In June of 2021, I wrote a blog post describing a new course called Fishermen Invested in Science, Healthy Ecosystems, and Sustainability, aka the FISHES course. This course was designed after the FISHES textbook we’d just completed the year before. The textbook comprises 10 chapters, so we planned an annual in-person course that met once per week for five weeks, covering two chapters each week. The FISHES course culminated in a field excursion where we could demonstrate some of the concepts and techniques we taught about in class.
We kicked off the FISHES class during the fall of 2021 and just completed the fifth offering during the fall of 2025. Starting this fall, we’re transitioning the FISHES course from fully in-person to a hybrid format. This new hybrid approach has two major benefits. First, participants no longer have to attend in person during a specific day/time of the week. Second, participants who aren’t local can take the course online. We’re excited for the hybrid course and wanted to answer some of the questions we’ve been getting lately.
How is the course offered?
The hybrid FISHES course will be offered online through Mississippi State University’s learning management system called Canvas.
What day/time of the week is the class?
With this new format, you can complete each set of lectures at any point during each week.
Do I have to live in Mississippi or Alabama to enroll in the course?
No! We’ve already had registrants sign up from several states outside of Mississippi/Alabama.
The field excursion was the best part – has that gone away?
Absolutely not! We agree that the field excursion is invaluable, so we’ll offer the course with (or without) a field excursion so that those who live locally can still join us in the field if they wish.
What happens during the field excursion?
For those that enroll in FISHES with the field excursion, we’ll board the 65-foot R/V Alabama Discovery located at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on Dauphin Island, Alabama, for a half-day (roughly 4-hour) trip in Mobile Bay. During the trip, you’ll see two of the gears you’ll learn about during the FISHES class in action: a shrimp trawl and a bottom longline.
Can I still get Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon completing the course?
Definitely! The FISHES class can be taken for 1.5 CEUs (online course only) or 2.0 CEUs (course + excursion).
What if I can’t afford the course fee?
The registration fee is $100 for the online only course and $150 for the online course plus the field excursion. If you can’t afford it, no problem! We offer a limited quantity of scholarships to ensure that the cost of the course isn’t a barrier for anyone.
We hope to see you this fall for the new hybrid version of the FISHES course. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions! Most of the course details, including links to register, can be found on the FISHES website, but please reach out to the FISHES program manager, Amanda Jargowsky, or me with any other questions you might have.
Meet the author
(J.) Marcus Drymon, Ph.D.
Marine Fisheries Extension Lead
Marcus is a marine fisheries ecologist, and his research interests are in applied fisheries ecology. The bulk of his research has focused on coastal sharks. He works on many commercially and... Read more
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