I dedicated one of my columns to how we and our Society can wield greater influence through partnerships. Fish-centric opportunities abound, but bonus points await those who reach beyond fish and toward aquatic systems on larger geographic scales, toward other natural resources such as wildlife, toward cross-cutting efforts based on topical themes such as resource economics,... Read More
by AFS Policy Director Tom Bigford This column started with a singular focus on the ecological value of artificial or engineered spaces as surrogates for natural habitats. After some enlightening conversations at the AFS Annual Meeting in Québec City, my topic morphed into a broader policy arena. Besides habitats, we might create with sculpted sediments,... Read More
Aquaculture is a complex arena, complete with ever-expanding science, shifting management implications, and growing societal demands. How, then, do we create useful policy to guide our way? And how can AFS its members lead the way? by Tom Bigford – American Fisheries Society Policy Director AFS proudly describes itself as the “oldest and largest professional... Read More
Jack E. Williams, Helen M. Neville, Amy L. Haak, Warren T. Colyer, Seth J. Wenger, and Stan Bradshaw Climate change is contributing to the severity and rate of stream degradation by changing the timing of peak flows, altering flow regimes, creating more frequent and intense disturbances, and increasing stream temperatures. Herein we describe three case... Read More
Jason T. Papenfuss, Nicholas Phelps, David Fulton, and Paul A. Venturelli Successfully managing fisheries and controlling the spread of invasive species depends on the ability to describe and predict angler behavior. However, finite resources restrict conventional survey approaches and tend to produce retrospective data that are limited in time or space and rely on intentions... Read More
In closing my last column, I promised to share the top 10 issues facing fisheries, an inclusive term defined here as the fish, the people who fish, and the recreational and commercial industries. This is my list, based largely on deep immersion in science, management, and policy issues during my 18 months on the AFS... Read More
At the University of Southern Mississippi, under the fine tutelage of professor—and AFS member—Dr. Andrew Evans, Elizabeth Jones was the runner up for her 3-minute thesis: Stingrays and Sharks on Steroids. When you think of the effects of steroid hormones, you probably imagine a muscle bound body builder, but steroids cause a broad range of... Read More
One of the hottest fisheries blog on the planet – if not the hottest – The FisheriesBlog.com – is run by 5 AFS Young Professionals: Dr. Steve Midway, Patrick Cooney, Dr. Dana Sackett (original members, see photo), Brandon Peoples, and Abby Lynch. Some of the most popular posts: Top 5 Most Poisonous Fish! Finding Nemo lied to... Read More
Much of the conservation effort is done in line with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which, among other things, establishes essential fish habitats and mandates that harvests remain sustainable. “It also says the act of harvesting can’t damage core components of the habitat that fish need,” Brad Harris, a professor at Alaska Pacific University and directs the... Read More
STUDENT ANGLE Marissa L. Hammond Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, Manly Miles Building, 1405 South Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823. E-mail: [email protected] The project that I worked on during my 2013-2014 Janice Lee Fenske fellowship provided me with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding and management of Lake Whitefish Coregonus... Read More
