Honorific scientific names have recently received intense scrutiny because societal values have changed. Across disciplines groundswells of support for renaming species have occurred; specifically those named after dishonorable people or with culturally inappropriate common names. Fishes have not been immune to this attention, but changes have come slowly. Now is the time for AFS to confront this controversial

James R. Gammon April 24, 1930 – February 18, 2022 James R. Gammon of Greencastle, Indiana, passed away at the age of 91 on February 18, 2022 after a brief illness. He was a professor, mentor, and a good friend to many. To all of his former students both graduate and undergraduate, he was affectionately known as the “Chief” of the 1970s-era field research team at DePauw University, known as Gammon's

The following symposia summaries were inadvertently omitted from the January 2022 issue of Fisheries. Offshore Wind, Fish, and Fisheries In all, 33 presentations and 7 posters presented research and syntheses of knowledge about the impacts of offshore wind energy development on fish and fisheries in the northeastern United States. Field studies examining species abundance and distribution focused on

Forage fish are a critical component of marine ecosystems because they integrate energy across trophic levels within marine food webs. Many studies have highlighted the importance of this group, and past research efforts have focused largely on studying forage fish within offshore and estuarine areas. In contrast, limited information is available for forage fish on the inner continental shelf (<50 m

Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019. Extreme environmental conditions are expected to happen more frequently with rapid climate change and challenge the notion that Alaska could indefinitely provide abundant, cool freshwater habitat for Pacific salmon. A total of 110

Habitat restoration to recover fish populations takes place worldwide, yet studies of its efficacy are fraught with challenges. One difficulty comes from studies of fish responses that are too focused on whether abundance has increased in the restored habitat, limiting the methodology to observational data of fish density. However, many other tools are available for evaluation of restoration. I review

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) established a priority ranking system in 1983 to guide expenditure allocations for implementing recovery plans. Priorities were intended to be based on factors such as magnitude and immediacy of threat as well as distinctiveness of gene pools. We examined what predicts expenditures for fish taxa listed under the Endangered Species Act and managed by the USFWS

Endangered Species Act recovery plans must meet legal requirements (1) to provide recovery time and cost estimates, (2) to set objective and measurable delisting criteria, and (3) to address the five factors that are considered when listing or delisting a species. These five factors include: threats to habitat or range, whether or not a species is subject to overutilization, presence of disease, existence

Michael Wolff Street February 4, 1943 – December 8, 2021 Michael (Mike) Wolff Street passed away on December 8, 2021. His memorial service was February 4, 2022 at St. Egbert Catholic Church in Morehead City, North Carolina, followed by a seafood reception. Street was born on February 4, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York to Milton and Joan Street. The family moved to Miami, Florida when Milton was transferred

William L. Pflieger October 26, 1932 – December 15, 2021 William Leo Pflieger passed away at the age of 89 in Ashland, Missouri, December 15, 2021. Pflieger worked for many years as a fishery biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and was recognized as an expert on Missouri fishes and crayfishes. He authored three books: The Fishes of Missouri, The Crayfishes of Missouri, and a

Understanding the effects of hydrology on fish populations is essential to managing for native fish conservation. However, despite decades of research illustrating streamflow influences on fish habitat, reproduction, and survival, biologists remain challenged when tasked with predicting how fish populations will respond to changes in flow regimes. This uncertainty stems from insufficient understanding

We are all tired of COVID-19. The shift to virtual work and increased stress from worry about our families, friends, and events affecting people we may not even know has affected everyone. However, it has also uncovered lingering obstacles for women in our workforce. Data on representation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and other college-dependent degree programs

Climate change is altering the distribution, phenology (e.g., timing of spawning), and community dynamics of freshwater fishes. Managers have three options for responding to these changes: “Resist” change to maintain or restore historic abiotic and biological conditions; “Accept” change and manage within the new conditions; or “Direct” change to produce new conditions considered desirable by humans

A primary goal of fisheries management is to maximize angler satisfaction (e.g., by catching more and bigger fish), while maintaining sustainable populations. In addition to environmental and ecological factors, angler choices may influence recreational catches. Using interviews (92,838) from Walleye Sander vitreus anglers in Lake Erie during 1989–2017, we identified how angler behavior influences

Okanogan summer-run Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha holding in the Similkameen River near Oroville, Washington. Photo credit: Brian Miller, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

The Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries are global recommendations to address the subordinate position of inland fisheries in sustainability dialogues. Regional and local perspectives are essential for implementing global initiatives. Hence, we surveyed state fisheries agency administrators and American Fisheries Society Governing Board members about the importance, funding, and achievability

Bradley B. Shepard June 12, 1952 – September 23, 2021 Brad Shepard died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 23, 2021, while going fishing on his island on the Yellowstone River with his favorite fishing partner, his son Ben, by his side. Bradley Bernard Shepard was born June 12, 1952, in Dayton, Ohio. He found his passion very early in life; fishing with his grandfather at the age of 2 years. He

James “Jim” H. Cowan, Jr. March 9, 1954 – August 11, 2021 James Howard Cowan, Jr. passed away on August 11, 2021 at the age of 67 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Cowan was born to James Howard Cowan, Sr. and Imelda Lee “Patsy” Cowan on March 9, 1954 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His family later moved to Tampa, Florida, and he spent his formative years in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Jim was an avid football

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in marine wildlife research and have rapidly expanded across many scientific disciplines. As recent technological developments have improved the versatility and functionality of UAVs, the potential of these systems for research on small-scale and artisanal fisheries has grown considerably, although this potential is still underexploited. However

William L. Shelton May 28, 1939 – October 14, 2021 William (Bill) Lee Shelton was born May 28, 1939 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to J. M. Shelton and Geraldine Huck Shelton. As a child, he kept animals (much to his mother’s chagrin!), raised bees, and spent many happy hours in the woods. Bill was the first in his family to go to college. He earned BS and MS degrees at Oklahoma State University, then earned a

Fishery Ecosystem Dynamics by Fogarty and Collie provides a new perspective on fishery management principles beyond single species management. This book builds an analytical foundation that is tightly woven with ecological science to emphasize the application of ecosystem-based fisheries management. The text highlights interactions between fisheries and environmental drivers using applied multispecies

We validated the performance of two types of predation sensors on acoustic telemetry transmitters in a combined field and laboratory study design using juvenile Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar and a predator large Brown Trout Salmo trutta. One tag model was outfitted with an acid-sensitive predation sensor, and the other was equipped with a tilt-based orientation sensor. We found similar response times

Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveys and

Water development has threatened the ecological integrity of riverine ecosystems. Increasing water demand, persistent drought, and climate change exacerbate the effects of habitat degradation and loss in altered systems such as the Colorado River basin. Today, biologists are challenged to identify management actions that benefit native fishes while not hindering water development or management. Herein

The American Fisheries Society celebrated the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program’s 21st birthday this summer with a great class of bright and ambitious future fisheries and aquatic biologists! The class included 27 Hutton Scholars placed in 18 states across the United States, including Puerto Rico, and one student in British Columbia. Our Hutton Scholars worked alongside biologists from seven

As aquatic scientists, we have all seen a pebble, a water droplet, or a rising fish make a ripple in pond. The pebble is small, perhaps the splash is small, but the concentric circles of ripples extend out and out and out . broadly spreading the impact of that one pebble. That ripple effect, or expanding impact, is a metaphor I’d like you to keep in mind. My intent is to illustrate how an individual's

Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi (WCT), the dominant nonanadromous salmonid in central and northern Idaho, historically were extremely abundant and widely distributed. Despite restricted harvest methods and limits since 1899, many WCT populations declined and by the 1960s, populations in several major drainages were on the brink of collapse. In response, fisheries biologists began

Inclusion can happen now—in an instant—with genuine positive communication directed at someone who has a different identity than you. A person feeling included really comes down to an individual having a sense of belonging and value within a group of people. Over the past year as hosts of the Fisheries Diversity and Inclusion Podcast have interviewed guests, significant themes have emerged in context

It is evident that fishery stakeholder groups are not homogenous, and that inter- and intra-group variation can exist in the form of unique perspectives, motivations for fishery participation, and receptiveness to management measures. However, management agencies often allocate quota and design regulatory plans around distinct groups, such as recreational versus commercial sectors. Our study used the

Considering the myriad of ways in which advanced technology is being used in fisheries research, keeping atop of the newest developments is a challenge. The transfer of such specialized knowledge, even within the fisheries community, can be difficult, thereby hindering more widespread use of advanced technology in fisheries research. This predicament can be further compounded when information exchange

A. Lawrence “Larry” Kolz February 2, 1936 – August 1, 2021 A. Lawrence “Larry” Kolz, a lifelong native of Colorado, died August 1, 2021, at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado; he had fought Parkinson’s disease since 2014. In high school, he was interested in a career in fisheries. A teacher told him (to quote Larry) “You know, you’re good at math and you’re good at science. Why would you want to

The correct generic name for Walleye, Sauger, and three species of Eurasian pikeperch has been a point of contention since 1903. Rafinesque proposed Stizostedion (as a subgenus of Perca Linnaeus 1758) in 1820, a name used by most American ichthyologists throughout the 19th century. In 1903, Gill revealed that Sander Oken 1817 (type species Perca lucioperca) predates Stizostedion and should replace

On June 20, 2021, the Northern Highland Fishery Research Area (NHFRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary of continuous fisheries population monitoring and compulsory angler creel census on five lakes in northern Wisconsin. In 1946, five lakes were designated as experimental fisheries research lakes and all anglers have been required to adhere to the compulsory creel census to record catch information

I've talked about policy at AFS meetings several times. Many times I've gotten feedback that biologists don't see the connection between policy and their work in fisheries or that policy is on a different track from their work. My goal in this column is to demonstrate that not only is policy a critical underpinning to our fisheries work, but that the time is right for us to flex our science communication

Climate change is a global persistent threat to fish and fish habitats throughout North America. Climate-induced modification of environmental regimes, including changes in streamflow, water temperature, salinity, storm surges, and habitat connectivity can change fish physiology, disrupt spawning cues, cause fish extinctions and invasions, and alter fish community structure. Reducing greenhouse emissions

The Sport Fish Restoration Program (SFR) has been a stable and highly successful funding program supporting state fisheries research, propagation, and management activities since its inception in 1950. The expanding sport of bowfishing in the past 2 decades, and research over a comparable time period showing very long lifespans of underappreciated native fish species, opens the door to some new ways

I will be sharing some disturbing things I have heard or a colleague of mine has heard in a work place or conference setting:

We present a pilot curriculum for engaging high school students in photojournalism, combining a field trip and a photo essay that can be expanded by fisheries professionals for their own education and outreach efforts, whether in conjunction with annual meetings or stand-alone events. At the 2018 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the leadership of the Science Communication

Around mid-March 2020, it was revealed to the United States populous that COVID-19 was here (AJMC 2021). Since that time, we have seen an exponential increase in positive cases (CDC 2021), hospitals swollen with infected patients, overworked and often understaffed healthcare providers (Lumpkin 2020), restaurant closures/openings/closures, and millions of people out of work. And although certain restrictions

This is my first president’s column as your AFS President. As of this writing, I have been President for a whole week, but I have had the privilege to serve as an AFS Officer for 3 years so far, and I will continue for 2 more. When you look at the picture of our officer corps, it looks a little different from what we have come to expect at AFS. And I don’t mean having one member participating in the

The World Fisheries Congress 2021 will be delivered from Adelaide, South Australia by the World Council of Fisheries Societies, the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments and the Australian Society for Fish Biology. The Congress’ Steering and International Program Committees have developed the program, “Sharing the World’s Oceans and Rivers – a vision for the world’s fisheries”.

By merging our specialization silos, fisheries professionals can expand the options that are available to them to address difficult fisheries and aquatic conservation problems, which require an understanding of spatial patterns in geographically large systems. Our purpose is to start a profession-wide conversation about additional ways to think about and use spatial data. We use case studies to illustrate

“Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” So wrote Francis Church, an editor of The (New York) Sun in 1897 responding to an 8-year-old’s question, “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus . . . Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?” He continued:

In its first few months, the new U. S. presidential administration has challenged the entire fish and wildlife conservation community with major new goals for the conservation of species in the face of climate change. Much of this dialogue has centered around the concept of “30 by 30”—the goal of protecting 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by the year 2030—which has been proposed by the

A little over a decade ago, the worst environmental disaster in America unfolded in the Gulf of Mexico. The grossly negligent oil giant BP cut corners while drilling a deep sea well leading to the unchecked release of 4.9 million barrels of crude into the fisheries-rich waters of the Gulf. As staff for the Louisiana Governor’s coastal team, I watched the disaster unfold in real time and then went into

I grew up in New Orleans, a city bounded by the mighty Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, a brackish tidal estuary that’s home to crabs, shrimp, and many species of fish. Nearly two-thirds of the entire country’s waters flow down the river and in years when snowmelt or heavy rains swell the river above flood stage, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers relies on the Bonnet Carré spillway to divert

As fisheries scientists, we understand the value of water. Our work is intrinsically connected to it and its many facets: its quality, flow, availability, and temperature, to name a few. Human-caused climate change is increasingly putting a spotlight on our relationship to water. Fisheries scientists are rapidly adjusting to the consequences of higher temperatures, warming waters, drought, forest fires

While sometimes difficult to admit, perspectives of European and white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is exemplified by bias against “rough fish”—a pejorative ascribing low-to-zero value for countless native fishes. One product of this bias is that biologists have ironically worked against conservation of diverse fishes for over a century

COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of society including freshwater fisheries fieldwork. Our study quantified the effects of the pandemic on fisheries fieldwork in the United States. We administered a survey to fisheries chiefs in all 50 states to assess the pandemic’s impact on fisheries fieldwork. Of the 37 participants, 91% reported the pandemic affected their fieldwork and 92% adapted their

Mary Fisher is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Lab at the University of Washington, exploring the nursery function of changing estuarine habitats and other conservation and climate questions surrounding coastal livelihoods. Shellfish aquaculture is an important component of coastal economies in the state of Washington and is often recognized as providing social and ecological

Petroleum platforms provide high-relief reef habitat in several ocean basins and are important to fishes and fishers alike. To determine which variables were important for shaping platform-associated fish assemblages on a basin-wide scale in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, we employed optic and acoustic methods to measure fish distribution (geographic and water-column), abundance, biomass, density, size,

The commercial and recreational fishery for Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch in the Strait of Georgia in the 1970s and 1980s that annually averaged 733,800 individuals declined in the 1990s and was closed in 1998. We observed that above a threshold, ocean carrying capacity is regulating production and not the number of juvenile Coho Salmon entering the Strait of Georgia. We show that a 52% reduction

Climate change has been documented for over 120 years with increasing scientific rigor, and its impacts are already observable in marine and freshwater fisheries. But after decades of communication to underscore the validity of these changes, and the urgency for action, a large component of the public and many elected officials deny the scientific consensus and reject the need for action. Therefore

There are often stark differences in our understanding, hence management, of anadromous and migratory freshwater fishes. Many of these migrators are compelled to navigate among distinct rearing, feeding, and spawning habitats, yet now require artificial propagation to maintain populations in compromised waterbodies. Besides migratory behavior and population declines, these fishes share olfactory physiology—whether

There’s scientific evidence that being near bodies of water promotes mental health and happiness. It’s not too surprising that that many Americans took solace in nature during the past year. For those really lucky ones, that took the form of relaxing and recharging in cool streams, sparkling rivers, clear lakes, and along shimmering coastlines.

Each summer, high school students gear up to get hands-on experience in the field of fisheries science through the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program. This paid summer internship and mentoring program, Sponsored by AFS, seeks to engage, inspire, and diversify the next generation of fisheries professionals. For more than 20 years, the Hutton Program has worked to stimulate interest in careers in

Fisheries professionals frequently measure habitat type and amount, but less often measure the importance of where those habitats are located and in what combinations. We address this challenge by testing whether the individual and combined type, quantity, and location of habitat affects fish diversity in the upper Neosho River basin, Kansas, as a different approach to measuring habitat heterogeneity

Catchable-sized hatchery trout (hereafter, catchables) have become a staple component of many fisheries management programs throughout North America. Due to their size, catchables create immediate fisheries once they are stocked, and fisheries managers have gradually shifted towards stocking fewer, larger trout. However, the cost of growing larger fish may reduce the efficiencies of catchable stocking

Hydroelectricity provides 6% of U.S. electrical power needs, but hydro-dams block migrations of both anadromous and catadromous fishes. Engineered fishways have been built to facilitate fish movements past dams, but many have performed poorly. Dam removal is an effective way of restoring dwindling migratory fish populations by allowing unrestricted pathways to their spawning areas and for the downstream

The inclusion of diverse individuals in ecological sciences has shown little progress over the past 2 decades for various reasons, including structural barriers in societies, organizations, and academia. Collaboration networks are important for productivity, promotion, and scientific impact, yet the extent to which the structure of these networks affects the inclusion of minoritized people remains