Articles:

• President’s Message
• Coastwide Salmonid Genetics Conference
• Upcoming NPIC Voting
• Executive committee candidates’ statements
• NPIC Builds Momentum with Successful 2008 AGM
• NPIC’s 2009 AGM
• NPIC’s New Archivist
• Increasing Student Involvement
• NPIC Needs a New Web Master
• Annual Award Recipients
• What Kind of Impact Do You Want to Have With Your Career?

June 6 – 7, 2008 Olympia Washington

We invite you to Olympia, WA June 6 – 7, 2008 for the Coastwide Salmonid Genetic Meeting hosted by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the North Pacific International Chapter (WA and BC) of the American Fisheries Society (AFS). The research community studying salmon and trout genetics on the west coast has met biannually for two decades to forge scientific and social bonds. This year’s meeting will convene at the Phoenix Inn and Suites, and is anticipated to be a vibrant gathering. We expect a strong slate of contributed presentations from agency professionals, academic faculty, and students, along with a poster session and the usual evening socials (on the shores of Puget Sound). We hope to see you here in June!

For all information about the conference, including registration, abstract submission, lodging, and more, please go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/genetics/coastwide_meeting.htm.

•  Flyfishing gear including flies and a fly rod
• Art including a Joe wilson print, 5 prints form the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation, coastal cutthroat print from recent Skamania AGM
• Books including ‘Ecology of Juvenile Salmon in the Northeast Pacific Ocean: Regional Comparisons’, ‘Saving Puget Sound: A Conservation Strategy for the 21st Century’, ‘Behavioral Technologies for Fish Guidance’
• Videos including 1998 one-hour video documentary “Under Puget Sound” made by our own Keith Wolf
• Music including 5 copies of the David Hillman  2007 album/cd’s “Americana Hour”

Items will be on display throughout the conference for you to view.

Please participate in the raffle which benefits the students of the Chapter.

Looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

Jim Shannon, NPIC Vice President

Please be aware that the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society deadline for the 2008 graduate-level student scholarship applications is March 1, 2008. This scholarship program provides up to $3,000 annually in scholarships to master’s or doctoral students in the general area of fisheries science with one to three awards to individual students. Beginning in 2002, the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation established the William Trachtenberg Memorial Scholarship Fund, which augments the Western Division scholarship program. This fund provides up to $600 annually to a graduate-level student conducting studies on fisheries sustainability. Applications for the Western Division scholarship program will automatically be considered for the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation scholarship program as well. Please pass the attached information on to potential applicants (note that the application deadline is March 1, 2008).

Thanks,

Bob Gresswell
Western Division AFS, Scholarship Chair

2008 Application Procedures

The Program Committee invites abstracts for individual symposia, oral, and poster presentations. Abstracts must be submitted on-line by January 31st, 2008. Please also see www.npic-afs.org for information on the Program, Accommodations, and to Register for the Conference .

Proposed Session Topics:

• Saving the Salish Sea
• Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of Salmon Recovery
• Fish Health
• Elwha River Recovery
• Marine Species-Habitat Interactions
• Forage Fish Ecology
• Puget Sound Ecology and Habitat Trends
• Puget Sound Water Quality
• Marine and Freshwater Fish Ecology and Management
• Columbia River Aquatic Science Topics
• Seagrass, Nearshore, and Salmon
• Marine Hydropower Technologies
• Groundfish Ecology and Management
• Habitat Restoration
• Advancements in Genetics
• Bull Trout Ecology and Management
• Planning in Restoration and Conservation

Deadline for Oral and Poster Presentation Abstracts
January 31st, 2008
Make hotel reservations before Feb. 4th for group discount
Register by Feb. 15th for reduced registration fees.

Contact Program Chair Larry Dominguez (Larry.Dominguez@dnr.wa.gov) for any additional questions

David Hillman will be playing some of his original music after the awards and raffle ceremonies. Rock, alt-country, blues, and jazz, all take turns in his repertoire of songs. Check out his website.

http://www.davidjhillman.com/home.html

Hors d’oeuvre will be served to registered conference attendees. There will also be a no host bar for refreshments.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

NPIC EXCOM

• Decreasing the amount of solid waste produced by the meeting
  • Serve liquids in bulk containers (e.g. cream for coffee, water in pitchers [no bottled water], kegs of beer (bring your own mug/glass)
  • Minimize paper handouts and promote electronic correspondence
  • Encourage participants to reuse name tag holders from previous conferences
• Reducing energy and water consumption at the meeting
  • Hotel provides option to not wash sheets and towels every day
  • Turn off light in conference rooms when not in use
• Minimizing or off-setting harmful emissions resulting from vehicular transportation and energy consumption associated with meeting
  • Promote mass transit (Bellingham Val-U Inn - Transportation)
  • Encourage car pool
• Disposing of solid and liquid waste in an environmentally responsible manner
  • Recycle paper, plastic bottles, aluminum cans
  • Provide containers for recycling in every room

Are you a Worthy Coelacanth?

NPIC has a number of awards which will be presented at the Annual General Meeting. A brief description of each award is provided below.

Haig Brown Award
Established in 1981 to recognize those who have produced outstanding, non-technical articles or publications on any aspect of fishery management, research, habitat protection, enhancement, or other related fields.

Worthy Coelacanth Award
First presented in 1984 to a senior member of NPIC who has made an outstanding contribution to fisheries management and science.

Volunteer Organization
For a volunteer organization that has made exemplary contributions to fisheries conservation, education, or science.

Meritorious Service
Awarded to an NPIC member who has made substantial contributions to the success of the Chapter.

The Fish Gaffe
This award recognizes the most noteworthy faux pas by a Chapter member each year. The first recipient was Jeff Cederholm for his outstanding collection of self-inflicted typos in a previous AGM agenda.

Please send your brief nomination statements for these awards to NPIC Vice President Jim Shannon at jash@deainc.com by February 1, 2008.

The NPIC Executive Committee is seeking candidates for the position of General Arrangements Chair for “Team 2011”, to coordinate implementation of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, September 1-8, 2011. The General Arrangements Chair serves as the overall coordinator of a number of committees to lead NPIC’s hosting of this international professional conference of up to 3,000 delegates. The Chair interacts with the incoming AFS President, the appointed Program Chair, AFS staff, a number of committee chairs, and accommodations’ representatives to ensure that the conference is successful.

This is a volunteer position that will require increasing responsibilities and involvement, beginning in March 2008, and culminating in at least 50% time commitment in the year leading up to September, 2011. Experience coordinating large projects and working with diverse teams and individuals is required for success in this position. Agency or organizational support is also highly desirable. To apply, please send a brief statement of interest, with description of support, a CV, and a list of three professional references to Eric Knudsen by January 7, 2008. For more information, contact Eric at 360-424-5767. The NPIC Executive Committee will make the selection in late January, 2008.