american fisheries society newsletter

COVID-19 & MEETING UPDATES

Abstract Submission Deadline Extended

  • The 150th Annual Meeting in Columbus (August 30 - September 3) is still planned to go ahead as scheduled.
  • We have extended the deadline for abstract submission until April 20 and issued a special statement on our COVID-19 cancellation policies.
  • See the list of accepted symposia and please go ahead and submit your abstract for a symposium or contributed paper session soon.
  • Child care services have now been secured for the meeting, with more details coming soon.
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AFS HQ Staff Working Remotely

AFS staff are now working remotely until at least March 31st. Although we are checking phone messages, for the quickest response please email us directly for assistance in the interim.

FISHERIES

Return of a Giant: First Wild Reproduction of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Truckee River in Nearly a Century

Recovering depleted populations of freshwater migratory fish is challenging, especially in arid environments where demands for water resources are high. A collaborative, multifaceted approach has spurred natural reproduction—a major step towards Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi recovery in Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River, Nevada, once home to one of largest freshwater salmonids in North America.

Stakeholder Involvement in Natural Resource Decisions: The Missouri River

The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) was created in 2007 to provide recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a recovery and mitigation plan for three endangered species (Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus, interior least tern Sterna antillarum athalassos, and piping plover Charadrius melodus). Formation of the MRRIC ushered in a new era of federal, state, tribal, and nongovernmental stakeholder collaboration in the river basin following nearly 20 years of litigation and legislative actions.

SCIENCE

Niche Partitioning among Native Ciscoes and Nonnative Rainbow Smelt in Lake Superior

Several species of ciscoes Coregonus, subgenus Leucichthys that are native to the Laurentian Great Lakes are rare or extirpated. The restoration of Coregonus fishes is being actively pursued through stocking, and success may depend on the availability of unoccupied niche space. We described the spring–summer habitat occupancy and diets of three native cisco species (Bloater Coregonus hoyi, Cisco C. artedi, and Kiyi C. Kiyi) and invasive Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax in Lake Superior and measured niche overlap among these species.

POLICY

Science Societies Urge Restoration of U.S. Forest Service Research Budget

The Society of American Foresters, American Fisheries Society, and The Wildlife Society expressed their concerns to the House Appropriations Committee about the Trump Administration's proposal to eliminate the U.S. Forest Service's fish and wildlife research program, and other cuts.

Changes to NEPA Will Undermine Key Environmental Law

Ten science societies, including the American Fisheries Society, submitted comments on proposed changes to procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), saying that the changes to the regulations implementing NEPA would dismantle one of the bedrock U.S. environmental laws.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Hutton Challenge

The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is looking forward to its 20th summer. Until March 31st, we are asking our membership to support the 2020 Hutton Program! An anonymous donor has launched a donation matching challenge up to $10,000. That means for every $1 donated to the 2020 Hutton Program, that donation will be matched, doubling its impact!

This week, we are featuring 2015 Hutton Scholar and AFS member, Kadie Heinle! Follow this link to read about her time working for the Bureau of Land Management in Montana and how her studies have taken her across the US, studying various aquatic environments. Support AFS and the Hutton Program today to continue engaging and inspiring the next generation of fisheries professionals!

2020 Award Nominations Due

The award nomination deadline is coming up soon on April 1! Nominate your fisheries heroes or apply for Annual Meeting travel awards.

Upcoming Webinar

Join us on March 24 for our next webinar, "Creating a Movement to Save Migratory Fish from Local to Global," with Herman Wanningen of the World Fish Migration Foundation.

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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