By Koaw - 2020
I began this quixotic pursuit as I do with all my other projects: I get curious, then I do research and finally I make it happen. This project would not have been possible without the help of advisors, photo contributors, other fishers, and financial supporters. I humbly thank the following people:
Special thanks to:
Bob Jacobs for acting as a senior advisor on this project and supplying decades of wisdom and insight on sunfishes and lepomid hybrids as well as access to numerous photos of specimens to use in the guide.
J and Pat McCraken for offering a generous financial donation to aid the project’s demands for catching sunfishes in the Midwest.
Mercedes E. for lending me a vehicle to use for ventures not just to North Carolina but into the Midwest and back again.
All of the Koaw Nature Patrons from Patreon for supporting this operation with monthly donations; extra thanks to Natalie McIntosh, Sir Biology Geek, dace_88 and 2curious for being the top contributors.
My parents for letting me crash at their place during a portion of this work trip (and for just being great parents.)
Jim Z. for offering a number of photos of his specimens to use in the guide and for the use of his boat to capture specimens. And also thanks to his wife Denise for letting me crash at their place during this work trip.
Sarah Larson for being a sounding board for the initial project ideas as well as offering editing advice on select draft content.
Much thanks to:
A fisher by the handle @ncangling on iNaturalist for helping me efficiently locate the species needed in North Carolina.
Ray Wilhite for offering expertise and photos on southern populations of many species.
John Hartleb for providing great type specimen photos for certain species and insight on area lakes in S. Illinois.
A fisher named Jason (@jasonrl) down in Kentucky that helped me grab some bantam sunfish for type specimen photos and for supplying photos of other type specimens..
Caesar Villacorta for helping do field work in Virginia to capture certain specimens along the Potomac River.
Taylor L. for capturing a few nice specimens that I was able to photograph for this project.
Patrick Kerwin for offering photos of specimen observations from a wide variety of species and locations.
Nick Zaczek for supplying photos on this project.
All the fishers/photographers on iNaturalist who provided quality photos of lepomids that aided this project’s ability to assess population characteristics across North America and beyond.
All past and current ichthyologists, fisheries biologists and other researchers who contributed studies and information to the understanding of sunfishes.