american fisheries society newsletter

POLICY

World Climate Statement

AFS joined forces with 111 aquatic scientific societies representing more than 80,000 scientists across the world to sound a climate change alarm. The societies call for drastically curtailed global greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of man-made climate change to fish and aquatic ecosystems. AFS President Scott Bonar announced the statement at the Opening Plenary of the Virtual Annual Meeting.

New Climate Ambassador Program

Are you someone who wants to (1) expand your science communication skills, (2) explore the impacts of climate change on fish, and (3) develop ways to communicate these impacts? If you answered yes, apply to be an AFS Climate Change Ambassador!

ACE Act Boosts Conservation Programs

America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act passed the House last week and now moves onto the president’s desk. ACE includes the National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnerships Act, codifying the National Fish Habitat Partnership, an important conservation collaboration for AFS and our members. It also authorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Program.

FISHERIES

AFS 150: From Johnny Fish‐Seed to Hatchery‐Bashing to Shaping the Shoal of Aquaculture Stakeholders

Fish culture has been practiced in North America for well over 150 years. Thanks partly to AFS and its members, why and how we propagate fish has changed dramatically during that time. In this piece, the authors briefly recount the history of North American fish culture, how AFS has influenced our understanding and use of hatcheries and hatchery‐origin fish, and provide a glimpse of what transformations may yet await fish culturists.

World Fish Migration Day Connects Fish, Rivers, and People

World Fish Migration Day (WFMD), coordinated by the World Fish Migration Foundation, is a biennial global celebration of open rivers and migratory fish achieved through locally organized events with the common theme of connecting fish, rivers, and people. Since 2014, over 1,200 events have been organized in 80 different countries across all inhabited continents.

ANNUAL MEETING

Virtual Annual Meeting Recordings Available

Recordings of most of the live events from the Virtual Annual Meeting are now available online for registered attendees. Just go to the page for that event in the schedule and scroll down to see the video. These recordings are in addition to the more than 600 prerecorded science presentations that are also still available for viewing.

Call for 2021 Symposium Proposals

The past, present, and future of fisheries science will be on display as we bring together professionals from across North America and countries throughout the world under the theme of “Investing in People, Habitat, and Science” in Baltimore, Maryland, August 8-12, 2021. We are soliciting symposia topics that exemplify the latest research in fisheries science and that will benefit a range of audiences with the aim of advancing the science of fisheries ecology, conservation, and management.

FEATURED PAPERS

Impact of Vaccination and Pathogen Exposure Dosage on Shedding Kinetics of IHNV in Rainbow Trout

Vaccine efficacy in preventing clinical disease has been well characterized. However, vaccine impacts on transmission under diverse field conditions, such as variable pathogen exposure dosages, are not fully understood. In this Featured Paper in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, the authors evaluated the impacts of vaccination on disease‐induced host mortality and shedding of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (INHV) in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Benthic Suffocation of Invasive Lake Trout Embryos in Yellowstone Lake

Introduced Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush threaten native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, where gill nets have been used to suppress subadult and adult Lake Trout since 1995. Inducing additional mortality at the embryonic and larval life history stages, especially if used in concert with intensive gillnetting of older fish, could enhance overall suppression efforts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank You, Recruiters!

We truly appreciate the efforts of the many AFS members who joined our Member-Get-a-Member campaign. Thanks to you, AFS is 287 members stronger.

Our top recruiter is Olaf Weyl from South Africa. He is the Chief Scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. His current research focus is on providing information with which to better conserve Africa’s aquatic biodiversity, especially freshwater ecosystems in several African countries including Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa.

“I believe that AFS membership provides excellent opportunities for learning and international collaboration”, Olaf shared with us.

AFS Certification Applications Due October 21

Enhance your credentials and join your colleagues in gaining certification by AFS. Certification sets standards and guidelines for professional competence and is used by organizations worldwide to measure qualifications. Our reputable certification program provides meaningful credentials for those who meet the certification standards. It can help you get a job, a raise, a promotion, or a chance to serve as an expert witness!

RESOURCES

EVENTS: See upcoming AFS and other events in our Events Calendar
CAREERS: For the latest JOBS postings from around the U.S. and Canada
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