Piscis Romana will be a lyric reference guide to fish and fishlike creatures found in Rome. Gathered in a “vade mecum,” or portable reference book, will be a contemporary bestiary with illustrations, photographs, and annotations of a variety of marine creatures found in the city. Upon first look at this book, a reader might find a delightfully niche walking guide to Rome and an invitation to go fishing with a scientist and a poet—in ancient mosaics, in Etruscan tombs, along the Tiber, in Renaissance paintings, in contemporary graffiti, in the natural history museum. The authors have particular interest in evaluating the anatomical truth of fish representations that predate specimen preservation, and Piscis Romana will similarly delight in the persona of biological detective. The larger stakes of the project will be revealed by its capacity to foster dialogue around the changing shape of human relationships to the environment, from antiquity through the present moment.