Special Message on Maintaining Our Fisheries Community

Building Resilience for Our Profession

The fisheries profession, in the United States and beyond, is experiencing unprecedented change in both speed and scope. As I contemplate this occurrence, the analogy of a construction crew comes to mind. What would our expectations of that crew be, if we knew that the foremen and experienced workers were suddenly missing? Those expectations would likely not include efficiency or effectiveness. This is where I believe AFS must provide service to our broader profession—AFS must be the link to professional and institutional knowledge that may no longer be present in certain workplaces. Keeping AFS strong is important to maintaining fisheries for the future. I am extremely thankful for those who came before us, and especially to those who have recently had to make the choice to end a longstanding fisheries career. The AFS community is appreciative of your many contributions to our shared profession. 

My request for our community is to stay involved in AFS, both those still working and those who may have retired. We will all have need of your experience, knowledge, and perspective in the coming days, months and years. If you have a new email address, please let us know by sending a note to [email protected]. Only by working together and maintaining communication can we sustain our fisheries, stabilize our networks, reinforce our foundations, and rebuild the institutional knowledge that has been lost. I am committed to this task; I hope you will join me.

If you have the ability to share this with fisheries professionals who have moved on from their recent jobs, please do so. Thank you.  

Jeff Kopaska
Executive Director