Welcome to the 138th Annual Meeting
Mary C. Fabrizio
President
Fisheries in Flux: How Do We Ensure Our Sustainable Future?
Welcome to the 2008 annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society – celebrating the 138th meeting of the oldest professional organization dedicated to fish and fisheries and to the people that study, conserve, and manage these precious aquatic resources.
This is the second time we are meeting in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, the first time being the 50th annual meeting held in 1920. Both Ottawa and our fisheries resources have changed since that time, but one characteristic has remained the same - the desire of fishery professionals to gather over the course of several days to exchange information and ideas about our science, and to advance our thinking about fish and the aquatic ecosystems that sustain them.
Fisheries and fish communities are not static properties of ecosystems. Stressors such as exploitation, species invasions, climate change, and water resource demands are a few of the factors that drive change in our ecosystems. Such changes potentially threaten sustainable use. Can we find solutions to these threats? What are we doing to ensure a sustainable future and what changes need to be made in the management of aquatic ecosystems to ensure the continued production of these resources?
I invite you to explore these questions and many others, and to share your collective knowledge and insights, with an eye towards improving the condition of resources and ensuring a future for fish and fisheries. Participate in the discussions, contribute your insights, and provide your thoughts on the scientific, policy, and human resource challenges we must overcome to effectively care for our natural resources. This meeting is for you and for the fisheries of our future.