BILOXI, Miss.-- The Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery is economically and culturally important, but it is also very controversial. Fishing pressure during the past century led to the decline of Gulf red snapper.

Today, anglers see more red snapper than in previous years, so they believe the population is healthy again. However, managers with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries claim that the population is not yet healthy because it does not contain enough reproductively active females.

Words like sustainability can become buzzwords and are often misunderstood or misused, but despite its widespread use, this term isn’t going anywhere.

Landowners will receive insights into oil and gas lease issues during daylong educational events Jan. 24 in Lowndes County and Feb. 22 in Wayne County.

Many hunters and landowners plant wildlife food plots these days, but this practice has become common only during the last 30 to 40 years in the Southeast.

Streamside management zones have become critical tools forestry landowners and professionals use for protecting water quality during and after timber harvests.

Forestry has been a billion-dollar heavyweight in the state’s economy for the last six years, and the 2018 estimated value of $1.25 billion came despite a sluggish market.

Wild pigs must be trapped year-round, and the close of white-tailed deer season is the perfect time to begin planning your wild pig battle plan. (Photo credit: File Photo by MSU Extension )

Floating islands are increasingly popular as a way to provide attractive centerpieces in ponds while improving water quality.

From the shore, floating islands look like normal earthen islands covered in plants, but they are much more than that. They are hydroponic systems that, when fully colonized by growing plants, are essentially wetlands that float on the water’s surface and provide many of the same services as natural wetlands.

Deer hunters know all too well the power of a deer’s sense of smell, or more technically speaking, its olfactory system. A change of wind direction can give deer just a whiff of human scent and send them running and send a hunter back to the truck empty handed. 

Chronic wasting disease is the hot topic in Mississippi’s deer-hunting circles, and for good reason. MSU Extension experts encourage deer hunters to participate in the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks program for sampling deer to get an idea of where the disease has spread. (Photo by Michaela Parker/Cindy Callahan)

If you like to watch the birds that visit your yard, you probably have at least one bird feeder. Adding a source of water will offer birds and other wildlife a much needed refuge when the weather is hot and dry. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

As good food and hunting take center stage throughout the holidays, take a moment to give thanks for the pollinators that made much of it possible.

We acknowledge many benefactors during the holidays, but one group of little helpers in all of these traditions usually goes unnoticed. 

Hunters play a large role in helping to manage Mississippi’s deer population. Hunters not only help control deer numbers but also provide statewide harvest data that gives biologists insight into deer numbers, health and conditioning. 

As we enter the first deer hunting season since the confirmation of chronic wasting disease -- or CWD -- in the state, we need assistance from Mississippi deer hunters more than ever. 

Hunting is a Big Deal in our family, and the news in mid-October that a second deer in Mississippi had tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, was met with dismay. (Photo by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism/Michael Hopper)

Mississippi is fortunate to have thousands of acres that are poetically "unpeopled and still." Those portions of our state are prime locations for people who want to escape urban stress and are willing to pay top dollar for the opportunity.

Mississippi State University received three grants Oct. 22 totaling almost $900,000 to enhance the advancement of scientific and environmental literacy among children and young people living near the Gulf Coast.

Trail cameras aren’t just for hunters. They can be great additions to the backyard if you enjoy observing visiting wildlife. Trail cameras also capture what happens while you’re at work, school, or asleep. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

Wildlife scientists are learning that, in addition to being our “best friends,” dogs also can be also be our best conservation tools.

Thinning timber, prescribed fire and planting wildlife food plots are the most common tools in wildlife management, but there is another, often overlooked practice: using light disking to disturb the soil.