop what they saw as the existential threat, Donald Trump, per Axios." Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "Same reason judges are entering orders against Trump even though they lack jurisdiction." Quote "Rep. James Comer @RepJamesComer, " Longtime aide to former President Joe Biden admitted that White House staff felt justified doing “undemocratic things” during his term in office because they believed President Donald Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy." Sundance at CTH, President Trump Notes the Biden Autopen Scandal Extends Beyond the Pardon Controversies. Dave Strom at Hat Hair is Revisiting the Hunter Biden Laptop Excuses. Mostly Peaceful Memes @MostlyPeacefull "“Hunter Biden could have the corpses of children in his basement, I wouldn’t care” When people tell you who they are, believe them." At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition).Legal Insurrection, You Won’t Believe The “Unexpected Heavy Hitters” In Proposed Democrat “Shadow Cabinet” (Actually, Yes You Will).

Joe Concha @JoeConchaTV "Here comes the pivot! These people are shameless. Again- with feeling: Anyone with eyes and ears knew exactly what was happening for years." Quote Tom Elliott @tomselliott, "Axios’ @AlexThomp: “While we didn’t know much about Joe Biden’s health, we know even less about Donald Trump’s health”" Bonchie at RedState hears Jake Tapper and His Co-Author Expose the Grift Behind Their Book on Biden's Senility. Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok "Jake Tapper, who covered up for Biden’s health problems and mental decline for 4 years then pretended he was shocked that nobody reported on it, is now claiming that Trump isn’t honest about his health and suddenly wants transparency from presidents on their health. Unreal." A Larry video at Hat Hair, Jasmine Crockett's Take on Trump's Mental Fitness Will Make Your Head Spin. At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition) Twitchy, Jake Tapper’s PR Team Has Him Trying To Sell His Fake “Humility” But Nobody’s Buying, and Louder With Crowder, “Original Sin” authors claim Biden health coverup worse than Watergate… but of course, now comes their anti-Trump pivot.Dave Catron at Am Spec sees Trump’s Poll Numbers Rise, Resistance 2.0 Flops, "Democrats and the corporate media continue to attack the President and his party, but no one is listening." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Leftover Linkagery) Twitchy: Rasmussen Poll Shows 50% Of Country Thinks We’re On The Right Track, Big Mistake Canada! and This Is What We Voted For.The Peacock whines Consumer confidence for May was much stronger than expected on optimism for trade deals. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn is Movin' on Up: Consumer Confidence Does a BOINK! At JTN, Denver mayor points finger at Trump after $250M shortfall brings hiring freezes, furloughs. From NYPo, Trump says US wants to make tanks, not T-shirts.

At Althouse, "Lately the American president has been spending quite a bit of time redecorating the Oval Office. The results can only be called a gilded rococo hellscape." "I'm reading "All Hail Our Rococo President!" — "an installment of Visual Studies, a series that explores how images move through and shape culture" — by Emily Keegin, in The New York Times. That's a free-access link." and We were talking about Trump not being "polished or smooth" and about a place called "Creatable World." "The first post of the day, here, quoted a NYT writer who said: Trump "wasn’t polished or smooth. His appearance was shoddy, strange, lacking all polish." Trump has tarted up the Oval Office with gold, but he's still rough, lumbering, and orange."

Rasmussen Reports@Rasmussen_Poll "Fact Check: According to our polling, True" Quote, Catturd ™ @catturd2 "Republicans have ZERO chance of holding the House in 2026 if they don't codify Elon's DOGE cuts and Trump's executive orders. Republican voters are furious with the Republican Congress right now." TownHall's Kurt Schlichter says Calm Down, Conservatives "I get the frustration. I get the irritation. We’ve waited decades for justice. We’ve waited decades to use the power granted to us by the American people to reshape this country back into something like it was rather than the gross, formless blob of neo-commie failure it has become. But this Gramscian Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we’re not going to burn it down overnight, no matter how hard we fiddle. Start taking “Yes” for an answer, conservatives." Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC "The last president told me his patience with me was “wearing thin”, tried to have me fired for not taking a fake vaccine, and then told the entire country I was a threat to the very foundations of democracy. You don’t ever get to call anyone else “divisive.” It’s on now." Quote Chris Cillizza @ChrisCillizza, "“He intentionally doesn't want to govern for half the country. This should be disqualifying, right? The American president shouldn't be this divisive, intentionally divisive. We've had divisive figures, but he goes out of his way. He wants to be divisive. He doesn't even want to try to bring the country together. He wants this.” -- @chucktodd on Donald Trump's Memorial Day Truth Social post."



en-aide-admits-staff-undemocratic-trump-threat-democracy/
At PJM Matt Margolis thinks this is The Most Hilarious Scheme yet for Democrats to Win Back Power and Vodka Pundit, So This Latest Move Will Save the Democrats for Sure. "Democrats spending millions to learn how to speak to ‘American Men’ and win back the working class," the Independent reported today, with party leaders holed up "in luxury hotel rooms on a strategy codenamed SAM, or 'Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan.'" Dave Strom at Hat Hair, If This Is The Best Democrats Have... Sean Spicer@seanspicer "If this the best the Dems can do we’re in great shape The Shadow Cabinet That Can Help Democrats Win Back Power - POLITICO" Also at Hat Hair, Duane Patterson says Democrats, Don't Change A Thing. You're Doing Great, Dave Strom worries Democrats Can Retake the South! and Capt. Ed sees NYT Wonder Where Do Democrats Go After a 'Cultural Rejection'? Althouse, Did this "longtime Democratic researcher" really ask "around 250 focus groups of swing voters" to name the animal each political party reminds them of? "I'm reading this free-linked NYT article — "Six Months Later, Democrats Are Still Searching for the Path Forward" — because my son John posted about it on Facebook. . . Somehow Republicans do way too much, so aggressively, but Democrats don't get anything done? And these were swing voters? Sorry. Not believed. Sounds too much like the opinion of someone with left-wing policy preferences. You want more from the Democrats and you want it faster. And those terrible Republicans!" And, "At the end of last week, the Democratic Party sent an email to members and supporters, asking them to chip in $30 each for its election fighting fund. The email was dressed up as a personal appeal from Kamala Harris...." I laughed at this line "At 60, she is still young enough to have another run at high office...." Another? Like there's only one more chance for her to threaten us with a presidential candidacy — in 2028? She's only 60. She can go at least 4 more times. She can be there in 2028, 2032, 2036, and 2040! Imagine the 80-year-old Kamala Harris, well-seasoned, sharp as a tack." I'm having trouble with that. From Fox, Viral video of Biden wearing Trump hat reportedly left Kamala Harris fuming.

Scott Pinsker at PJM hears The Dems Declare War on the Obama Boys. "This morning — at 5 a.m. on the flippin’ dot! — NBC News dropped a triple-bylined, 40+ paragraph bombshell: “Obama world loses its shine in a changing, hurting Democratic Party”"

Stacy McCain has another flashback, May 27: A Date That Will Live in Hilarity. "Big hat-tip to Ace of Spades for reminding us that it was on this date — May 27, 2011 — that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) used his official Twitter account to send a photo of his . . . pelvic bulge, and then claimed that his account had been hacked."

From Ace, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Announces Fresh Investigations Into the "Pipe Bombs" Left at the DNC and RNC, the Leak of the Dobbs Decision, and Who Left Hunter Biden's Cocaine in the White House, "Obviously all three of these investigations were deliberately crippled to protect the left." The Divine Ms. Devine at NYPo says FBI agents who covered up Hunter Biden’s laptop in 2020 must not get away with it. Legal Insurrection: FBI Investigating Cocaine Found at White House, DC Pipe Bombing, and Dobbs Leak. At Twitchy, WHOA! Sounds Like They May Know Who Leaked Dobbs and OF COURSE, They're Totally Anti-Trump Connected. Tony Seruga @TonySeruga, "It sure is looking like Sheldon Snook leaked the Dobbs decision. He is the husband of Mary McCord who’s the center of every op to get Trump. Snook was on John Roberts’s staff. Roberts protected Snook because he wanted to damage Trump. Just like Roberts protected the Ukraine impeachment whistleblower. Remember Roberts is besties with Norm Eisen. Chief Justice Roberts’ Secret Friendship with Trump Prosecutor Ally Norm Eisen Exposed Roberts didn’t just bump into Eisen at a D.C. cocktail party. No, these two are apparently such “good pals” that Roberts jetted off to the Czech Republic for a week-long sleepover at Eisen’s lavish 150-room palace. It’s straight from the mouth of Norm Eisen himself—the very same man who practically wrote the Deep State’s instruction manual on how to destabilize political opponents via color revolutions, lawfare, and weaponized legal warfare against President Trump." At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition) The Federalist, Alito, Thomas Left Stunned After SCOTUS Refuses To Protect Middle Schooler’s Speech Rights,

Duke at RedState, NPR and PBS Stations Sue Trump Administration for Cutting Their Federal Funding. Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland, "As I've noted many times before, Trump is going to great lengths to obey the letter of the orders entered against his administration even though judges are acting without jurisdiction and in violation of his Article II authority. We have further proof of that recently. 1/" At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition) The Geller Reports, Obama Judge Enters TRO Against Trump Administration in Harvard Case WITHOUT a Trump Attorney Even Appearing in Case, The Lid, Judge Delivers Huge Pro-Life Win Ending Terrible Biden Rule.

Jeff Charles at TownHall hears Former GOP Lawmakers Cry Foul About Felony Assault Charges Against Democrat Politician. "In a statement provided to USA Today, 11 former GOP members of Congress condemned the charges against McIver." "However, a popular saying comes to mind when considering this situation: Turnabout is fair play."

John Lott at Am Great does the research and says Crime Rates of Illegal Migrants are Underreported. "Despite media claims, illegal immigrants commit crimes at disproportionately high rates—yet nearly 42% of voters now believe the opposite." Twitchy says 'What's Your Stupid Point?' WaPo Faceplants With Another Attempted Hit Piece About Tom Homan. The Washington Post @washingtonpost, "Before he joined the Trump administration, “border czar” Tom Homan previously consulted for GEO Group, a key contractor in the administration’s mass deportation agenda, according to a newly released disclosure." Really, he had job? "Homan, while not in any government capacity, was paid a whopping $5,000 to consult with GEO Group." At Pop Times, Black Democrat’s Flopped Visit to Illegal Alien Abrego-Garcia Ends in a Meltdown and Stephen Miller Erupts Over Biden Judge Grounding Deportation Flight of Violent Criminals. DeVory Darkins @devorydarkins "MIC DROP: Stephen Miller absolutely excoriates the Democratic Party’s tactics using judicial lawfare to circumvent President Trump’s America-First agenda. ”You have a handful of judges elected by nobody sitting in local cities and communities claiming that they can rule over the foreign policy and national security in defense of the entire United States to micro-manage the activities of our defense department, of our federal immigration officers, of our cabinet secretaries….Judges who will claim the powers of a king. All for the purpose of the mass importation of illegal aliens. The mass importation of illegal aliens into this country, mass third world migration. That is what the entire Democratic party now serves and exists for. Not the American people.” From Your News, More Democrats Keep Trying To Meet Alleged Gangbanger Deported To El Salvador. 'Becca Downs at TownHall hears Maryland Democratic Rep. Posts About Abrego Garcia As His 'Constituent' on Memorial Day. They sure want their gangbanger back, don't they?

Matt Vespa sees One Tweet That Obliterated a CBS News Host's Rant at Wake Forest. Guy Benson @guypbenson, "60 Minutes recently ran a lengthy report gushing over Germany’s anti-free speech policies, in which prosecutors laughed about confiscating phones and levying fines over bad thoughts. The lengthy report featured ZERO dissenting voices. Not even one quote against censorship." Quote Western Lensman @WesternLensman "CBS/60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley raged at Trump in angry, unhinged commencement address at Wake Forest: "In this moment, this morning, our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack." "And insidious fear is reaching through our schools. Our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak in America!" As he speaks openly and freely in America. This self-important, sermonizing propagandist is what passes for a legacy media “journalist."" Stacy McCain, finds Conclusions in Search of Evidence: Sex and the Modern Female Journalist. At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition) The Federalist, NPR Is Under The Delusion It Has A Constitutional Right To Your Money.

At the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Evening Edition) Don Surber: Trump has Harvard on the run. At Hat Hair, Dave Strom finds Harvard Doubles Down Defending Antisemitic Assaulters, John Sexton has Harvard Revokes Tenure of Professor Accused of Data Fraud (in Research on Honesty) and Capt. Ed says Harvard Proves Again: They Are Who We Thought They Were. Alan Dershowitz to Newsmax: Harvard Inciting Antisemitism. Ace, Trump Directs Government to End All Contracts With Harvard, "Good:" Capt. Ed again, Shoe, Dropped: Trump 'Pauses' Student Visas Across the Board. "Universities and colleges across the country can thank Harvard for this latest development. If federal courts won't allow the Department of Homeland Security to deal directly with Harvard on compliance for the Student Education Visa Program (SEVP), the administration can simply make it more difficult for everyone instead." The Tax Prof fisks Sovern: What Could A Hostile Federal Government Do To Law Schools? From the College Fix, Former Cornell professor, climate protesters blindfold university founder statue at graduation. The Jefferson Council @TheJeffersonC ""The President of the University of Virginia was justifying the marginalization of students on Grounds—and doing nothing about it. At that moment, I knew that man should not be sitting behind the desk in Madison Hall." The Jefferson Council’s president, Joel Gardner, doesn’t hold back. In this must-watch thread, he exposes 15 years of decline at UVA—from scandal after scandal with no accountability, to bloated DEI bureaucracies, to the targeting of dissenting students and faculty—and Joel makes a powerful call for bold, urgent reform to restore the University’s core values. This is your crash course in everything going wrong at UVA."

Capt. Ed hears Trump Orders Newsom to End Male Intrusion in Female Sports: Cultural Rejection, Part II and Beege Welborn finds Erasing All Doubt Dems Fully Intend to Restrict You to Their Plantation the Second They Can: Erin for Parental Rights @Erin4Parents "Wow. @GovofCO just signed a bill forcing all of us to pay for elective transgender-affirming procedures… this bill even includes a slush fund to circumvent Medicaid no longer covering this. Women of CO: you will all now be paying for men’s breast implants, laser hair removal and skin tightening. But your insurance will NOT cover any of these elective procedures for you. Let that sink in. *1309 also takes testosterone off the drug tracking program. So the wrong-sex hormones you’re paying for for children will be secret." Quote Governor Jared Polis @GovofCO, "We continue to expand and protect healthcare access for all Coloradans! In Colorado, healthcare is a private choice, and we're dedicated to protecting your freedoms and keeping healthcare costs down." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 05.27.25 (Leftover Linkagery) Louder With Crowder, “My daughter matters too”: Mother shuts down woke school forcing (trans) boys into girls’ sports.
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The Wednesday Wetness

Little Falls Watershed Alliance, Salt Testing Shows Toxic Levels Continue into Spring
Volunteers testing creeks in the Little Falls watershed found that salt readings in area creeks spiked to toxic levels after snow storms, but they did not always return to safe levels after the events. April readings showed that chronic toxicity (over 230 parts per million) remains in 3 locations on the Little Falls Branch - by the Somerset Pool, by the Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park, and by Westbrook Elementary School. Chronic toxicity means that the habitat of the aquatic life that depends on fresh water is compromised to the point where they cannot survive.

Since December 2024, trained LFWA volunteers have tested 8 sites along the Minnehaha, Little Falls and Willett Branch creeks before and after snow storms as well as once a month in the warmer months. The data shows that we have a serious salt pollution problem in the watershed. Most of our sites experienced spikes to levels of over 860 PPM after snow events. Chloride is naturally present in the environment. Chloride concentrations between 1 and 100 ppm (mg/L) are “normal” in most freshwater waterways. But levels over 230 PPM are considered chronic toxicity as aquatic organisms cannot tolerance this much salt for more than a few days. Levels over 860 are considered acute toxicity as the organisms can only survive for several hours at this level.

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Tuesday, May 27, 2025

What Did Megalodon Eat?

Georgia in the Jaws of Death 
at the Smithsonian
Pretty much whatever it wanted. Science Alert, Giant Megalodon's Prey Finally Revealed, And It's Not What We Thought

Megalodon, the terror of the Neogene, dominated its giant shark niche for just 20 million years before it disappeared from the world's oceans. And, during that time, it hunted anything and everything that crossed its path. It didn't distinguish: if it was large enough to be a snack, megalodon (Odotus megalodon) partook. Scientists have reached that conclusion after studying the teeth of modern sharks, and comparing them to the fossilized teeth of megalodon, almost all we have left of the extinct fish today. This contradicts the theory that the main prey of megalodon was whales. Certainly megalodon could and did eat whales – but its diet as a whole was far more opportunistic.

"Our study tends rather to draw a picture of megalodon as an ecologically versatile generalist," says geoscientist Jeremy McCormack of Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany. "Megalodon was by all means flexible enough to feed on marine mammals and large fish, from the top of the food pyramid as well as lower levels – depending on availability."

Georgia with her very real 4 1/2 inch Meg

Megalodon is an extinct species of shark that lived from around 23 million to around 3.6 million years ago, during which time it occupied a prime position at the top of the food web, before being driven to extinction. We will never know for certain what it looked like; like all sharks, its skeleton was mostly cartilage, and all it left behind was a lot of teeth and a few vertebrae.

We know from these remains, however, that megalodon was enormous, with size estimates ranging from around 11 meters to over 40 meters (36 to 131 feet) in length (although the latter is an outlier, and most estimates hover around 13 to 20 meters). That's huge – so huge that scientists think that megalodon may have specialized in large prey.

One way to determine the diet of someone who has been dead a long time is to look at isotopes in their teeth. An isotope of an element is an atom that deviates from the norm in the number of neutrons it has in its nucleus, and the ratios of these isotopes vary according to several factors, one of which is diet.

This is because when we eat, some of the metals in our food replace some of the calcium in our teeth and bones – not so you notice, obviously, but enough to leave a tracer. McCormack and his colleagues looked specifically at the ratios of two isotopes of zinc – the lighter zinc-64 and the heavier zinc-66.

When fish at the bottom of the food web eat, they store less zinc-66 than zinc-64. The fish that eat those fish have even less zinc-66. So when you get to the fish at the very top of the chain, you see the very least zinc-66 compared to zinc-64. This is what the researchers observed in the teeth of megalodon and its cousin, the extinct Odotus chubutensis.


The researchers don't really know what was at the bottom of the food chain 18 million years ago, the time from which the megalodon teeth they studied hailed. So, they compared the megalodon teeth with the teeth of sharks that swim the oceans today to work out what the giant predators ate.
. . .
There were also intriguing differences in megalodon diet depending on where the animals lived. Megalodon teeth found in Passau, Germany, dined more heavily on the lower levels of the food web, the researchers found.

This is not dissimilar to the opportunistic hunting approach demonstrated by white sharks (Carcharias carcharodon), which stands to reason: previous work led by McCormack showed that the rise of the white shark was likely one of the drivers that led megalodon to extinction. With competition in its ecological niche, megalodon became more vulnerable.

So, yeah, it ate whatever it wanted. Don't we all? 

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Largemouth Taxonomists Reclassify Largemouth Bass

Southern Maryland Chronic, Genetic Study Splits Largemouth Bass

Maryland’s most popular freshwater sportfish, the largemouth bass, has a new scientific identity following a groundbreaking study that distinguishes it from its Florida counterpart, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on May 23, 2025. The American Fisheries Society has officially recognized the Florida bass as a separate species from the largemouth bass, prompting a change in the scientific name for Maryland’s bass from Micropterus salmoides to Micropterus nigricans.

 

A Yale University study, published in 2025, analyzed the genetics of 394 fish and confirmed distinct differences between bass from Florida and coastal Georgia and those found elsewhere, including Maryland. The research validated observations made in 1949 by black bass researchers Carl Hubbs and Reeve Bailey, who noted physical differences like scale counts and coloration patterns. While these traits were insufficient for species separation at the time, modern genetic testing has provided conclusive evidence.

For Maryland anglers, the reclassification changes little in practice. The fish, still called largemouth bass locally, remains a favorite for its size, fighting spirit, and the tournaments hosted across the state’s lakes, tidal rivers, and nontidal rivers. However, the scientific name update to Micropterus nigricans will be reflected in Maryland’s fishing regulations, as proposed by the DNR. In Florida, what was once considered a largemouth bass is now classified as Florida bass (Micropterus salmoides).

 

“Recognizing them as separate species helps natural resource agencies like DNR manage and conserve these fish more effectively,” a DNR spokesperson said in a statement. The genetic distinction allows fisheries managers to tailor stocking and conservation strategies to each species’ environmental adaptations. Largemouth bass in Maryland are well-suited to the state’s cooler waters and shorter growing seasons, while Florida bass thrive in warmer southern climates with longer growing seasons.

 

The reclassification highlights behavioral and growth differences. Florida bass are known for reaching trophy sizes in their native range, benefiting from warm waters, but may not achieve the same growth in Maryland’s colder climate. Conversely, largemouth bass are prized for their aggressiveness and adapt better to northern waters. Stocking Florida bass in Maryland could lead to reduced catch rates or lower reproductive success, according to DNR fisheries biologists.

Maryland’s stocking strategy remains unchanged. Bass for tidal waters, such as the Potomac River, will continue to be sourced from local largemouth bass broodstock to ensure optimal survival and reproduction. This approach mirrors practices in states like Arkansas, where warmer southern regions are stocked with Florida bass and cooler northern areas receive largemouth bass.

Well, if the DNA says they're different species, and there are enough physical difference to warrant giving them separate scientific names, then so be it. Just don't pull some political renaming like Chesapeake Chana (instead of the long time name Northern Snakehead, which was perfectly descriptive, they belong to the genus of other snakeheads, and they were the northernmost species in the group.) Just FYI, there is another lookalike relative, the Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus), "native to the Mississippi River basin and across the Gulf states, from central Texas through the Florida panhandle. Its native range extends into the western Mid-Atlantic states and it has been introduced into western North Carolina and Virginia. It has also been introduced to southern Africa, where it has become established in some isolated waters as an invasive species."

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Flotsam and Jetsam - The Battle of the ' One Big, Beautiful Bill' Begins

But, but, but before that, Althouse, First, he just exclaims "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!" but then he thinks again, and by "thinks again," I don't mean he questioned whether "HAPPY" is the right word. "I mean he decided it would be better to say "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM....":" Sundance at CTH hosts President Donald Trump Delivering a Memorial Day Speech from Arlington Cemetary (sic). Drew Berquist, Trump Pardons ‘Century Men’ During West Point Commencement Speech. 'Century Men' are cadets with 100 or more hours of punishment tours for minor infractions.

The battle to get Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' through congress is starting to heat up. At NewsMax, Sen. Schmitt: Senate Aims to Polish Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' and Sen. Paul: Big Beautiful Bill Spending Cuts 'Wimpy,' 'Anemic'. True enough, but way better than you would get from the Democrats. LifeZette, Senator Ron Johnson: GOP Has the Votes to Stall Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill. "Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said Sunday that there are enough Republican senators prepared to halt President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation package until concerns over federal spending and the national deficit are addressed." Meanwhile NewsMax reports Schumer: Dems to Unanimously Oppose Trump Mega Bill until all their graft is restored.

Sundance reports British King Charles Arrives in Canada to Coordinate Defense Against U.S. Economic Positioning. From ET, European Markets Rally as Trump Delays EU Tariffs Until July 9. From Da Caller, President Trump Is Powering America’s Economic Comeback.

From NewsMax, Trump: Putin Gone 'Absolutely Crazy'. Gone? And in response, Russia: Trump's Criticism of Putin 'Emotional Overload'. Atop Da Hill, Grassley urges Trump to impose sanctions on Russia. Sanctions just seem to add to Putin's paranoia. At Hat Hair, Capt. Ed hears Hamas Agrees to US Hostage-Release Proposal, But ... UPDATE: 'Hamas Spin,' Says Witkoff. "The new proposal, which sees the release of 10 hostages and 70 days of truce, was reportedly received by Hamas through mediators." JTN, White House envoy Witkoff says Hamas misrepresents US ceasefire proposal, calls it 'unacceptable' "Witkoff has been in direct negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top adviser, Ron Dermer, and with Hamas leadership through Palestinian American businessman Bishara Bahbah." In the meantime, keep killing them off.

At Hat Hair, Dave Strom on Biden's Brain: It Wasn't a Cover Up; It Was a Hoax and Larry Elder, The Astonishing Chutzpah of CNN's Jake Tapper. "You co-wrote a new book in which you brazenly accuse the Biden administration of orchestrating a "cover-up" to conceal the former president's cognitive decline. But you were complicit. You played a major role." PJM's Matt Margolis say Now We Know the Real Reason Tapper and Thompson Wrote About Biden, so they can attack Trump over his age. The money is just a bonus. Adam Carolla @adamcarolla, "He wanted Biden to win, so he lied to himself." Quote Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "Jake Tapper -- at the age of 56 and after 30 years in what one may loosely call "journalism" -- pretends to have just woken up and realized what is, in fact, the first axiom of Journalism 101: politicians and governments lie and journalists shouldn't blindly believe them. Clyp Keeper @DGrayTexas45 "Remember when “Dr” Jill Biden told Jake Tapper he couldn’t talk or mention any of Biden’s Gaffes anymore “because of Donald Trump”? Maybe this is why Tapper stayed quiet for four years while anyone with a functioning brain could see Biden was toast." At RedState, Mike Miller hears a PBS Host Says People Who Blast Media Cover-Up of Biden Decline Don't Understand 'How Reporting Works' and Sister Toldja says Here We Go: Democrats Begin Unraveling After Floodgates Open on Joe Biden's Decline. At NewsBusters, Before Tapper’s Book, Washington Week Host Mocked Warnings from Rep. Phillips, Hur. At Althouse, "I think there was a feeling — like, a lot of members of the Democratic Party that were seeing this or saw moments um of him seeming out of it — um that going public was not going to change [Biden's] mind." ""It was only going to help Donald Trump, um, and I think that's how a lot of them rationalized it. Now whether or not history will judge them, you know, as being right for doing that, um, you know, we will see, but this is also part of the reason why the White House was shielding him from as many people as possible including Cabinet secretaries because sometimes, you know, you see him once maybe it's just a bad day you can just say, like, you know, maybe I just had one bad meeting. You're not really sure..." Said Alex Thompson, co-author of "Original Sin," on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday." "It's like fighting fire with fire — fighting the destruction of the democracy with the destruction of democracy. You had to destroy the village to save it. Noted." JTN reports a Majority of registered voters now think Biden wasn’t fit enough to run US in final year, poll finds "Poll found 58% of American voters across party lines didn't think Biden was fit to run the country."

At RedState, Nick Arama thinks Kamala's Interview in Australia Reminds Us How Lucky We Are That She Lost. Sarah Hoyt at Insty, YEAH, REMEMBER THE GOVERNMENT’S IMPOSITION OF COLLECTIVIST POLICIES DIMINISHING OUR FREEDOM AND EXTENDING THE DEPRESSION: "Kamala Harris takes swipe at Elon Musk and Trump admin: ‘Remember the 1930s’." Matt Margolis asserts The Democrats Are Doomed, and They Have No Idea. Amanda Head at JTN, Despite decades of Democrat health initiatives, Americans are sicker than ever "Over the last 15 years, Democrats have reared multiple failed health initiatives that could be reversed or altered under the Trump administration’s health leadership, leading to better overall health and a reduction in chronic diseases." Democrat initiatives are designed to hand money over to friends. Actual results are optional. WaPoo whines Millions of Americans hit with bad credit after missed student loan payments. "The credit score drop is akin to filing for bankruptcy, and some borrowers are finding out when they try to get car loans or rent apartments."

From the Center Square IL, SCOTUS asked to decide challenge to IL’s post election ballot counts. I'd be surprised if they take it. They'll bend heaven and earth to get a El Salvadoran criminal back to Maryland, but actually make sure a US election was run fairly? Fuget about it! Josh Blackmun at The Volokh Conspiracy, Circuit Justice Kagan Never Bothered Calling For A Reply In Trump v. AFGE. "I think I figured out what happened here. Justice Kagan realized that the District Court would almost certainly replace the unappealable TRO with an appealable PI. So she didn't lift a finger. She would rather wait for the normal appellate process to play out in the Ninth Circuit. Apparently, Justice Kagan did not think much of the government's urgent desire for a ruling." Insty at his NYPo gig, Courts are infected with ‘injunctivitis’ — and tempting Trump’s defiance. 'Roberts has made his ruling, now let him enforce it.' Charlotte Hazard at JTN, Famed law professor Alan Dershowitz offers Trump path for resuming mass deportations after setbacks "The Supreme Court last week blocked President Donald Trump from invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants in Texas. "Due Process," says Alan Dershowitz, "doesn't have a singular meaning.""

Sundance hears Deputy Director Dan Bongino State He and Kash Patel will Begin FBI Reform “by Next Week” "FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announces the FBI “reform teams” will likely be in place next week. From there, they will begin reviewing subjects of interest to the American people, including: (1) the J6 pipe bomber, (2) the White House cocaine user, and (3) the Dobbs leaker." ET, FBI Deputy Director Bongino Says Bureau Looking at Several Cases Involving ‘Potential Public Corruption.’ At NewsMax, Bongino: FBI Investigating Cocaine in Biden White House, More. Pop Times, James Comey’s Chilling Warning to Trump Supporters: “You’ll Be Sorry”. When we get back in power we're coming after you, again!

At Twitchy, Seattle Police Officers Guild Lays Down the Law on Antifa, Seattle Police Officers Guild @SPOG1952 "PRESS RELEASE Public Safety in the City of Seattle continues to be politicized and violent ANTIFA criminals once again dominate Seattle’s public safety conversation with their insane use of political violence. This is Seattle’s public safety political reality. Over seven hundred police officers have fled this city in the past decade. This is due to the public safety political decisions by our elected leaders, activist pressure, and for their lack of action against ANTIFA criminals who continue to dictate public safety political terms. The remaining police officers in this city are tired. Our community is tired. This is Seattle’s public safety political reality. . . "

EJ @Ejmiller25, Ultimately, almost all the gnashing of teeth can be boiled down to Trump 2.0 being the first GOP admin in 40 years to actually ensure the electorate is represented throughout executive branch. Everything else is noise." Quote recusant#@neorecusant, "Rubio testified at a Senate hearing about how he intended to get back control of foreign policy for the State Department from the National Security Council and now he's taken a big step firing 100 from NSC which had grown enormously in number and influence under Bush Jr and Obama x.com/sentdefender/s…"


At NewsMax, Trump says Harvard Grant Money Could Go to Trade Schools. Boy, would that piss tenm off. JD Vance@JDVance "There is an extraordinary "reproducibility crisis" in the sciences, particularly in biology, where most published papers fail to replicate. Most universities have massive bureaucracies that inhibit the translation of basic research into commercial adoption. The voting patterns of university professors are so one-sided that they look like the election results of North Korea. And on top of all of this, many universities explicitly engage in racial discrimination (mostly against whites and asians) that violates the civil rights laws of this country. Our universities could see the policies of the Trump administration as a necessary corrective to these problems, change their policies, and work with the administration to reform. Or, they could yell "fascism" at basic democratic accountability and drift further into irrelevance."

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal reports Lockheed Martin Phases Out Key DEI Policy After Questions About Anti-Christian Double Standard. Do you now, or have you ever gone to church?

Jim Hanson@JimHansonDC "Auf Wiedersehen" Quote Anti Woke Memes @AntiWokeMemes, "'TRANS' people are fleeing the US for Germany because of TRUMP. Do you have any LAST WORDS for them before they leave?" 
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Tattoo Tuesday

Rasha Thadani

At the India Express, Raveena Tandon helps daughter Rasha Thadani get her first tattoo: ‘Make the Trishul bolder’
Actor Raveena Tandon’s daughter, Rasha Thadani, made her Bollywood debut this year with the film Azaad. Recently, the “Uyi Amma” girl got her first tattoo—with her mom by her side for the special moment.

The star kid got a butterfly tattoo with a Trishul at its center, inked on the back of her neck. A clip shared online shows the mother-daughter duo at the tattoo studio as Rasha gets inked.

In the video, Rasha Thadani shared that she was inspired by her mother, who has multiple tattoos. “Yeah, definitely my mother’s comfort with getting tattoos has inspired me,” Rasha said in the clip, adding, “But I’ve always wanted one.” She was also seen reacting to her tattoo after the session.
In case you wondered, The trishula "(Sanskrit: त्रिशूल, romanized: triśūla) is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism." 
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Monday, May 26, 2025

 


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Flotsam and Jetsam - Memorial Day Debris

President Trump issues a Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2025. Sundance hosts President Trump's Impromptu Presser from Morristown, New Jersey. "On the Russia -vs- Ukraine conflict President Trump says he doesn’t like what Vladimir Putin is doing with continued missile attacks against Ukraine and will be sharing more information shortly."  And Zelenskyy Blames U.S. Silence for Increased Russian Attacks. 'Becca Lower at RedState hears SecDef Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Put Press Corps on a Short Leash After Epidemic of Leaks.

At Hat Hair, SNC: This Week on Capitol Hill Celebrates One Big Beautiful Bill - 5-24-25 (Video). Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh "UPDATE: Elon Musk has now confirmed that he is disappointed in Congressional Republicans not implementing DOGE cuts. Sad but predictable. Elon now says the most viable path out of a debt spiral is accelerating GDP growth. "Only radical improvements in productivity can save our country." Stephen Miller @StephenM "I’ve seen a few claims making the rounds on the Big Beautiful Bill that require correction. The first is that it doesn’t “codify the DOGE cuts.” A reconciliation bill, which is a budget bill that passes with 50 votes, is limited by senate rules to “mandatory” spending only — eg Medicaid and Food Stamps. The senate rules prevent it from cutting “discretionary” spending — eg the Department of Education or federal grants. The DOGE cuts are overwhelmingly discretionary, not mandatory. The bill saves more than 1.6 TRILLION in mandatory spending, including the largest-ever welfare reform. A remarkable achievement. I’ve also seen claims the bill increases the deficit. This lie is based on a CBO accounting gimmick. . . "    Nick Ballasy at JTN, House Speaker Mike Johnson warns Senate not to 'meddle' too much with House-passed megabill. ""I have a very delicate balance here, very delicate equilibrium that we’ve reached over a long period of time," he says." From NewsMax, House GOP Warns Senate: Don't Weaken Trump Agenda, Dick Morris: Big, Beautiful Bill Will Mean 'Clear Sailing' for 2026 and Gingrich Urges GOP Senate to Pass Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' At Da Caller, Ron Johnson Predicts GOP Senators Will Put Up Roadblock To ‘Stop The Process’ On Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ Sundance, Senator Rand Paul Announces He is a “No Vote” on House Version of Big Beautiful Tax Cut Bill. I admire his consistency, but he lets the perfect be the enemy of the good. At Da Lid Francis Menton looks at The "Big Beautiful Bill" -- Climate And Energy Provisions. "Somewhat to my surprise, the BBB as passed by the House appears to repeal and rescind essentially all of the green energy handouts from the IRA." Driscoll at Insty reads AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: "Announcement: The Babylon Bee Is Now A Full-Service Restaurant And All Our Writers Are Compensated Entirely With Tips. "ANNOUNCEMENT: The Babylon Bee is no longer a satire website. After months of strategy meetings and lots of thinking really hard, we have decided to pivot to becoming a full-service restaurant empire. In light of this change, all our writers and other staffers will now be known as “waiters,” “busboys,” and “food-making guys,” and will be compensated entirely in “tips.” This compensation plan, created without any kind of intent to avoid income taxes or otherwise skirt federal tax laws, is ultimately the best compensation structure for our employees. After lengthy discussion with our staffers, they expressed their desire to be compensated with tips rather than salaries or hourly wages, citing factors like being better motivated by tips and a sense of satisfaction when a customer tips them."

Atop Da Hill, Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after ‘good call’ with commission leader. Ward Clark at RedState says Relax, People. Paul Krugman Is Predicting a Disastrous Recession. At the Rod Martin Report Trump's Golden Dome, and Why the 1967 Outer Space Treaty Is No Obstacle to It. "The Outer Space Treaty is outdated and has greatly limited human development of space. But it's no impediment to Donald Trump's missile shield, no matter who claims otherwise." TownHall's Matt Vespa says Sorry, Dems, Wisconsin Swing Voters Are Sticking With Trump.

USA Today, Dems are mad about Biden book. Jake Tapper must be a deep undercover MAGA agent. Twitchy, NOW It Can Be Told! Apparently These People Were Part of a WH 'Politburo' During the Biden Years. From Da Caller, Biden Aide Admits Staff Did ‘Undemocratic Things’ Because Trump Was ‘Existential Threat To Democracy.’ PJM's Matt Margolis hears a Neuroscientist Accidentally Reveals Democrats' Dark Strategy Behind Biden's Mental Health Cover-Up. “I would rather have a president in a coma, where the duties of the presidency are executed by a committee of just normal people,” he said. “And that’s the choice that many of us believe was before us.” NYPo, Ex-Obama aide admits he didn’t mention Biden’s decline because he ‘wanted him to f—king win.’ LifeZette reports Biden Doctor, Staffers Subpoenaed as His Health Cover-Up Scandal Grows. Sarah Arnold at Townhall, Atlantic’s Goldberg Defends Media’s Silence on Biden’s Decline. John Kass, Confused, Starving Reporters Now Desperate for Food After Killing American Journalism. Stephen Moore at Hat Hair makes a connection, Biden Forgives Student Loans and ... Behold, Defaults Skyrocket.

Matt Vespa, The Democrats Are in Such a State of Disaster, Even the NYT Can't Spin It," NYT Piece Confirms That the Trump Era Is Here and It’s Unstoppable...But There's a Catch," and If That's What Dems Are Spending Money on, Donald Trump Has Truly Destroyed Them. Nick Arama at RedState says Hoo Boy: New Effort by Dems to Figure Out Why They're Losing Is Hilariously Clueless. John Hasson @SonofHas "Dems: “Working out is right wing” “Liking hot girls is right wing” “Eating red meat is right wing” Dems today: “We need $20 million to understand why young men hate us”" David Burge@iowahawkblog "I used to satire the left's doomed anthropological safaris into the heart of darkest flyover country, but now satirizing it has become impossible."

From OTP, Another Poll Shows AOC Leading Schumer In Potential NY Democrat Senate Primary. Is there any way they can both lose?

LifeZette, $4.7 Trillion Vanished? Treasury Busted for Years of Untracked Payments. Just the way politicians like it. At ET, What to Know About Trump’s Battle With Watchdog Agency Over Federal Spending. "The president can decline to spend money appropriated by Congress, with restrictions. Trump wants to reduce or clear away those restrictions."

Beth Brelje at at Da Fed reports Judge Says Tariffs Are Authorized By Emergency Powers Act In Win For Trump. They must have picked the wrong judge. Balmer Sun, Maryland court bars Trump admin from deportating habeas seekers. Atop Da Hill, Jonathan Turley opines The justices must at long last deal with ‘chronic injunctivitis’. 

Sarah Arnold hears James Comer Urges Pam Bondi to Prosecute Biden Family "urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute what he claims is blatant dishonesty by former President Joe Biden’s brother, James Biden. Comer argued that James misled Congress about Joe Biden’s involvement in the family’s overseas business ventures and claims that other witnesses and evidence contradict." At NewsMax, Could Comey's Free Speech Defense Be 86'd?

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks – Matt Gaetz Interviews Ed Martin on Current Status of Weaponization Review. Tom Knighton at TAW says Everyone is a violent extremist now. "Did you know that you were probably a violent extremist? Don’t feel bad. I was, too. In fact, anyone who took issue with COVID protocols probably got that label, according to some new information recently declassified."

'Becca Downs, WaPo Finally Takes Down Post About 'Where Jews Belong,' but Why Was It Up in the First Place?

Leslie Eastman at LI, Northeastern U. Student Demands Tuition Refund After Catching Professor Using ChatGPT. "Northeastern ultimately decided to reject Ella Stapleton’s claim." From Da Mail, Brazilian tribe sues for £113million after claims they became addicted to porn after Elon Musk's Starlink system gave them access to high-speed internet. And I'm sure they came up with the idea on their own.

Stacy McCain has a flashback in Blast From the Blogging Past: Saint Pancake and the Anti-Israel Cause. Nick Ballasy reports Trump says Harvard should reveal names and home countries of its international students. ""We want those names and countries. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!" Trump wrote." 

Hollywood in Toto sees Variety Admits to Hollywood Blacklist 2.0, Doesn’t Care "Zachary Levi's Trump embrace treated as legitimate cause for cancellation." At Breitbart, Our Last Movie Star, Tom Cruise, Refuses to Answer Reporter’s Trump Question, “I watched this film and I saw that it was filmed in many different locations around the world, including Africa,” said the reporter through the interpreter/moderator. “Of course, we all are aware of the tariffs that President Donald Trump has been imposing on overseas productions and films. So, is this particular movie under that tariff? And how much of the film was shot overseas?”

Andy Ngo@MrAndyNgo "@MayorofSeattle Bruce Harrell has released a statement written by @jamiehousen, his director of communication, condemning the Christians for holding a worship event at a public park in the city. The event was violently attacked by Antifa and Trantifa. The mayor says he is directing an investigation into how the Christians were given the approval to worship at the park. He suggests they should have been banned from that location." Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal is outraged when the Southern Poverty Law Center Puts Largest Conservative Grassroots Youth Group on ‘Hate Map’ With Klan Chapters.
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