05/15/07:NEC & FFF fund First Ever Science Grant for Research of Fish Behavioral Studies
By Mike Hogue

    This spring the NEC and the National FFF National Conservation Board agreed to fund one of the first ever science grants to help fund basic scientific research.  This process began last fall when I met a post-doc, Dr. James Liao.  Dr. Liao was introduced to me by Dr. Ed Brothers, who once served as a Professor of Ichthyology (fish biologist) at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.  Dr. Liao presented his Ph.D. research from his dissertation he wrote while attending Harvard University at a local fishing club meeting in Ithaca, NY.  His initial research was a study of hydraulics and fish behavior.  For several years, Dr. Liao studied fish behavior by watching fish move and how they responded to various geometric objects placed in the flow.  He used sensors attached to live fish to measure the muscle activity of their behavior.  He eventually was able to show that fish could shut down most of their muscles and "surf" on eddies created by objects in the flow.

    I met with Dr. Liao earlier this spring and he told me about the next step in his research: to understand the neurobiology of how fish used hair cells on the surface of their skin to detect eddies.  His eventual goal is to understand how fish can exploit turbulent flows and how to recreate the hydrodynamics of favorable flow environments for stream restoration purposes.  Dr. Liao's research combines neurobiology, hydrodynamics and biology with strong implications for anyone interested in stream restoration and conservation habitat work.

    The NEC and FFF grants enabled Dr. Liao to purchase a specialized underwater camera to continue his research while at Cornell University.  By funding his research, the FFF and the NEC are participating in leading edge scientific research that will provide all sorts of exciting outcomes for years to come.  When Dr. Liao completes his research, he will be preparing a paper for publication in the Fly Fisher (the FFF National magazine) and we hope to have him as a guest speaker at one of the National FFF Conclaves.  Congratulations Dr. Liao and best of luck with your research!