Communicating a Deeper Science: Sharing the Beauty of Aquatic Ecosystems and the Passion of Aquatic Scientists with Public Audiences

Fisheries and aquatic scientists have long been challenged to share and interpret their knowledge and work for public audiences, while today’s media and information rich world presents new challenges in conveying the nature and value of aquatic ecosystems. Meanwhile, the diverse fishes and other aquatic organisms that exist in our inland waters are themselves underrepresented in imagery and media. Building a richer image of freshwater ecosystems may be a key part of reaching a broader audience, and a cornerstone of our public communications strategy. I further argue that tapping into the seldom shared personal stories, passions, and motivations of scientists also holds great potential to engage broader audiences, and may go further than our results and knowledge in inspiring certain audiences. I will present several examples of how sharing a deeper perspective of our inland waters and the scientists who study them can effectively reach a broad audience, and offer several resources that can aid and inspire these efforts.