Download The Confluence: Fall 2007 (PDF)
President’s Message
Don’t worry, it’s not a Puget Sound Chinook! It’s from the Yentna River, Alaska
Dear Fellow AFS Members,
Washington – British Columbia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Serving American Fisheries Society Members in Washington and British Columbia Dear Fellow AFS Members, Greetings! I am honored to be serving as the 2007-2008 President of the AFS Washington – British Columbia Chapter (NPIC) and I am pleased to report that the Chapter is on the rebound!! Thanks to last year’s Executive Committee, (Keith Underwood, Julie Henning, and Jim Shannon) we are on a healthy, rebuilding trajectory. The annual meeting last June was successful in providing a dynamic, relevant program, and in attracting new and old WA-BC Chapter members to become active in Chapter activities.
I want to tell you about recent Chapter progress as well as goals for the near future. The three WA-BC Chapter mission statement elements provide a framework for discussing Chapter progress, and identifying emerging opportunities.
(1) Advance the conservation and intelligent management of aquatic resources within a context of President’s Message sound ecological principles. WA-BC Chapter Committees are gradually rebuilding in support of this part of the WA-BC Chapter mission. Committees are the nexus between AFS and the rest of the fisheries community. While AFS is a professional scientific organization, rather than an advocacy group, we can and should ensure that the public decision process is supplied with sound science and expert review of technical information. One way to do that is to form sue-oriented committees that participate in the public process. These committees can serve as arbiters of good science in support of the stakeholder and agency process. Please contact me if you are interested in establishing such a committee for your particular fisheries issue.
For one recent example, our Marine Fisheries Committee, chaired by Bill Mavros, is focusing on Puget Sound and hopefully coordinating Chapter activities with the evolving Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). We envision the Chapter supporting the PSP process by providing technical review on fisheries issues and by hosting symposia that relate to the PSP goal, as well as other marine topics. Therefore, the Committee is playing a key role in developing several marine-oriented symposia for the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM). Please contact Bill Mavros if you would like to get involved.
(2) Gather and disseminate information pertaining to aquatic science and fisheries management. Based on the great momentum of 2007, we are moving toward an excellent 2008 AGM, scheduled for March 4-6 in Bellingham. The March scheduling will get us back to an AGM timing that’s more conducive to attendance by both fisheries professionals and students. President-Elect (and AGM Program Chair) Larry Dominguez is leading a strong Program Committee in developing a great agenda. The AGM will include myriad opportunities for disseminating policy and scientific information, through excellent key-note speakers as well as numerous oral and poster presentations. Please see the AGM Call for Papers and consider contributing to the conference by organizing a session, presenting our research, helping on planning committees, and/or simply attending the conference. Please also spread the word about the AGM to your fisheries colleagues.
Another major development in the arena of information dissemination is that WA-BC Chapter has been awarded the bid to host the 2011 AFS parent Society annual meeting in Seattle (Thanks to WA-BC Chapter member Mark LaRiviere for leading the bid effort!). This is a major event for the chapter, and will require many Chapter volunteers and agency sponsors to be successful. Please see the article elsewhere in this newsletter for more details.
(3) Promote the educational and technical aspects of the fisheries profession. In support of this element, your Executive Committee recently decided to dedicate a significant portion of the 2007 annual meeting proceeds to support WA-BC Chapter student activities. The Student Coordination Committee, chaired by Chris Sergeant, has developed a plan that involves student scholarships, AGM registration waivers, best paper and poster awards, and support for student sub-units, all designed to increase student involvement in our AFS chapter (see article below for more details). We are also planning several free educational workshops at the AGM this year: “Adaptive Management”, “AFS Leadership Skills”, and “57 Tips for Making a Difference With Your Career”. Stay tuned to the AGM portion of the WA-BC Chapter web site for registration details.
In closing, please consider how being involved in WA-BC Chapter can simultaneously benefit your career and promote the fisheries discipline or topic of your interest. By assisting on committees or participating in the AGM, you will be networking with like-minded professionals, increasing your technical skills, and helping to move fisheries science and management in a positive direction. From my own experience, the long-term benefits of AFS involvement are countless.
I wish you all Happy Holidays and look forward to seeing you in Bellingham, March 4-6.
Eric Knudsen
President, NPIC-AFS
To see the rest of the articles in the current newsletter, Download The Confluence: Fall 2007 (PDF)
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