Annual Meeting
Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a comprehensive approach to the management of fisheries sector living marine resources. Inclusive in EBFM is the requirement of managers to consider the complex interactions between fishes and their dependent habitats, and the effects of fishing upon habitat and fish stocks. The session began with an overview of NOAA Fisheries’... Read More
Sponsor: AFS Genetics Section Rapid advances in genomics are providing unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of the amount, distribution, and functional significance of genetic variation in natural populations. Analyses on a genomic scale are now commonplace, and complete genome sequences are increasingly available for many species. These advances have facilitated discovery of loci associated... Read More
Scientists and administrators came together to open a national dialogue on the merit of forming a common agenda for addressing conservation and control of fish carrying dual designations as imperiled in their native range and invasive beyond. Presentations and rich discussion validated the need to establish fiscal and scientific efficiency in addressing both conservation and... Read More
The Fishing Blind Symposium brought together 20 researchers and a packed audience to present and discuss the need for improved communication of recreational species-specific catch-and-release best practices. The full-day session focused on the status of species- and situation-specific catch-and-release practices in both well-established and emerging recreational fisheries around the world, angler understanding and adoption of... Read More
Hagfish belong to one of the most primitive classes of fish in the world, Agnatha. Although there is lots of information on the primitive nature of their physiology and biochemistry, little information exists about their reproductive biology and ecology. Two species along the west coast of North America, Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) and Black Hagfish... Read More
This year marked the 10th anniversary of recreational side-scan sonar—an inexpensive tool for imaging underwater environments in striking detail. The low cost of equipment, and the ability to process and overlay image data in a geographic information system (GIS) has led to groundbreaking developments in mapping, monitoring, and research of aquatic denizens. Through this original... Read More
While marine and inland fisheries are often studied and managed independently, there are actually many similarities. Recognizing and communicating the reasons for the similarities and differences between marine and inland fisheries can generate useful insights towards improving the management and sustainability of both fisheries. The presentations in this symposium highlighted science and management lessons that... Read More
Science communication, in the form of outreach and engagement, is a frequently suggested approach for achieving fisheries conservation and human well-being goals. Communication is a dynamic process of sending, receiving, interpreting, and clarifying, and can support a variety of outcomes. This symposium emphasized the importance of goal setting and evaluation planning for communication initiatives that... Read More
The United States and Canada implemented the Columbia River Treaty in 1964, focused on coordinated flood control and hydropower benefits for both countries from the construction and operation of Mica, Keenleyside, and Duncan dams in Canada and Libby Dam in the United States. The U.S. Entity (Bonneville Power Administration and Corps of Engineers), states, tribes,... Read More
Communities are working together to remove barriers and bring back fish, from the Penobscot to the Elwha to the Salmon River. Dams fundamentally fracture the natural connectivity of rivers, blocking natural movements of fish and sediment. There are over 2 million dams in the United States, and 80% of them are more than 50 years... Read More
