In both my professional and private life, I am a man who wears many hats. I am a deep-sea ecologist, a science writer, a goatherd, a geneticist, a conservation advocate, a grill master, and many others. When David asked me to join him in co-authoring “Trophy fishing for species threatened with extinction: A way forward building on a history of conservation” I did so not in my capacity as a marine science Ph.D., but as a recreational fisherman who cares deeply about the survival of his sport. Without fish, there is no fishing.
I was, at first, skeptical, but over the course of a summer, I came to appreciate what David was trying to accomplish.
![I wrote most of my thesis on this boat, with a rod in the water.](https://www.southernfriedscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2011-09-27_15-50-47_847-1024x575.jpg)
Before I talk about fish, I need to talk about birds.