By Kimberly Evans

‘Twas a morning of field work, when all through our van
Not a researcher was sleeping, and to Suisun Marsh we ran;
Our waders and boots folded, all tucked in with care,
In hopes that bountiful fish, in our seines, would be there;

The researchers were nestled all snug on our boat ‘Junior,’
With visions of the otter trawl dancing on the slough floor;
Abigale Deen in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,
Sipped on cucumber lime Gatorade, alert in a snap,

When out in the slough there arose such a clatter,
I leapt up from the stern to see what was the matter.
Up to the boat’s bow I flew like a flash,
Stared down at the water, curious of the splash.

The westerly wind on the water did blow,
Gave the illusion of movement to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the winter seasonals and resident fishes all here,

With a slender old swimmer, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Splittail (ST) Nick.
More rapid than eagles other fishes they came,
And he swished, and splashed, and called them by name;

“Now, tule perch! Now, common carp! Now, stickleback and threadie!
On, sucker! On, sculpin! On, yellowfin goby!

To the top of the waterways! To the cod end of the trawl!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

…

But I heard him exclaim, ere he swam out of sight,
“Happy fish-mas to all, and to all a good night!”

About the Author

Kimberly Evans is a Master’s student in the Graduate Group in Ecology. As a member of the Aquatic Research Collective (ARC) in the Center for Watershed Sciences, she studies long-term trends in the fishes of Suisun Marsh, focusing on the Sacramento Splittail.

Further Reading

Moyle, P. B., Baxter, R. D., Sommer, T., Foin, T. C., & Matern, S. A. (2004). Biology and population dynamics of sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) in the San Francisco Estuary: A review. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2004v2iss2art3

Moyle, P. B., Manfree, A. D., & Fiedler, P. L. (Eds.). (2019). Suisun marsh: Ecological history and possible futures. University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520957329

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