Supported by: Fisheries Information and Technology Section
Fisheries scientists often create, design, and build unique tools for conducting research. This symposium gives these fish science “MacGyvers” a platform to share their innovations to spark further development, facilitate adoption of useful tools, and inspire others to explore innovative problem solving in fisheries science.
Primary Organizer: Tiffany Hopper, [email protected]
Supported by: Western Division of the American Fisheries Society
The WDAFS Riparian Challenge Award recognizes organizations and projects across the West that significantly restore riparian systems. In 2022, WDAFS celebrates 20 years of Riparian Challenge excellence by inviting representatives from projects that have won the award, as well as some honorable mentions, to present in this symposium.
Each year, WDAFS awards up to three Riparian Challenge awards to US Forest Service, BLM, and other organizations that demonstrate Excellence in Riparian Management by positively affecting one or more of the following resources:
Streambank stability
Water quality
Subsurface water supply
Recreation/aesthetics
Stream flows
Aquatic/fish habitat
Vegetative diversity and recovery
Forage production
Education
Terrestrial wildlife habitat
We look forward to sharing these extraordinary projects at the 2022 AFS Spokane Meeting.
Primary Organizer: Tracy Wendt, [email protected]
Supported by: Fisheries Information and Technology Section
Natural resource agencies often collect human dimensions data, but staff may not realize these datasets are available or how to maximize their potential. Using a combination of traditional symposium and workshop-style sessions, this unique event will demonstrate how to identify and use these data to improve fisheries management and guide decision-making. Participants will learn specific analytical techniques through hands-on exercises and demonstrations. This innovative symposium is interactive, and attendees can participate easily throughout the day. Foundational topics include comparison and contrast of human dimensions data to more familiar biological data; balancing of data sources for decision-making; human dimensions data collection methods; and basic evaluation of available data and analysis options. The goal of this innovative symposium is to put human dimensions tools into the hands of more fisheries biologists.
Primary Organizer: Rebecca Krogman, [email protected]
Supported by: University of Idaho, Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Commission, Idaho State University
Temperature is a key driver controlling the physiology, behavior, ecology and distribution of fishes. Fishes display genetic adaptations and phenotypically plastic responses such as acclimation, developmental plasticity, and movement to changes in temperatures. As many habitats warm, an increased understanding of adaptive and plastic mechanisms is needed to predict fitness, population, and species distribution responses. This symposium aims to address recent advances in our understanding of: 1) the responses of fish to thermal stress and underlying genetic, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms; 2) how these mechanisms interact with each other and environmental heterogeneity to affect demographics in natural populations; and 3) the relative magnitude and scope for genetic and plastic mechanisms to allow persistence of populations as thermal exposure increases under climate warming.
Primary Organizer: Christopher Caudill, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Habitat Section
There is a high demand for field methods and analytical tools to estimate anadromous salmonid production potential in freshwater. Habitat capacity estimates inform mitigation and restoration planning, instream flow assessments, and population viability and biological effects analyses. Previous approaches developed in the 1990s and early 2000s typically relied on out-of-basin data or theoretical habitat-fish relationships, producing estimates with unknown precision. More recently, advances in computing and complex statistical approaches make it possible to parameterize fish habitat capacity models with site-specific observational data, thereby reducing the number of necessary assumptions and quantifying estimate uncertainty. Furthermore, remote sensing, photogrammetry and image processing capabilities have also greatly increased habitat data collection efficiency and can be used conjunctively with contemporary modeling techniques. In this symposium, we will synthesize applied studies that incorporated the latest advances in field techniques and statistical analyses to estimate salmonid habitat capacity.
Primary Organizer: Ian Courter, [email protected]
Supported by:
This symposium will be focused on exploring advances in fish hard part microchemistry that further insights into fish ecology and fisheries management and conservation. This encompasses studies done using otoliths, fin spines, fin rays, scales, and bone. This session will include different applications, methodologies, and statistical frameworks to investigate life history strategies of different fish species.
Primary Organizer: Megan Nims, [email protected]
Supported by: NOAA National Sea Grant College Program
This symposium will highlight the current NMFS-Sea Grant Fellows’ graduate research. Fellows will share their project progression in either Ecosystem & Population Dynamics or Marine Resource Economics as they work to better understand and improve the data that feeds into management of both our ocean resources and habitats.
Primary Organizer: Amanda Lawrence, [email protected]
Supported by:
The science of endogenous records (fish otoliths and eye lenses, as well as other aquatic animal hard parts) is advancing rapidly. These methods increasingly generate high-resolution, multivariate narratives of movement, habitat use, behavior, metabolism, and growth, and other elements of fish life history. Endogenous techniques are also increasingly used in the context of tribal fisheries management. Tribal management perspectives are often supported by storytelling traditions that underpin Indigenous/Traditional Knowledge (I/TK) and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Does the narrative quality of endogenous records science intersect with the storytelling traditions of I/TK and TEK? Is this common thread a beneficial tool in tribal management perspective to strengthen tribal sovereignty and self-determination? Is storytelling a useful framework for the interpretation and communication of endogenous records ecology that is increasingly complex and interwoven.
Primary Organizer: Jens Hegg, [email protected]
Supported by: NOAA Fisheries, Fish Habitat Section
Climate change is impacting the function and distribution of habitats, which support and sustain marine and coastal species, as well as, resource dependent communities. There are cascading impacts to those communities that depend on these coastal and marine resources, thus impacting the socio-economic health of communities. These impacts often are exacerbated by additional anthropogenic stressors that marine and coastal habitats encounter such as loss, fragmentation, nonpoint source pollution, etc. The session aims to explore effective strategies and approaches to assess and predict the imminent and future changes to marine and coastal habitats as a result of changing conditions. Presentations will explore the research that focus on strategies and approaches such as scenario planning, vulnerability assessments, transdisciplinary approaches, etc. while providing a relevant understanding of the impacts of climate change on these habitats. The aim of the session is to inform habitat conservation, restoration and research priorities.
Primary Organizer: Margaret (Peg) Brady, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Fish Culture Section
Intensive aquaculture systems can be broadly categorized into either “flow-through” or “recirculating” systems that are generally defined by the amount of “first-use” water utilized as well as degree of water “reuse” in culturing one or more aquatic organisms. Recirculating aquaculture systems and technologies have been around for decades and provide multiple benefits to both operators as well as aquatic organisms. While largely used and showcased in the commercial food production (food-fish) industry with a select number of commonly-cultured aquatic species, recirculating aquaculture systems, technologies and protocols are being “rediscovered” in conservation, enhancement, and sportfish management programs throughout North America. The proposed session will highlight programs, protocols, and recent recirculating aquaculture innovations that are helping to shape the future of recirculating aquaculture systems in the fisheries management arena.
Primary Organizer: Jeff Heindel, [email protected]
Supported by: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership(PNAMP), Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) StreamNet Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Data integration is critical to informing decisions that cross boundaries, whether these involve multiple organizations, jurisdictions, or different disciplinaries. Envisioning data integration may be easy, however achieving successful data integration requires planning and an investment of time. Many natural resources datasets are not realizing their potential contribution to advancing knowledge and informing decisions because they remain isolated within their original project’s narrow scope. To achieve their full potential, these datasets should be published following a community standard that would facilitate integration with other datasets.
This symposium will showcase successful data integration approaches used by a diversity of experts who integrate fisheries and aquatic data across different boundaries and geographic scales. The session will end with a round table discussion to explore coordinating data integration efforts and streamlining future integration efforts.
Primary Organizer: Rebecca Scully, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Marine Fisheries Section, AFS Estuaries Section, The Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center
Management of marine and estuarine fish and fisheries under a changing climate requires innovative technologies and new perspectives. Our ability to conserve and manage living marine resources depends on understanding the consequences of marine heat waves, declining ocean pH, increasing hypoxia, and eutrophication, among other stressors, at organismal, population, and ecosystem levels. Research collaborations between academic and agency scientists can promote novelty as well as provide valuable student training opportunities. Furthermore, citizen science programs can enhance these collaborations by involving the public and expanding educational opportunities. This symposium will focus on collaborative research that advances our understanding and management of marine and estuarine fisheries and the habitats that supports them. The Symposium is sponsored by AFS’s Marine Fisheries and Estuaries Sections and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center, which was established to broaden workforce participation by training graduate students to conduct innovative and collaborative research.
Primary Organizer: Jessica Miller, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS
Professional science societies have an important role to play in influencing and educating policy-makers on important issues affecting fish and wildlife. AFS is building a solid reputation as a honest broker on the most critical policy issues of our time. The days of long, technical, scientific white papers that sit on a shelf are in the past. Learn how our members are contributing their time and expertise on a variety of policy issues from clean water to climate change through Capitol Hill briefings, Supreme Court briefs, regulatory comment letters, and more. Try your hand at science communications with policy makers in a hands-on learning session and find out if there’s a role for you to share your expertise to inform AFS’ policy efforts.
Primary Organizer: Drue Winters, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Habitat Section
Bull Trout have been listed under the Endangered Species Act in the US and the Species at Risk Act in Canada. In recent decades, various conservation measures and management actions have been developed and implemented to promote informed recovery of the species and populations. These actions were developed based on understanding of habitat needs, demographic characteristics, threats, and potential limiting factors of the species at the time. However, Bull Trout remain listed as threatened and debate surrounding recovery of the species continues. This symposium highlights current information surrounding Bull Trout as a species and science that informs conservation efforts. Talks will be organized to address the following topics: 1) development and process of the Bull Trout Species Status Assessment, 2) management and conservation actions occurring across the range, 3) demographic and life history studies informing status, and 4) areas of future research to improve conservation efforts.
Primary Organizer: Brett Bowersox, [email protected]
Supported by: ANGLER’S ATLAS, BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, NOAA FISHERIES, SOUTH ATLANTIC FISHERIES COUNCIL
Citizen science has generated a lot of interest among researchers and managers in the fisheries communities in recent years. NOAA Fisheries is currently exploring ways that recreational electronic reporting might be used to provide usable high quality, accurate data on recreational fisheries, through a task force under the authority of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. However this field of science is still in its infancy and there are many questions surrounding its applicability to research and management challenges faced by fisheries scientists. A recent paper published by Michael Brick, William Andrews and John Foster titled “A Review of Non-probability Sampling Methods Using Mobile Apps for Fishing Effort and Catch Surveys” highlights some of the challenges faced by citizen science approaches. The purpose of this symposium is to bring together researchers working in this area to explore opportunities for and limitations of citizen science and where solutions can be found.
Primary Organizer: Sean Simmons, [email protected]
Supported by: EPRI, Constellation Generation, Dairyland Power Cooperative, ASA Analysis & Communication, Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc, AFS Bioengineering Section,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final Rule implementing § 316(b) of the Clean Water Act on August 15, 2014. This regulatory action targets reduction in mortality associated with the impingement and entrainment of fish and shellfish at cooling water intakes. The challenge of complying with and implementing the Rule has begun for over 1,000 affected facilities (e.g., power plants, pulp and paper mills, iron mills, chemical plants, oil & gas facilities) throughout the U.S. and their regulatory agencies. This symposium will bring together experts in the fields of biology, engineering, facility intake screening operation, resource economics and regulations to share case studies and first-hand experiences navigating the complexities of compliance under the new 316(b) Rule and challenges associated with its interpretation and implementation.
Primary Organizer: Jeff Thomas, [email protected]
Supported by: Climate Ambassador Program, The Fellows Climate Program, Science Communication Section
The scientific community has been promoting the impacts of our rapidly changing climate for decades and the body of evidence of those impacts continues to grow, but public opinion has widely oscillated, which has impacted meaningful action. The scientific community is recognizing that how we communicate is just as important as what we are saying. This session will feature fisheries and aquatic science professionals that have completed extensive science communication training and explored tools and methods that help them craft their messages to connect with communities beyond the science-familiar audiences. This session will feature presentations that target broader audiences and will demonstrate how best practices in communication are used for effective and impactful talks. Speakers will end each of the climate case studies with a summary of what communication tools they employed to make their message memorable.
Primary Organizer: Julie Claussen, [email protected]
Supported by: Western Division AFS, Water Quality Section, Fish Habitat Section, Bioengineering Section, Invasive & Introduced Fish Section
SPresentations document the effects of barriers (dams, culverts, weirs or diversions) on fish populations before and after removal; fish metapopulation dynamics and demographics affected by barriers; impacts of removal or addition of barriers to invasive species spread; balancing social conflicts; and the use of decision frameworks for deciding where to increase the permeability of barriers to benefit aquatic biota.
Primary Organizer: Bob Hughes, [email protected]
Supported by: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University
Invasive crayfishes are among the most consequential aquatic invaders globally and pose costly threats to the management of fishery, aquatic, and terrestrial resources. Much of their successes are directly attributable to broad ecological and biological adaptations, which inhibits rapid and impactful response to introductions upon first report. Overall, practical knowledge is poor regarding effective solutions to combat invasive crayfishes, thus pointing to the need for more use-inspired research and novel insights from managers and researchers to develop and/or improve existing management protocols. This symposium serves to communicate new research and management experiences regarding invasive crayfish biology and management in North America. Topics focus on advances in early detection and removal protocols, determination of invasion pathways, prevention and mitigation, social dimensions surrounding crayfish management, and perspectives regarding new/emerging priorities for invasive crayfishes. Broader topics, such as life history studies, population/community ecology, and genetics will be considered if they show direct relevance.
Primary Organizer: William Budnick, [email protected]
Supported by: To Be Determined.
Climate change and other human impacts on the environment limit our ability to sustain the biodiversity and ecosystems we all depend on. By many measures, the condition and trend of our natural resources are in decline across the globe. This is a fundamental challenge to the mission and vision of all natural resource professions, their professional organizations, and the well-being of human society. Given these conditions and trends, resource professions must refocus and reposition our resource management professions and professionals, their cultures, and their conservation and management strategies . Action within our professions, our societies, and our professionals is needed at every scale to adapt our science, management, and institutions to the challenges of climate change, human growth for its own sake and sustainability.
What is the role of our professions and professional societies in confronting these challenges?
Primary Organizer: Gregg Servheen, [email protected]
Supported by: US Environmental Protection Agency, Fish Habitat Section, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Improvements in water quality, aquatic habitat, and fish populations require the evaluation of both costs and benefits to maximize returns given limited resources. This symposium will explore economic and ecological methods and tools for providing reliable estimates of the costs and benefits of specific fishery improvement actions, including approaches that link management actions to water quality and habitat improvements, and further link those improvements to changes in fish populations. This symposium aims to generate discussion and foster collaborations to advance the science and practice of water quality valuation for fishery endpoints.
Primary Organizer: Joseph Ebersole, [email protected]
Supported by:
Understanding the epidemiology of diseases caused by infectious pathogens is critical to the management of hatchery and wild salmonid populations. Previous disease research has focused on diagnostic testing for initial detection and less focus has been given to understanding the epidemiology and transmission in hatchery and wild populations. However, understanding the epidemiology and transmission of disease may aid in better fish health management. Evaluating the status of infections in wild and hatchery populations is relatively straightforward; however, identifying underlying causal mechanisms of transmission and disease outbreaks are often difficult. Some likely mechanisms are environmental factors, age structure of the population, abundance, and genetics. Our symposium will explore observational and experimental studies addressing the transmission and epidemiology of important salmonid pathogens and their effects on fish health in wild and hatchery populations. We encourage presentation of studies that directly address important fishery and conservation management questions.
Primary Organizer: Tawni Riepe, [email protected]
Supported by: Education Section of AFS
Campus closures due to natural disasters or pandemics are arguably more common today and may occur with greater frequency in the future. Both teachers and students must be flexible and nimble to adapt teaching and learning between face-to-face and online environments. Moving from a traditional “hands on” education to a more virtual one may call into question the traditional paradigm of fisheries education. In this symposium, we will discuss the many challenges and successes of moving courses rapidly from face-to-face to online education as experienced by educators and students in spring 2020 and what lessons were learned to be better prepared for any future rapid shifts in learning mode. We will also discuss what developments in online learning and past losses of field trip, internship, and research experiences will mean for future professionals as they move from students learning fisheries online to in-the-field or in-the-office professionals.
Primary Organizer: Melissa Wuellner, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Bioengineering Section, Fish Habitat Section
Aquatic systems have been impacted by human action, especially over the last century. Water control structures and intakes, dams, levees, and road networks disrupt movement patterns and habitat quality of migratory and riverine fishes. Fishery scientists, hydrologists, geologists, and engineers combine their expertise in the fisheries bioengineering field to ameliorate these disruptions with thoughtful application of creative designs that improve connectivity, protection, and habitat, thus minimizing anthropogenic impacts on fish populations.
As human development of rivers and their surrounding basins continue to affect fish populations worldwide, the exchange of information and ideas in this symposium will be of interest to a wide audience within the AFS community. This symposium will share science and discuss innovative solutions to an extensive range of technical and environmental challenges associated with fisheries bioengineering projects. Solutions require collaboration of experts across disciplines and financial support to be successful in remediating our impacts on aquatic systems.
Primary Organizer: Randy Beckwith, [email protected]
Supported by: NOAA Fisheries
This symposium will focus on fishery-dependent monitoring and data analysis in marine and freshwater fisheries, with a strong emphasis on data collected by fishery observers and monitors.
Primary Organizer: Kenneth Keene, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Culture Section of the American Fisheries Society
Captive rearing and supplementation has been a common tool in fisheries management in North America for over 150 years. Applications include support for recreational and harvest-based fishing, restoration and recovery of declining populations, and genetic banking of valuable genotypes. Techniques are changing, and success stories are increasing. This symposium aims to build bridges within the fisheries community and demonstrate that new approaches are yielding improved success. The proffered session will exemplify advancements in captive brood management – including efforts to target fitness or adaptive variation in captive breeding programs, holistic approaches to conservation goals, adaptive approaches to increase post-stock survival rates, advancements in rearing techniques that foster improved outcomes, supplementation successes through adaptive release strategies or improvements on monitoring, pathogen abatement/mitigation by means of novel approaches to hatchery operations, and communication to varied audiences on aquaculture innovations.
Primary Organizer: Matthew Wipf, [email protected]
Supported by: ANGLER’S ATLAS, BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, NOAA FISHERIES, SOUTH ATLANTIC FISHERIES COUNCIL
Anglers play an important role in providing scientists and managers with valuable data about the state of our fisheries. And as new forms of electronic reporting come online, providing high resolution data that could barely have been imagined just a few decades ago, anglers are becoming ever more important to fisheries research. This symposium will build off the success of a similar symposium in 2021, highlighting a diversity of projects that have been successful at engaging anglers, including revisiting presentations from the initial symposium where further work with anglers has taken place. An important outcome of this symposium will be a better understanding of the best practices that are necessary to achieve long-term angler engagement. Consistent with our theme of engaging anglers, we are also proposing to involve anglers to this symposium, both with research presentations and through an online engagement via Facebook Live.
Primary Organizer: Sean Simmons, [email protected]
Supported by:
Ecosystem approaches to management have increasingly been applied to fishery management actions. The use of these approaches, however, may not sufficiently include the “human dimensions” requirements needed to effectively quantify ecosystem services both contributing to and derived from sustainable fisheries. The symposium will assess existing integrated socioeconomic methods and suggest novel approaches needed to meet expanding ecosystem management needs.
Primary Organizer: Steve Meyers, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Fish Culture Section
Indigenous Peoples of North America (aka Tribes) play an important role in managing and caring for native fish which are so integral to Tribal culture, spiritual identity, and physical well-being. Active in complex fisheries management arenas, Tribes play a significant role in the protection, restoration, and recovery of fish species that are in peril and in some cases extirpated. Tribal aquaculture programs are credited with the development of innovative aquaculture techniques, protocols and importantly the advancement “novel” aquaculture programs for multiple native fish species. In many instances, aquaculture programs have been the opportunity for Tribes to “reconnect” (literally) their members and communities to previously damaged or lost aquatic resources that have been their livelihoods for thousands of years. This session highlights just a few of the many Tribal Aquaculture programs that continue to play an invaluable role in advancing aquaculture as a critical fisheries management tool.
Primary Organizer: Jeff Heindel, [email protected]
Supported by: International Fisheries Section; Canadian Aquatic Resources Section; Equal Opportunities Section
Indigenous data sovereignty has recently emerged as a global movement. It refers to the right of Indigenous Peoples to control data from and about their lands, waters, and communities. This concept presents challenges to open data frameworks and raises critical questions about what constitutes data, who owns it, and what these answers mean for relationships and decision-making in the present day. The reality in fisheries is that most Indigenous data is out of Indigenous hands, and considerable work lies ahead to redress the linked power imbalances and colonial realities. This symposium will feature Indigenous experts and partners working at the forefront of empowering good data governance and care in fisheries in the United States, Canada, and around the world through the principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) and CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics). Together, we will identify common pitfalls, critical questions, and shared solutions.
Primary Organizer: Andrea Reid, [email protected]
Supported by: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
There are myriad ways in which fish species provide meaning and value, whether it’s culturally, economically, recreationally, or ecologically their importance has long been recognized. Their societal significance has spurred the initiation of long-term monitoring programs that are crucial in tracking trends and understanding impacts of environmental changes on these species. However, the rapid pace at which tools, techniques, and technologies have been improving over relatively short periods of time presents the opportunity for resource managers to retool long-term data to refine and improve management. Challenges arise as managers strive to integrate technological and knowledge-based advancements to develop more cost and time efficient monitoring techniques while ensuring improvements are meaningfully comparable to prior efforts. This symposium seeks to provide fisheries resource managers, and researchers the opportunity to highlight their processes for successful integration of the latest scientific advances to elevate ongoing long-term monitoring programs.
Primary Organizer: Behen Kenneth, [email protected]
Supported by: Potomac Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Estuarine environments around the world are under threat from introduced species. The dynamic nature of estuaries pose unique physiological challenges for introduced species. This symposium focuses on invasive species in estuarine ecosystems, and hosts talks on patterns in numbers and diversities of introduced species in estuarine systems, physiological challenges to being an introduced fish or shellfish species in estuaries, ecological/economic effects of invasive species on these environments, outlook in terms of future climate change, and current policies and future research needs. We will also feature case studies on introduced species in estuaries across the world. Importantly, the symposium will provide a forum for resource managers to discuss current and novel approaches to curb the effects of introduced species on local estuarine ecosystems.
Primary Organizer: Vaskar Nepal, [email protected]
Supported by: Introduced and Invasive Species Section
Introduced and invasive species can disrupt aquatic ecosystems resulting in a variety of ecosystem impacts including broad shifts in function and can influence economically essential species and those of conservation concern alike. However, the arrival of a new species requires innovative solutions developed by researchers and managers providing opportunities to employ novel management strategies. Fitting with the theme of “What do fish mean to us?”, the Invasive and Introduced Species Section invites submissions on the impacts of species’ introductions, any unexpected opportunities stemming from the incident, and what that means for managers, the public, and aquatic ecosystem.
Primary Organizer: Alison Coulter, [email protected]
Supported by: Trout Unlimited
Kokanee, the non-anadromous form of sockeye salmon, are widespread across North America, and are an actively targeted game fish. Less widely appreciated is the distribution of native kokanee populations, their historical and continuing importance to Native American tribes, and the ongoing collaborations among tribes, scientists, and citizens in kokanee restoration. This symposium will share contributions from tribes, environmental groups, biologists, and other who are working on kokanee biology and restoration, and who are highlighting or re-establishing cultural connections to this important native Western salmonid.
Primary Organizer: Jeffrey Jensen, [email protected]
Supported by: Equal Opportunities Section: Cassidy Miles, Western Division Diversity and Inclusion Committee: TBD
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and other encompassing groups (LGBTQIA+ community) still face harassment, discrimination, and hate speech in the work place, while performing field work, and in conference spaces. Fostering a more inclusive and safe space for our LGBTQIA+ identifying members is imperative for creating a supportive scientific society. Safe Zone Training provides a safe place for folks to be vulnerable, ask questions, and learn without judgment. While these types of trainings aid in helping straight identifying and cisgender people learn how to be better allies to the LGBTQIA+ community, they can also provide a deeper understanding of LGBTQIA+ identities, vocabulary, and issues the community faces. The AFS Equal Opportunities Section and members of the AFS Western Division Diversity and Inclusion Committee will facilitate a safe space workshop based on the Safe Zone materials and other resources.
Primary Organizer: Cassidy Miles, [email protected]
Supported by: US Forest Service, Fish Habitat Section
This symposium will explore examples of projects and programs to restore or improve aquatic organism passage and improve climate resiliency, and share quantitative data that underscores the links to ecological, economic and/or social benefits. As society continues to focus on climate change adaptation strategies, we as fisheries professionals and organizations need to reach broader audiences to convince them why investments in fish passage and AOP are smart investments for fish, people and communities.
Primary Organizer: Nathaniel Gillespie, [email protected]
Supported by: Whooshh Innovations Inc, Pyramid Communications, Compass Resources Ltd
Now is the time to take a step back and ask what must we do differently to effect needed changes in fisheries management. We must not only think differently, we must apply new ways to approach the many barriers that prevent progress and/or funding on projects that will demonstrate progress. This symposium will bring a multi-disciplinary approach to a hypothetical fish passage problem and introduce new tools to facilitate an efficient yet structured decision making approach to the case study, and then introduce new solutions to overcoming barriers such as funding, politics, regulatory hurdles, etc. with less effort, time, and money. The ideas presented will re-energize you and help you prioritize what needs to get done, give you clear purpose, and the tools to help lead successful measurable projects across the finish line. The politics are ripe, we will provide you with thought provoking ideas, knowledge and tools for harvest.
Primary Organizer: VIncent Bryan, [email protected]
Supported by:
Lake Trout have been widely introduced outside their native range and populations now exist in many natural lakes and reservoirs in the western United States. In some cases, these populations have been compatible with fisheries management objectives and ecological impacts have been relatively benign. In contrast, nonnative Lake Trout have caused substantial ecological disruptions in many waters. Over the past 20 years, intensive management actions (e.g., suppression) have increasingly been implemented to mitigate the impacts of nonnative Lake Trout. This symposium provides a forum for sharing information on a broad range of topics related to the management and ecology of nonnative Lake Trout. Of particular interest is work that describes the effectiveness of suppression programs, lessons learned, and new strategies. This not only includes the response of Lake Trout populations to suppression, but also the response of species that these programs seek to benefit.
Primary Organizer: Andy Dux, [email protected]
Supported by: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, University of California, State University New York (Brockport)
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is a molecule of great importance in aquatic ecosystems with the ability to influence community structure and dynamics ranging from microbes to fisheries. Thiamine serves as a necessary enzyme cofactor in metabolism and must be consumed in the diet of all animals. Deficiencies in thiamine are being reported in various wildlife in ecosystems across the northern hemisphere. It is known to cause crippling morbidities, neurological problems, increased rates of mortality, and has been linked to declines in populations. Thiamine deficiency has been chronically observed in fish species in the Baltic Sea and Great Lakes for decades, yet is an emerging threat to salmonids in California and Alaska. This session addresses the breadth of vitamin B1’s impacts with the goal of bringing together investigators from diverse disciplines and geographies (Baltic, Great Lakes, California, Alaska) to solve pressing vitamin B1-related challenges.
Primary Organizer: Nathan Mantua, [email protected]
Supported by: American Fisheries Society Fisheries Management Section, China Society of Fisheries
To address threats in two internationally important river basins, scientists and policy makers from the United States and China assembled to form the Mississippi-Yangtze River Interbasin Symposium (MYRIBS) and subsequent international partnership. The American Fisheries Society (AFS) and the China Society of Fisheries have hosted MYRIBS in alternating years since 2013. This event provides participants with opportunities to exchange information, approaches, and perspectives and engage in panel discussions. We encourage submissions focused on the conservation and management of the Yangtze and Mississippi River basins, as well as other large (i.e., boatable) rivers and their tributaries such as the Mekong, Columbia, Colorado, Danube, Murray-Darling, Volga, Ganges, Okavango, Amazon, and more. We invite presenters working on topics including: fish and invertebrate ecology and management, invasive species, sampling techniques, restoration, balancing multiple uses, interjurisdictional management, instream flows, planning and policy, ecosystem services, and others. International colleagues with questions are encouraged to contact organizers.
Primary Organizer: Michael Moore, [email protected]
Supported by: Humboldt State University
This symposium is open to all aspects of using environmental DNA in water samples for fish species monitoring. All eDNA topics will be covered including shedding, decay, transport, study design, filtration, extraction, targeted methods (qPCR and dPCR), non-target methods (eDNA metabarcoding) and data analysis and modeling. The symposium will emphasize synthetic presentations filling important knowledge gaps as well as novel and innovative presentations that push the limits and extend the applicability of eDNA.
Primary Organizer: Andrew Kinziger, [email protected]
Supported by: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Yakama Nation Fisheries, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe
Salmon are one of the most important aspects of the cultures of the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia River Basin. They could rightly be called Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum or “Salmon People” for how completely the sacred fish shaped religion, culture, diets, and societies, and continue to do so today. First Foods of water, fish, big game, roots, and berries connect native people to the landscape in a relationship of reciprocity. The connection dates from time immemorial to the present day. Technology has changed but the promise of providing stewardship to the First Foods continues. This symposium seeks to share stories of salmon history, hatcheries, harvest, habitat and First Foods restoration efforts from tribes and partners.
Primary Organizer: Douglas Hatch, [email protected]
Supported by: US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fish Habitat Section
Lampreys are unique ancient fishes with diverse life-history strategies. Native lampreys are vital in freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems, and many species are in decline. Due to their subsistence, medicinal, and spiritual value, indigenous peoples have initiated efforts supporting conservation of Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus in the Pacific Northwest. Their efforts resulted in formation of the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI), a cooperative agreement among tribes, natural resource agencies, policy makers, and other entities, that includes an assessment, conservation agreement, and regional implementation plans. The PLCI identified a need for more information on Pacific Lamprey as well as all native lamprey species across the Pacific Northwest. Identified information gaps have resulted in novel research, inclusion of tribal ecological knowledge, consideration of lampreys in ecosystem management efforts, and collaboration among entities. This symposium is focused on conservation of native lampreys, including presentations on related research, monitoring, conservation, policy, and outreach.
Primary Organizer: Theresa Liedtke, [email protected]
Supported by: Student & Early Career Professionals Subsection of The Education Section of The American Fisheries Society, The Education Section of The American Fisheries Society
This session will focus on highlighting the potential career paths and outlets available to early career (ECR) fisheries professionals as they enter the workforce. The session will feature a diverse group of early career fisheries professionals across several career streams (e.g. academia, industry, consulting, government), highlighting their experiences, advice, and recommendations. As this session is meant to be a learning experience, it will include a period of time for an open forum for students/ ECR’s to actively engage with the speakers. We welcome all early career professionals and students to attend this session regardless of their career stage or background as this will provide valuable insight to participants into establishing themselves as fisheries professionals.
Primary Organizer: Michael Lawrence, [email protected]
Supported by:
What do fish mean to us? For generations, the answer to this question has guided management practices detrimental to native, traditionally-nongame fishes in the United States. The expansion of new fishing techniques such as bowfishing and others in addition to new life history research on native fishes warrants a reappraisal of fisheries design for sustainability. Fundamental challenges to sustainability include lack of harvest protection for many species targeted, lack of funding, and archaic attitudes on the social value of native species historically regarded as “other” to game species. This symposium will aggregate new research and review perspectives on topics relevant to design of sustainable fisheries for native, historically-nongame fishes: 1) life history, 2) species social value, 3) fisheries pressuring these species (i.e., bowfishing, commercial, microfishing, etc.), 4) funding challenges and solutions, 5) stakeholder perspectives or collaborations, and 6) novel approaches incorporating these topics into sustainable management frameworks for native fisheries.
Primary Organizer: Jason Schooley, [email protected]
Supported by: NOAA Fisheries, University of Washington, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Populations of aquatic organisms face a number of natural and anthropogenic threats. The intensity of many of these threats has increased in recent decades. Assessing the impacts of stressors on a given species requires baseline knowledge of organismal physiology, behavior, and demography to determine the level of stressor intensity, and whether there is a need for management action. As many of these species are data-limited, novel approaches to assessment must be implemented de novo, or proactive management decisions cannot be applied. In this session, we feature several innovative field, laboratory, modeling, and statistical methods for making the most of the best available science to support sound management decisions in the absence of robust data sets.
Primary Organizer: Dayv Lowry, [email protected]
Supported by: Responsible Offshore Science Alliance, Bureau of Offshore Energy and Management, National Marine Fisheries Service, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, Tetra Tech, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
U.S. offshore wind development is expected to result in 30 gigawatts of generation capacity by 2030, and will require more than 2000 individual turbines on fixed or floating foundations. The focus in the last decade has been on the U.S. Atlantic; offshore wind activity is also advancing in the waters of the Pacific Coast, Hawaii, and the Gulf of Mexicos.
This session will broadly address aspects of offshore wind, fish, and fisheries, including both commercial and recreational fisheries. Presentations may address but are not limited to: emerging ecological and socio-economic research, innovative methods for assessment, scale considerations, current regulatory processes, cooperative research, management practices, empirical studies, laboratory investigations, modeling, monitoring design, or survey recommendations. Of particular interest is knowledge sharing and lessons learned from European and U.S. Atlantic coast offshore wind experience that can inform co-existence of wind and fisheries as development advances around the U.S.
Primary Organizer: Mike Pol, [email protected]
Supported by:
This symposium will spotlight nearshore fish habitat along the U.S. West Coast. This symposium will highlight the newly compiled Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) nearshore fish habitat dataset . This dataset, and its companion State of the Knowledge of Nearshore Fish Habitats along the U.S. West Coast report, provides a central database for researchers, restoration practitioners and resource managers to access information about fish habitats (distribution, depth, type, etc.) and fish and invertebrate habitat use. In addition, the symposium will feature presentations on traditional ecological knowledge along the U.S. West Coast from the tribal perspective, Pacific lamprey-focused research of importance to tribes, an overview of unique nearshore restoration approaches to build resilience to effects of climate and ocean change, and approaches to managing European green crab and other aquatic invasive species affecting nearshore fish habitats.
Primary Organizer: Joan Drinkwin, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Cooperative Research with Stakeholders Section, NOAA Fisheries, Rutgers University, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), Fish Habitat Section
Commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishers all have insights that are vital to understanding the dynamics of freshwater and marine ecosystems and making informed management decisions. Managers and scientists can benefit from these insights through cooperative research partnerships that improve the quality, completeness, and relevance of the underlying science. Moreover, by working together, these diverse partners can obtain synergy in joint problem solving, improved relationships, and trust. This symposium aims to highlight recent cooperative research best practices and lessons learned in freshwater and marine environments.
Primary Organizer: Mark Chandler, [email protected]
Supported by: Prairie Fishes and Streams Collaborative
This symposium will serve as a forum for the presentation of retrospective and future casting of social perspective analyses, stakeholder use case studies, and social value projections to help provide foundations and direction for a shared regionwide ecosystem-based outreach and communications conservation plan associated with the conservation, restoration, and research of prairie fishes and aquatic ecosystems. The ultimate outcome is to foster broader landscape and riverscape efforts to preserve and protect these important native fish resources of the North American Great Plains before additional extirpations and extinctions result in irreversible ecosystem impact.
Primary Organizer: David Hu, [email protected]
Supported by: Great Lakes Fishery Commission
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Michael Jones has championed the use of quantitative tools and stakeholder engagement to address complicated natural resource issues and meet management objectives in the face of uncertainty. This session will celebrate the far-reaching influence of Dr. Jones on fisheries research and policy. Each talk will focus on an aspect of fisheries science, including adaptive management, structured decision-making, and management strategy evaluation as applied to sea lamprey control, salmonids in the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest, Lake Erie percids, and more. As a whole, our session will describe how the career and mentorship of Dr. Jones have advanced understanding of the field in the past, how those lessons are being applied today, and why his contributions and mentorship are a beacon for a sustainable future.
Primary Organizer: Jared Myers, [email protected]
Supported by: NOAA Fisheries
Sponsored by the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), this session is an open forum for students and professionals to engage with professionals within the fisheries and wildlife traditional and non-traditional disciplines. Participants will benefit from hearing about the many opportunities, including those from a diversity, equity and inclusive lens, that translate into federal and non-government employment.
Primary Organizer: Melissa Johnson, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Habitat Section
Migratory fishes influence the nutrient dynamics, community composition, and food web pathways across aquatic systems. These influences change through both natural and anthropogenic shifts. Dam removals or passage improvements have provided the opportunity to restore populations upstream of formerly impassable barriers. Installation or improvements of fish passage (e.g., trap-and-haul activities) reconnect ecologically important fish with novel or long absent habitat. While these shifts may be eagerly welcomed by managers, other changes in connectivity may allow non-native fish or other taxa to expand their ranges thereby imposing significant changes to the ecosystem. We intend to draw from the expertise of managers, researchers and restoration practitioners to find common themes, insights and lessons from a diversity of taxa, regions and ecosystems. This symposium is not exclusive to heavily managed species and geographic and taxonomic diversity is encouraged.
Primary Organizer: Tobias Kock, [email protected]
Supported by: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, University of Idaho
Repeat spawning in iteroparous seasonally breeding fishes contributes to population growth and stability. However, repeat spawning rates and schedules are variable and influenced by environmental conditions. In many species, high mortality occurs in the post spawning period. Fish that survive may repeat spawn as consecutive (one-year spawning interval) or skip (two-or-more-year spawning interval) spawners. In many species, fish must migrate from spawning areas to feeding areas after spawning. Fecundity often increases with repeat spawning in females. Post-spawning salmonids are known as kelts and are often abundant. Kelt reconditioning programs aim to increase the number of repeat spawners by capturing kelts and feeding them in captivity. The use of kelts as an experimental model has yielded new insights into the physiology of the post-spawning period. This symposium seeks presentations on all aspects of repeat spawning in iteroparous seasonally breeding fishes.
Primary Organizer: Andrew Pierce, [email protected]
Supported by: Kalispel Tribe, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Trout Unlimited, Fish Habitat Section
This session will focus on the topic of maintaining and restoring cold-water habitats within the Upper Columbia basin (the reaches of the Columbia River and tributaries above Chief Joseph Dam in Washington, located in Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, and Montana). Cold water habitats are extremely important from a cultural, recreational, and economic standpoint and are at risk due to climate change. Specifically, the session will provide case studies on maintaining and restoring water quality and fish habitat.
Primary Organizer: Eric Berntsen, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Habitat Section
The Anthropocene is a proposed geologic epoch wherein humans are the dominant driver of global ecosystems. Changes in large river ecosystems and their fisheries, including physical structure, biodiversity, foodwebs, and fish population demographics, have resulted from anthropogenic stressors like channelization, hydrological modification, land-use change, species invasion, and urbanization. From a resilience-thinking perspective, Anthropocene Rivers are structurally and functionally different from their natural cousins and cannot return to their previous state. Consequently, contemporary fisheries management practices may not be well suited for these novel ecosystems. However, Anthropocene Rivers can be rehabilitated to conserve or improve their structure and function. Cultural and social factors are also increasingly important to Anthropocene River fisheries management. This Special Session will showcase presentations that describe regime shifts in Anthropocene Rivers, outline lessons learned from recent rehabilitation efforts, and highlight the challenges and opportunities facing fisheries researchers and managers.
Primary Organizer: Jason DeBoer, [email protected]
Supported by: Equal Opportunities Section, Science Communication Section
A scientific community which is diverse, equitable, and welcoming fosters the innovation and productivity that will enable us to address the complex issues we face today in fisheries. However, achieving that inclusive scientific community is challenged by a lack of training and experience in communicating about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, accessibility, belonging, and more (DEIJA). Therefore, this symposium will provide an interactive space to dialogue about the necessity of effective communication about DEIJA, lessons from successful initiatives, and ideas on how to shift the baseline of DEIJA literacy and outreach. We welcome talks and interactive discussions which explore barriers to culturally responsive communication, demonstrate good practices for oral or written communication about DEIJA, and center perspectives from underserved communities.
Primary Organizer: Lian Guo, [email protected]
Supported by: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Fish Habitat Section
Spokane is located near what were historically the two largest populations of Sockeye Salmon in the Columbia Basin: one in the Canadian Okanagan Basin and the other above Grand Coulee. Immediately north of the Okanagan Basin is the Fraser River Basin. Both runs once numbered in the millions but in recent decades have approached record lows, being adversely affected by blockages on migratory routes, habitat issues, and harvest. Both runs are also susceptible to climate change and high temperatures have resulted in mortality in recent years.
This symposium will focus on impacts on salmon imposed by climate change and human population and what management actions are, or can be, taken to offset these. While this symposium is expected to focus on the Columbia and Fraser rivers, submissions from other basins are also welcome.
Primary Organizer: Jeffrey Fryer, [email protected]
Supported by: National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service’s mission is to manage and protect our Nation’s marine resources and habitats. The mission also includes maximizing the productivity of sustainable fisheries and fishing communities, as well as protection, recovery, and conservation of protected species. The Office of Law Enforcement supports the mission by enforcing domestic laws such as the Magnuson-Stevens Act and supporting international treaties. Fishery observers are an integral part of the mission as they collect management data, track interactions with wildlife, and support compliance with regulatory requirements. Fisheries observers may encounter obstacles that impact them personally or may affect their data and ability to complete their duties. This symposium will highlight the collaborative efforts of the Office of Law Enforcement to protect observers and their data, protect our Nation’s resources, provide education to the general public, and provide members and participants an opportunity to share ideas and gain insight into best practices.
Primary Organizer: Jaclyn Smith, [email protected]
Supported by: AFS Invasive Species Section
This symposium aims to present the decision-making process for selecting a fish removal strategy, and discuss the of historical, existing, and prospective fish removal techniques used in fisheries management.
Primary Organizer: Gavin Saari, [email protected]
Support by:
Rivers are dynamic socio-ecological systems that support diverse natural communities with complex life histories and diverse human communities with high use demands. Climate change compounds the complexity of river management by increasing both water insecurity risks and renewable energy needs. At the same time, social perspectives are shifting and awareness growing of the necessity for inclusivity, transparency, and equity in river management decision-making, characteristics that have thus far been weakly pursued by many of us scientists, managers, and conservation practitioners. Together these system changes bring with them both a sense of urgent action and a need for thoughtful engagement with local and indigenous communities. Presentation submissions are encouraged that cover topics including innovations in dam and infrastructure operations, advances in our scientific understanding of river flow ecology and management, improvements in collaborative and community-based decision-making, and general advancements in the fields of river management and instream flow restoration.
Primary Organizer: Katie Kennedy, [email protected]
Supported by: Marine Fisheries Section AFS
The Oceanic Life of Salmonids is a session that seeks presentations highlighting various aspects of the marine and estuarine ecology, behavior, physiology or life history of salmon, trout, char or coregonids. Marine life stages remain challenging to study, yet a diverse array of research techniques continue to expand our understanding of salmonid ecology. For example, a suite of ecosystem surveys provide important information on how salmonids are responding to changing ocean environments. Novel research techniques (e.g. artificial tags, natural markers, remote sensing) provide detailed insights into the mechanisms regulating behavior, growth, and survival. These data are being used to improve life cycle models by incorporating a better understanding of ocean processes and the sensitivity of salmonid dynamics to those processes. Given the challenges facing salmonid populations, research on marine ecology will remain critical to developing effective management strategies for recovery, harvest or supplementation. Sponsored by the Marine Fisheries Section.
Primary Organizer: Brian Beckman, [email protected]
Supported by: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) grant #315230_204838
Point-of-care monitoring and diagnostic tools have greatly benefited in the age of technology. From DNA extraction to analysis, laboratory work is no longer confined to a sterile room but can be set up in almost any environment. Point of care methods ranges from simple lateral-flow diagnostic strips to complex automatic-sampling devices, which both can be combined with non-invasive environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling methods. At the same time, a lab-in-a-backpack enables trained health specialists a cost-effective testing solution to be used in resource-poor or remote areas. A major advantage of portable labs is that almost real-time diagnostic results can be obtained, which allows for timely and effective disease management decisions that are key to preventing pathogen spread or mediating the disease outbreak. The further development of cost-effective, field-ready, non-invasive, and user-friendly tools is necessary for disease control and prevention, whether in nature or aquaculture settings.
Primary Organizer: Jessica Rieder, [email protected]
Supported by: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Walleye have been introduced into many fisheries across western North America. These introductions have been a result of intentional fisheries management, unsanctioned stocking, and movement of Walleye among connected bodies of water. Regardless of the mechanism of introduction, managers observe commonalities among populations with respect to fish and angler dynamics. Popular fisheries frequently develop along with these introductions, but fishery managers often find it difficult to manage both the populations and angler expectations. Further, because of Walleye habits and life history, these fish can strongly influence fish communities, existing recreational fisheries, and conservation efforts. While there is a general acceptance of these tenets, there are surprisingly few publications addressing these issues. This symposium provides a forum for fisheries managers and researchers to share analyses of population dynamics, contrast management approaches, and develop a common understanding of the ramifications of introduced Walleye populations.
Primary Organizer: Matthew Corsi, [email protected]
Supported by: Fish Habitat Section
Native fishes research and management often faces boundaries, both anthropogenic and natural. Our goal for the seventh-annual native fishes symposium hosted by the Western Native Fishes Committee is to provide an opportunity for those interested in native fishes to cross boundaries and meet at the intersection of native fishes. We encourage presentations that cross boundaries, both anthropogenic (e.g. multiple jurisdictions, cross-border collaborations) and natural (e.g. confluences, riparian-aquatic interfaces). In keeping with the mission of the Western Native Fishes Committee to provide a network for people with an interest and/or expertise in native fishes, this symposium will allow presenters to offer insights into diverse management approaches, concepts and constraints to native fish conservation across regions of North America.
Primary Organizer: Timothy D’Amico, [email protected]
Supported by: Western Native Trout Initiative, Fish Habitat Section of the American Fisheries Society, Fish Habitat Section
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) was launched in 2006 to catalyze conservation and management of western native trout through partnerships and cooperative efforts. In the 15 years since WNTI’s inception, climate change impacts to habitat availability have emerged as some of the most significant threats to the persistence of native trout, with native cutthroat trout habitat predicted to shrink by as much as 58% by the year 2080 as a result of increasing stream temperatures. Protecting remaining thermally suitable habitat will be critical to ensure the persistence of native trout populations in the future. In this symposium we explore the complex relationship between native trout and their habitats in the face of climate change, including aspects of wildfire ecology and management, building resiliency in native trout populations and habitats during drought, promoting habitat recovery and restoration opportunities following stochastic events, and reducing impacts of non-native species.
Primary Organizer: Julie Carter, [email protected]
Supported by:
The issue of where fish go when they die is best left to philosophers and seafood traceability experts. However, the issue of what happens to a fish stock assessment when it dies can have major implications for the science-to-management process. Many things can lead to “death” of a stock assessment, including “sickness” (e.g. poor diagnostics, retrospective bias, model convergence issues), “old age”, “unnatural causes” (occurring during the review process), and “unknown causes” (high uncertainty). A vital question for stock assessment analysts and the managers that depend on their results is how to move forward when assessments fall apart. This symposium will feature case study presentations, posters, and expert panel discussions to help stock assessment experts and fisheries managers better understand why assessments fail, provide tools and techniques to address the death of an assessment, and ultimately better prepare the fisheries community to adapt to assessment death.
Primary Organizer: Kristan Blackhart, [email protected]
Supported by: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The spread of invasive species has accelerated in recent years and effective methods for their control remain elusive. The Trojan Y Chromosome method (hereafter YY Males) is a novel, non GMO approach for shifting population sex ratios, theoretically resulting in undesirable population eradication. The shifts are accomplished by annual introduction of hatchery produced fish with a YY genotype. Numerous simulation studies have concluded that stocking YY males could result in eradication, particularly when releases are combined with other suppression activities. Symposium presentations will 1) describe efforts to develop YY male broodstocks for invasive eradication 2) present results of simulations examining YY Male release on virtual populations 3) describe ongoing field studies evaluating YY Male Brook Trout release across five U.S. states 4) describe regulatory challenges to production of such broodstocks and 5) conclude with a panel discussion addressing future direction.
Primary Organizer: Dan Schill, [email protected]
