Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social

Canadian Born Chinese. Creates tweets for fun 📷 Quantitative biological effects mapping & monitoring of the ocean 🌎

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

If you are curious about what marine life Canadians are collectively observing on #iNaturalist, I've created an umbrella project that covers all three of Canada's Oceans. 1/4

https://t.co/jlY0jysMZh

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

A $60 'science-grade' cleaning brush versus a 10pc assortment of cleaning brushes from TEMU for $1.69.
With respect to my inner turmoil, the Frugal Asian in me lost out to my Westernized Scientist on this one.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Revisiting one of my oldies but goodies for a deep-sea #Halloween. Dudley the hydrothermal vents marker.

https://t.co/DKPrHA0j87

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

New JDM rod day. #iNaturalist

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Well, that's a new bird species spotted at my bird feeder. +1 for the potential predator-prey interaction. #iNaturalist

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

One of These Things Is Not Like the Others. At the moment, fall fishing consists of mostly yellow perch (𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴) with the odd fallfish (𝘚𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴) sticking out like a donkey among a zeal of zebras. #iNaturalist

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

@LeeuwisRobin thx!

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Can any fishy people out there ID this 2.5cm long micro found in a brackish coastal pond, New Brunswick Canada? I'm guessing Mummichog (𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴). #iNaturalist #tanago #microfishing

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

The new fishing rod didn't come with English instructions, but I'm guessing I'm supposed to chant 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘢 to catch the fish? #Tanago

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

@Kelporama Fair. I do feel the angle i'm having the most fun with a hook & line approach is figuring out the right combo of lure x species x habitat to catch all the fish. We don't have a lot of intertidal pools out here, but I can sure imagine microfishing in BC would be super fun.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

The new fishing rod didn't come with English instructions, but I'm guessing I'm supposed to chant 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘢 to catch the fish? #Tanago

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

So- I looked at my fishhooks under the microscope and decided...SMALLER. OWNER 0.3 pre-snelled #tanago hooks next to the previous hook and a smaller sushi-grade rice kernel for scale.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Took a look at my growing tackle box and thought, SMALLER. So I got myself some Tanago hooks. Next to a grain of rice for scale (and as potential bait).

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Atlantic rock pooling isn't as diverse as the Pacific but you can still stumble upon some fun things like this mostly decayed Atlantic sturgeon (𝘈𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴). Totally thought it was a dinosaur fossil at first. #iNaturalist

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

So, I used A.I. to transform some of my papers into a podcast of '2 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴' The results are scary realistic. A.I. wins at being the best at #SciComm. https://t.co/1ORlPzdxCp

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Took a look at my growing tackle box and thought, SMALLER. So I got myself some Tanago hooks. Next to a grain of rice for scale (and as potential bait).

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

DYK 'illustration' counts as evidence for a species observation on #iNaturalist? Here's my Gyotaku fish print for this Atlantic Mackerel (𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴). Now to go for the trifecta: photo + illustration + sound...The hunt is on for vocalizing fish spp.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Atlantic Mackerel (𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴).
Surprisingly, the $2 temu sabiki rig worked better than pricier alternatives. Released all the <26.8 cm ones, legal-sized ones ended up in my belly. Mmm...tasty.
#iNaturalist.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

What is most likely Japanese wireweed (𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘮) has arrived in Atlantic Canada. It's scary but fun to get these #AIS early warning signals in #iNaturalist.

https://t.co/9m0MzfvevB

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Atlantic Mackerel (𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴).
Surprisingly, the $2 temu sabiki rig worked better than pricier alternatives. Released all the <26.8 cm ones, legal-sized ones ended up in my belly. Mmm...tasty.
#iNaturalist.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Interesting. https://t.co/rqyB8aKFTF

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Been wanting to encounter a Common Snapping Turtle (𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢) all summer. Didn't think my first would be a bebeeeeeeeee. He was wee bit feisty. #iNaturalist.

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

Read some peer-reviewed research on habitat and behaviour. Went back armed with hard bait. Caught and released my first chain pickerel (𝘌𝘴𝘰𝘹 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳). The 'fish-grip' was to avoid its razor-sharp teeth. #iNaturalist

[Jackson Chu, PhD 🍁@jwfchu.bsky.social @jwfchu]

This is what happens when an experimental biologist picks up a new hobby. Must...test...every...permutation...: species * season * habitat * colour * bait action * ... Plus, some of us just plain like to collect things.