Segment One Fish in the News. Each week the Bailey Brothers start the Pet Fish Talk Show with some fun and interesting stories about fish in the news.       This Queensland Lungfish from Australia is recognized by scientists as a living fossil crucial to understanding the evolution of animals from water to land.         This Large Squid was recently identified as a female by experts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.         These Snappers have been identified as  Lutjanus alexandrei, a new snapper species that belongs to the Lutjanidae family.     In Tennessee A Pregnant Stingray gets Ultrasound. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is always one of the top attractions in East Tennessee, but it's much more than a tourist stop. Marine biologists are doing unprecedented research at the facility. "We've been doing sonograms on stingrays for about two years now. It's never been done," says Dr. Bob George, the chief veterinarian for Ripley's aquariums. The sonograms allow the staff to see how far along expected stingrays are in their pregnancies. In turn, they can move those in their last term into a different tank. The research has also given the scientist more insight into the different stages of stingray pregnancies. Click here to read more.   In Queensland, Australia, A Whisper from the Past. In Australia, the world's driest continent, the north-eastern state of Queensland is in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years. To alleviate the situation, the state government is pushing hard for one of the country's most beautiful river valleys to be dammed. However, a strange and ancient fish held sacred by Aborigines has emerged as an unexpected obstacle to the government's plans. The Queensland lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) is recognized by scientists as a living fossil crucial to understanding the evolution of animals from water to land. Earliest fossil records date its existence back some 380 million years. The large-scaled creature with only one lung can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh as much as 40 kilos. It's now a protected species which may not be captured without a special permit. Click here to read this story.   In Florida Another Squid and it's a Female. The fishing boat's captain sent the squid's decomposing body to the Mote Marine Laboratory, headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., where cephalopod specialist Debra A. Ingrao has been studying it. When the specimen arrived on Feb. 22, Ingrao promptly sampled its DNA, fixed the carcass with preservatives, and then began a preliminary dissection. She's sent photographs taken at every step to large-squid experts around the world. Last week, after viewing photos of the dissection, Michael Vecchione of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., identified glands that secrete a gel that holds new eggs. Therefore, the specimen is female, he told Ingrao. Click here to read this story.   In the South Atlantic Ocean A New Snapper Species. A popular game fish mistaken by scientists for a dog snapper is actually a new species discovered among the reefs of the Abrolhos region of the South Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of Lutjanus alexandrei, a new snapper species that belongs to the Lutjanidae family, sparked a revised key for identifying all Lutjanus species in the western Atlantic, along with evidence that the new species completes its life cycle in different but interdependent marine habitats, such as coral reefs and mangroves. “This discovery that a large, popular fish is a species new to science shows how little we know about the oceans that surround us,” said Rodrigo Moura, a researcher. Click here to read the entire story.   In Wisconsin Chemists Develop a New Fish Medication. Chalk up another use for peroxide. Researchers at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center on French Island have developed the first new waterborne drug approved for aquaculture in more than 20 years — a hydrogen peroxide-based solution that can safely treat freshwater fish and their eggs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, dubbed Perox-Aid, for use in three diseases in mid-February, said David Lovetro of Eka Chemicals of Marietta, Ga. The company, part of Netherlands-based Akzo Nobel, now has exclusive rights to market the new drug for seven years under a federal program designed to encourage funding for such research. Click here to read the entire story.   In India Scientists Develop Bacteria-Resistant Fish. Scientists in Orissa have developed a variety of fish that they claim grows faster than others and is bacteria resistant. A team of scientists from India and Norway had taken up the project three years ago to develop a variety of fish that resists aeromoniasis - a common bacterial disease affecting hatcheries in India, Pramod Kumar Sahoo, one of the researchers said. Click here to read this story.   In Des Moines, Iowa, A Bottom Feeder Makes Good. The Iowa Senate voted to make the channel catfish the official state fish. If the Iowa House decides to follow suit, this whiskered creature of the water would be added to the state's list of official symbols. "The channel catfish was here when the pioneers arrived to settle the state and is still found in all 99 counties," said the lead sponsor, Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City. The channel catfish is already the state fish in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Click here to read more.   Segment Two Mikala from Sunset, Utah, calls and talks with Tom and Nevin about her pair of Convict Cichlids, which consists of one Black Convict and one Blue Convict. After Tom and Nevin talked with Mikala, she emailed the pictures, shown below, of her Blue Convict and her Baby Convicts.         Mike from Missouri, while listening to this show, sent two emails, saying, "The Blue Convict is a hybrid between Honduran Red Point (Cryptoheros sp. "honduran red point") and Striped Convict (Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus).", and "Maybe I should have said Archocentrus instead of Cryptoheros. Those scientific names are confusing. I do know it is a cross between a Honduran Red Point and Striped Convict."   Segment Three   Segment Four   A Big Sincere Thank-you for calling during the show to Mikala from Sunset, Utah, and Evan from Colorado. The Bailey Brothers encourage YOU to call Pet Fish Talk during the show and talk about your pet fish.     Download of this Entire Show Here's how: Right-Click here, then click on "Save Target (or Link) As ...".  Navigate to the folder you prefer, and click on the button labeled "Save". 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