Second Vice President Candidate Statement: Jim Bowker

AFS members: Please see your email for voting instructions. Voting ends March 31.

INTRODUCTION

The American Fisheries Society seeks officer candidates who are seasoned fisheries professionals that also have experience conducting Society business. I check both of those boxes, and I believe my combination of career and AFS experience make me well positioned to lead the Society and represent its members. Through various roles with AFS, I have seen how the business of the Society is run, how it is governed, and understand the importance of successful Annual Meetings and other programs. In other words, I know how the AFS “sausage” is made. Over my career, I have been involved in many of the same things that are expected of fisheries professionals, including continuing education and professional development (I was an AFS Certified Fisheries Professional), publishing (I have [co]authored many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters), reviewing and editing (I am a regular reviewer of manuscripts submitted to AFS journals and have served as a Science Editor and Associate Editor), grant-writing (I helped secure > US$1.3 million in external funding), and mentoring (I resurrected the Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program and have always endeavored to create space and opportunities for early career professionals). After a 35-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), I continued to work in the fisheries field. The things that made my career more fulfilling—networking, mentoring, and life-long learning—are things that I think all fisheries folks want. One way to advance the Society is to help others discover that AFS is what can make the difference between a good career and a great one. I would like to more actively engage those who want to become more active in the Society. I’ve found that active members seem to be the overachievers in their organizations—they benefit from their involvement in AFS and the Society functions better as a result of their insights and service. Although I am now retired, my energy and enthusiasm for our Society and profession has not waned. Service to the Society would be my highest priority, along with making time for more fishing—including with more AFS members through the Fishing Buddies initiative!

BACKGROUND

Growing up, I never could have imagined that fish would become such an important part of my work and personal life. Fishing was something I did infrequently as a kid and without much passion. That changed after the first couple of years of college when I started taking fisheries courses. Later, a fish-related undergrad research project opened a door to pursue a MS in biological sciences from Eastern Michigan University. As I was wrapping up my degree, I landed my first real job with the USFWS Great Lakes Sciences Center in Michigan as a chemist. After 10 years of analyzing fish tissues for various contaminants, it was time for a new challenge: I took a risk, accepted a fishery biologist position, and moved halfway across the country to Montana to become a charter member of the USFWS Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership (AADAP) Program. I didn’t know it at the time, but that leap of faith would lead me to the defining work of my career: helping to stock the “medicine chest” with safe and effective therapeutants and management tools that are widely used throughout many fisheries programs. Leading the AADAP research group for nearly 25 years gave me an opportunity to interact with and conduct collaborative research with colleagues from state, federal, tribal, and private fisheries programs and well as academic institutions around the country. The network of researchers and fisheries professionals that I had the privilege of working with resembles that of AFS, representing different scientific disciplines and geographic regions. Through this network, we conducted the necessary research to support U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for the oral antibiotic Aquaflor and studies required for an approval of the fish sedative Aqui-S 20E. This work led to (co)authorship of 40+ publications in peer-reviewed journals, most of which were published in AFS journals, two book chapters, and over 200 oral presentations. Along the way, I got more involved in leadership development, first as a student and later as a coach. I am proud of the work we did to help fisheries professionals meet their scientific and management goals and was honored to have those efforts recognized when our team received the 2013 Rachel Carson Group Scientific Excellence Award and I was inducted in 2025 into the AFS Fish Culture Hall of Fame.

At the same time my career was taking me in a new direction, living in southeast Montana kindled a new interest in fishing. Soon, I was fishing in the summer until it got too dark to see a fly, climbing over snowdrifts on winter days and hoping my guides wouldn’t freeze up within seconds, and relishing the early spring and late fall days when it wasn’t too cold to sit in a drift boat. Later, I discovered saltwater flats fishing and am now lucky to fly fish all around the world. But as my career started to wind down, I knew I wasn’t ready to settle into retirement. Where would my enthusiasm and passion for fisheries science be channeled, how could I give back to our profession, and how could I continue to make a difference? Although fishing and skiing are my passions, I can never fully retire from this profession and AFS. After my first retirement, I spent a couple of years as the Director of Research and Animal Welfare at what is now the largest producer of farmed trout in the Americas, did some consulting work in support of aquaculture drug approvals, and even returned to my old research program as a contract employee through the USFWS Experienced Services Program to help new staff find their “sea legs” and help in any way I could. This last position allowed me to assist the current staff with designing and conducting research studies on additional therapeutics and management tools and provided me the opportunity to mentor a new team and pass along the knowledge I gained throughout my career. The experience confirmed that I was not ready to step away from a field for which I cared so deeply and still feel I have a lot to contribute. I’ve got the energy, the time, and the desire to serve the Society that has given me so much, such as a scientific community of high integrity and an extensive network I’ve been able to establish. Serving in the top ranks of AFS leadership is where I would love to spend my time and focus. If elected, I’ll serve AFS with the same energy and commitment that I did throughout my career to meet the many demands of serving as an AFS Officer. My strengths as a leader would serve AFS well, especially my ability to build collaborative relationships, confidently speak up even in difficult situations, and find consensus and compromise to move us forward.

 AFS INVOLVEMENT

Conducting AFS business is complicated and challenging, and serving as an officer or Governing Board member comes with great responsibility. Being responsible for where the Society is now, where it’s heading, and ensuring it has the resources to carry on are challenges that I’ve successfully navigated in my 35-year career with the Service; I’m confident I can lead AFS through the same. My guiding principle has always been: “Show up, be prepared, and engage.” Those that know me know that I have “happy feet” that keep me moving and pushing forward. I thoroughly enjoy getting things done even after the excitement of a meeting fades. Whether it is at the Section, Chapter, Division, Society, or Committee level, I stay engaged, get tasks done, and I thrive on keeping things moving in the right direction.

Over my 25 years of membership, I have served AFS in many capacities:

• Fish Culture Section officer (2010–2015)
• Western Division officer (2013–2017)
• Management Committee member (2012–2013)
• Revived and co-chaired the Emerging Leader Mentorship Award program
• Co-authored the second edition of the AFS Guide for Use of Fishes in Research
• Served on the Special Committee to make AFS journals more relevant
• Co-developed the AFS Governing Board reporting tool
• Served on the 2014–2019 AFS Strategic Plan Committee
• Chaired the 2020–2024 Strategic Plan Committee
• Served on the
  • Membership Committee (2011–2015)
  • Resource Policy Committee (2009–2014),
  • Hatcheries and Management of Aquatic Resources Steering Committee (2012–2014)
• Served as
  • Associate Editor for the North American Journal of Aquaculture (2010–2018)
  • Science Editor for Fisheries (2010–2015)
• Co-established the Fish Culture Section Distinguished Service Award
• Programming co-chair for the 2014 AFS Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon (which has the distinction of having the most oral and poster presentations of any AFS meeting)
• Received the AFS Distinguished Service Award and served on that review committee
• Nominated individuals who have received the AFS Distinguished Service Award as well as the AFS Honorary Membership award
• AFS Certified Fisheries Professional (2015–2019).

AFS has become my family, so much so, that after meeting my future wife at the 2007 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, it only seemed fitting to propose to her in front of our fisheries friends on stage during the Business Meeting at the 2019 joint AFS/TWS meeting in Reno (she happened to be the out-going AFS President)! It’s been a rewarding journey being so actively involved with AFS—the Society that is my community, my family, my home.

VISION

My vision as AFS President includes supporting research and management goals that help the fisheries resources, making stronger connections, ensuring our scientific message resonates with the public, continuing to support and develop leadership training opportunities, and taking a more in-depth look at where our AFS resources are being directed. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, he describes some people as connectors, those who seem to know everyone and are sociable, gregarious, and are naturally skilled at making connections and keeping in contact with friends and acquaintances with diverse backgrounds. This describes me very well, and I’d like to use my relationship-building skills to help our Society more effortlessly exchange information and ideas, particularly among the various Divisions, Sections, Chapters, and Subunits. During my time as an officer and Governing Board member, I was fortunate to peek behind the curtain and see how many AFS units conducted their business and engaged their membership. Our organization is large, there is continual turnover in unit officers, and it’s not uncommon for information to get lost in the shuffle. I envision creating more opportunities for officers to make that personal connection with one another to expand their network and better facilitate ongoing exchanges of information to benefit their unit. Excitement about AFS and the benefits of active membership is infectious. We need to do more to engage with our fellow fisheries professionals—particularly students and early career folks—and get them “hooked” on what AFS and its Units can do for them and their careers. Active members are often the “doers” in their organization and have a network that is more expansive than others. Many hands make for lighter work, and more active members throughout the Society and units will lead to better end-products, whether it’s an annual meeting, policy work, or end-of-the-year awards.

I think our membership does a great job of sharing our science at meetings throughout the year, but we often communicate most effectively with those that speak our own language. With science itself under attack, it’s become more important than ever to be able to effectively communicate with those that don’t speak our language fluently, particularly decision makers. I’d like to continue to support AFS efforts to share our science effectively within our usual circles of fisheries peers and—perhaps more importantly—with the broader community of stakeholders from politicians to social influencers to the general public. One of the reasons that I have been so actively involved in AFS is that there is always room for those who want to do and contribute more. Our Society is over 150 years old, and so many smart, accomplished, and gracious people have helped pave the way to get us to where we are now. Yet we still have work to do; I can make a difference and provide vision, energy, passion, and time to help get things done. Being involved in the USFWS’s Stepping Up To Leadership, first as a student and then as a coach, really resonated with me, and even in retirement, I’ve strived to continue my leadership development. This has helped me, in part, navigate the tricky world of politics, personal issues, and conflicting values. Continuing to make leadership development an important offering of the Society will help shape our future leaders for the upcoming challenges we have to our science and our role as advocates for the resource. I envision growing our leadership development opportunities and resources beyond the Leading at All Levels training, Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program, and various continuing education programs. My experience as a Section and Division officer, involvement with AFS Committees and projects, and time on the Management Committee and Governing Board has put me in a position where I can step in on day one to ensure that AFS is financially sound and has the resources to continue to provide more to our members.

The Society needs to continue the process that’s been established more visibly in the past 10 years to maintain diversity among our membership and leadership. Annual Meetings provide a great venue for networking, and many seasoned fisheries professionals talk about how networking enabled them to have a more rewarding and productive career. Regardless of our profession or AFS position, we’re all people with at least one thing in common—fish!—and likely much more. I envision developing networking opportunities that are more rewarding for underrepresented groups, providing opportunities for those that want to step up, and showing those that are hesitant the ways and the value of getting more involved. I’m a firm believer that you can lead from anywhere, and I want to make space for others to get engaged and do so.

My hope is that, if elected as AFS Second Vice President, I can help protect and grow our legacy of sound science, effective communication, and empowered members. I pledge to help keep our fiscal house in order, better utilize technology to cut travel costs and increase Annual Meeting participation, and continue to help AFS achieve its global impact on fisheries science. I would be deeply humbled and honored to have an opportunity to serve the Society at the highest level and to help shape the future of AFS. I’m fully committed to fulfilling the core responsibilities of an officer and will happily devote the best I have to offer as a fisheries professional…even if it cuts into my skiing and fishing time. Ultimately, I love this field and want to continue to make meaningful contributions, through my leadership skills, enthusiasm, and experience.