Ichthyologist's Dating Profile Lists 'Can Identify 4,000 Fish Species by Sight' as Primary Selling Point

A research ichthyologist has reported minimal success on dating applications despite what he considers 'an extremely impressive opening credential': the ability to identify over 4,000 fish species by visual inspection alone. Dr. Ray Fineman, 36, a postdoctoral researcher specializing in perciform systematics at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, constructed his dating profile around his taxonomic expertise, reasoning that 'specificity of knowledge signals dedication and intelligence.' His profile reads: 'I can tell you the family, genus, and species of almost any fish you show me, from a pixelated photo, in under ten seconds. Ask me at the aquarium.' 'I thought it was a conversation starter,' Dr. Fineman said. 'Like how some people say they're good at trivia. Except instead of trivia, it's the phylogenetic relationships of 4,000 actinopterygian taxa.' The profile has yielded three matches in four months. The first unmatched after Dr. Fineman corrected her identification of a fish in her own photograph ('That's a perch, not a bass — the opercular spine gives it away'). The second unmatched after he spent a dinner date explaining the difference between Percidae and Centrarchidae. The third never responded to his opening message, which read: 'Did you know there are more species of fish than all other vertebrates combined?' 'People say they want someone passionate,' Dr. Fineman reflected. 'But there appears to be a threshold of passion beyond which it becomes alienating, and that threshold falls somewhere below 4,000 species.' He has since revised his profile to read simply 'Marine scientist. Likes sushi (ethically sourced).' Matches have increased to seven, though he reports difficulty 'not correcting the species identification of what people are eating.'