News

Annual Meeting

Symposia Summaries, 2015 Annual Meeting in Portland

Summaries and photos from some of the 104 symposia at the Portland Annual Meeting were compiled by symposia organizers. Most summaries includes links to the abstracts of the session presentations. Actions and Dialog to Change Perceptions and Increase Engagement of Underrepresented Minorities in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Balancing Conservation and Utilization to Sustain Fisheries Barrier Removal... Read More

Symposium Summary: The Next Generation of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management

The fisheries community has long recognized that fisheries management should consider interconnections between fishing, fished species, and the well-being of humans and the marine environment. However, implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) has been slow. In this symposium, we discussed new innovations in implementing EBFM. Presenters examined new methodologies and success stories of ecosystem approaches... Read More

Symposium Summary: Working Across Diverse User Groups to Address Aquatic Fragmentation in a World of Limiting Resources and Increased Demands: Can We Prevent New Barriers to Avoid Restoration by Working With Diverse Stakeholders?

Aquatic barriers have contributed to the decline of numerous aquatic species throughout the United States by fragmenting habitats. Although natural resource managers work diligently to reconnect habitats, they struggle to keep up with increasing water demands and infrastructure construction that lead to new barriers. This symposium featured presentations highlighting the successes and difficulties from real-world... Read More

Symposium Summary: Transdisciplinary Marine Science: Research and Education to Expand Methodologies and Address Complex Problems

Our symposium consisted of 12 talks encompassing examples of transdisciplinary science from Alaska to the Caribbean and suggestions, examples, and critiques of educational opportunities for transdisciplinary training. Defining “transdisciplinary” seems of paramount interest, and while I offered a definition from Rosenfield (1992) in my introduction—individuals from multiple disciplines working jointly to create a unified conceptual... Read More

Symposium Summary: Simulation Models as Decision-Support Tools for Fisheries Conservation Planning

Unlike the “real world,” simulation models provide experimental systems where the outcomes of various assumptions can be examined to help inform management decisions. Given the multiple-objective nature of fisheries management, quantitative fish population and environmental simulations have become more commonly used to help cumulate the effects of multiple management actions and environmental stressors and provide... Read More

Symposium Summary: Selective Fish Passage: Easing the Tension between Native Fish Restoration and Invasive Species Control

Sponsor: Great Lakes Fishery Commission Increasing connectivity into and within rivers can benefit fishes by providing access to important habitats. Deliberate fragmentation of rivers can protect fishes by limiting the spread of invasive species. This symposium first addressed the geographic scope of interest in, and need for, selective bidirectional fish passage. It then explored the... Read More