The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program was approved in 2000 by the AFS Governing Board and named after the American Fisheries Society’s first executive director, the late Robert F. Hutton. The Hutton Program offers scholarships to select high school juniors and seniors interested in biological, environmental, and fisheries science. Students are matched and mentored by established fisheries professionals for an exciting eight-week hands-on summer experience in a marine or freshwater setting. The principal goal of the Hutton Program is to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science and management among groups underrepresented in the fisheries professions, including minorities and women. We aim to diversify the fisheries profession one generation at a time.

Our supporters are the true heroes making it possible for AFS to offer this program to students across the nation. With this support and generosity, our program has been going strong for 15-plus years, offering scholarships to over 600 students through the years. Funding comes in the form of donations from agencies like NOAA, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Forest Service, to individual donations from our members. If you are interested in donating to the Hutton Program, please visit fisheries.org/donate.

We are now accepting applications for students and mentors for the 2018 Hutton program, beginning in June. The application deadline for both is February 28th. Please visit hutton.fisheries.org for more information.