Robbie Ellwanger, Ichthyologist and Curator of Fishes

Robbie’s love of nature shines through everything he does - whether he’s in the water studying fish or rescuing a dog from a culvert! We’re fortunate to have him on our team.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT THE MUSEUM?

I started at the museum in April 2020 as a technician.

WHATS YOUR WORKDAY LIKE?

Normal workdays for most of the year revolve around the museum’s fish and mussel collections.

This includes activities like:

curating collected fishes by sorting, identifying, jarring, labeling, and shelving
processing specimen and data loan requests and shipping out specimens and tissues to other research institutions
maintaining the museum’s Fish and Mussel databases
planning future research projects for both fish and mussel species across the state, and
collaborating with other state and federal agencies on threatened and endangered species assessments and recovery plans.

During the summer, I conduct several field projects focused on species of conservation concern.

This year, my team and I will be conducting:

a species status assessment for the Saltmarsh Topminnow along the coast of Mississippi
a range gap survey for the federally threatened Pearl Darter within the Chickasawhay River, and
a snorkel survey for several species of federally listed and petitioned mussels on the Big Black River.

ANY FUNNY WORK STORIES?

Lots of funny work stories!

On my first day in the field with the museum team, a bucket flew out of our boat. It immediately started sinking, so I quickly threw off my hat and went to jump after it.

Instead of a graceful dive like I had planned in my head … my foot slipped on the deck and all my momentum threw me forward.

I ended up doing an impressive belly-flop in front of Matt Wagner (former MMNS Ichthyologist) and our two summer technicians.

We all had a good laugh and … I saved the bucket!

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU CHOSE THIS CAREER

I grew up in rural Georgia, where my parents owned and operated a petting zoo. I always had an interest in the outdoors and loved to observe animals and nature.

I chose to attend Berry College because of their swim team as well as the 26,000 acres of land that the college had to explore. I swam competitively there for four years and helped conduct research with the Atlanta Coyote Project.

I met a young lady on the swim team and somehow, after bringing her countless bugs, snakes, bones, and fish (which did not impress her), convinced her to marry me.

It was while exploring the wilds of Berry College that I realized I would not be happy in any career that did not allow me to explore and learn about nature.

After completing my degree in Environmental Science, and proposing to my wife, I had no idea how to find such a career!

Somehow, I stumbled upon a posting by a former Berry student for a summer technician position at the Auburn Fish Biodiversity Lab at Auburn University.

Since I was not ready to jump into the job market just yet and had no plans of becoming an adult, I decided to apply.

I arrived in Auburn with no idea what to expect.

There, I met Dr. Carol Johnston who had posted the summer technician position. She had assumed that I, being an adult, had procured a housing arrangement for the summer, which I had not!

Luckily for me, her lab - which was built in the 1930’s -made the perfect place to live.

It offered a table for sleeping, a microwave for eating, and a hose out back for showering.

Also, plenty of roommates including our living fish collection, our preserved fish collection, and many species of wild critters roaming both outside and inside the building.

That summer was eye opening and allowed me to build my strengths in fish identification, stream sampling, and curating.

I learned that I wanted a career as a field biologist working in some capacity with native freshwater conservation.

After living the carefree life of a summer technician, Dr. Johnston asked if I had plans moving forward. When I said no, she offered me a graduate assistantship and I happily accepted.

At Auburn, I completed my M.S. in Fisheries at the Auburn Fish Biodiversity Lab.

While there, I:

assisted with various projects and studies involving fish conservation
moved an entire lab across campus
swam with and coached the Auburn Masters swim team
rescued a dog in a culvert
got married, and
wrote a master’s thesis.

After graduating in December of 2019, the job field for non-game fish biologists was slim. By happenstance, an Alabama fish biologist forwarded me a job posting for a full-time technician specializing in non-game fish conservation for MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. I knew it was the perfect opportunity!

My wife, our dog Oscar, and I packed our things and moved to Jackson, MS. I love it here at the Museum!

This past year has allowed me to do some of the most rewarding work of my life and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Taking a page out of Mark Twain’s book, I have definitely found what I enjoy doing and I haven’t worked a day in my life.

HOW DOES YOUR JOB CONTRIBUTE TO CONSERVATION?

In many ways. Both the Fish and Mussel collections at the museum contain thousands of specimens from thousands of locations within Mississippi and across the United States. These records date back to the late 1800’s and provide an invaluable insight into the changes that our native aquatic ecosystems have experienced overtime.

These collections allow researchers, conservationists, and wildlife agencies access to historic information on our native fish and mussel species which is vital in planning future efforts for protecting and recovering threatened and endangered species.

The field research that we conduct also helps to provide much needed information on the current status of many of our native species of conservation concern and can help fill missing gaps in knowledge of those species. While a species may be common now, it could be rare, endangered, or extinct in the future.

By maintaining these collections and adding new specimens and data, we are providing future scientists with the ability to study and observe our current aquatic communities, which will hopefully allow for the success of conservation efforts for generations to come.

ANY ADVICE FOR A STUDENT INTERESTED IN A BIOLOGY OR MUSEUM CAREER?

I would tell anyone interested in a career in biology to find what interests you the most and seek out opportunities to hone your skills in that field and gain knowledge and experience.

Find opportunities to talk to people within your fields of interest or volunteer with a local conservation group, museum, or nature center.

Most importantly, maintain your curiosity and always remember to observe the world around you. No matter where you live there will always be parts of the natural world that you can discover for yourself.

So many people miss learning about the amazing native species of plants and animals that are right in their back yards, because they do not take the time to look for them. Leave no stone unturned, take notes, and do not be afraid to learn something new about the natural world you live in.