Annual Meeting
Sponsor: AFS Fish Culture Section This symposium was convened to address the question of whether fish hatchery biologist will remain a viable career choice in the future. Representatives from state and federal fish hatcheries summarized the states of their programs. Hatcheries are projected to remain an integral part of fish management and conservation in the... Read More
Aquatic ecologists, fisheries biologists, and resource managers recognize that many ecological patterns and conservation problems require broad and synthetic approaches. The “scape” perspective is a point-of-view that combines a broader scale, an integrative context, and specific types of analyses. To investigate this perspective, Sean Hitchman, Martha Mather, and Jordan Hofmeier organized a symposium entitled “Fisheries... Read More
Sponsor: AFS Estuaries Section In honor of the 50th anniversary of Sea Grant, this symposium sponsored by AFS Estuaries Section focused on inter-jurisdictional management issues along the Mississippi River and the research and outreach contributions made by Sea Grant programs and partners. Louisiana Sea Grant Director Robert Twilley and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Director Brian Miller... Read More
Sponsors: AFS Socioeconomics Section, Fisheries Management Section, and Fisheries Administration Section Despite continued population growth, the number of people participating in angling has stagnated and, in some cases, declined in recent years. This lack of growth threatens to erode away the multitude of diverse and substantial benefits society reaps from angling participation and threatens funding... Read More
Sponsors: AFS Estuaries Section, Fish Habitat Section, and Water Quality Section Prolonged and intense drought as a result of climate change is becoming a more frequent occurrence in many parts of the world with varying impacts to freshwater and marine fisheries resources. Coupled with increased human water demands, reservoir, river, and estuarine systems face unprecedented... Read More
Sponsor: Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association State policies regarding the use of Grass Carp are inconsistent and at times conflicting between neighboring states. Most states prohibit all Grass Carp or restrict their use to certified triploids (i.e., sterile) only; however, seven states in the Mississippi River Basin continue to allow stocking of diploid (i.e., fertile)... Read More
Understanding the interdependence between healthy aquatic ecosystems and human social, economic, and cultural benefits is necessary to maximize the benefits of ecosystem management and to address trade-offs among ecosystem services, economic benefits, and human and ecosystem health. In this symposium, 11 presentations highlighted various aspects of coupled natural and human systems. Topics varied greatly and... Read More
Cooperative research between scientists and stakeholders is a time-tested model that has gained traction through emerging citizen science initiatives and formalized policy by fishery agencies. In addition to building overall trust in the management process, the inclusion of stakeholders in data collection and experimental design has the capacity to leverage limited funds and produce information... Read More
This symposium session provided a current synthesis on the distribution, movement, biology, and life history of Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) inside and outside its native range. Blue Catfish are widely introduced outside their native range and have been stocked into many large reservoirs. They are growing in popularity with recreational and commercial fishers, and in... Read More
AFS scientists from across the country gathered for an exciting day centered on an understudied and historically undesirable taxa of sport fish, the gars and Bowfin (Holosteans). The symposium convened 15 speakers to share research, management, and personal experiences working with these “dinosaur fishes.” A day of presentations ranged from morphological and genetic approaches for... Read More
