American
Fisheries Society
Alaska Chapter
The Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is a
professional organization of individuals interested in maintaining high
standards for the fisheries profession and ensuring conservation of
Alaska's fisheries. This web site is a source of current information
regarding the Alaska Chapter and its activities.
American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter
2008 Annual Committee Reports
Awards Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
Cheryl Dion, Committee Chair
The Awards Committee is responsible for selecting winners of the Meritorious Service Award, Alaska Chapter Service Award, Almost Darwin Award, as well as for the Best Student Paper and Best Student Poster presented at the Annual Chapter Meeting. The Awards Committee selected Lee Ann Gardner for the 2008 Alaska Chapter Service Award. No nominations were received for the Meritorious Service Award or the Almost Darwin Award.
After 5 years as the chair of the Awards Committee, I am stepping down. I appreciate all those who have volunteered to help with the awards and judging. Thank you! Theresa Tanner has graciously volunteered to take over chair duties. For nominations or questions regarding awards, Theresa can be contacted at theresa_tanner@fws.gov or 271-1799.
See the History of Awards page for listing of the annual meeting best paper/poster awards for 2007 (and 2008 as well).
Continuing Education Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
VACANT at the time of this report, Committee Chair
This committee chair position is currently vacant. Hamachan Hamazaki organized numerous, diverse and very well-attended classes in 2008.
Cultural Diversity Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
Jerry Berg and Lisa Stuby, Co-Chairs
We solicited applications from around the state and received applications from four highly qualified individuals. We are able to fund one stellar candidate, Shelley Woods for the 2008 meeting in Anchorage. Shelley was born and raised in Dillingham, AK with a strong family history of resource use and appreciation for those resources. She has had numerous summer jobs and internships working within the fisheries field including working on a counting tower on the Nuyakuk River and has assisted with commercial catch sampling efforts in Bristol Bay. Shelley has interned with the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA) where she monitored a weir in Dillingham and interviewed elders to gather traditional ecological knowledge about the area and how the land use has been changing. She has also helped with a freshwater stream inventory with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG). A few summers ago, Shelley joined her Great Aunt as one of her commercial fishing partners on a set net site she had helped out with as a young girl. This past summer, Shelley took part in a smolt study on the Kvichak River where she helped set up sonar stations and sampled smolt during the evening hours. After the smolt project, she spent a month on Lake Aleknagik as the biologist on a teaching team and helped plan a salmon camp for middle/high school students.
Shelley is currently an undergraduate student in fisheries at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and is serving as the secretary/treasurer of the student subunit of AFS. For 2009, Shelley will be the Student Representative from the Fairbanks Campus of the Student Subunit. Shelley hopes to do graduate work some day, with a particular emphasis on salmon management policies and future directions for management. Shelley is also involved in the Alaskan Native Science and Engineering Program and the American Indian Students of Engineering and Science.
After over 5 years of serving on this committee, Jerry Berg and Lisa Stuby will be stepping down after the 2008 meeting as committee chairs. The amount of time needed to be part of this committee has been fairly minimal, but has been immensely rewarding. Happily, during the banquet at the 2009 Alaska Chapter meeting, Sara Gilk, who works as a Fisheries Geneticist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Gene Conservation in Anchorage; and Miranda Plumb who is a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kenai Fish and Wildlife Field Office in Soldotna, will continue on as the new chairs for this committee in 2009.
Electronic Communications Committee
Annual Report - October 2008
Allen Bingham, Committee Chair
This committee was established at the 1995 Chapter annual meeting in Wasilla. The main purpose of this committee is to maintain and keep current the Alaska Chapter web site and the Chapter’s email distribution list.
During the past few years the web site has essentially just been “maintained” (i.e., no new improvements). The web site was successfully used to conduct on-line e-balloting for the elections in the past, but due to changes in the server hosting our site we are conducting e-balloting entirely through email this year, and e-balloting is expected to be used in one form or another into the future. Each newsletter that has been put out during this past year has been made available on our web site in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format; and information about training courses and meetings of not only the Chapter but also the Parent Society and the Western Division have been posted. New last year and continued this year was the conversion of the newsletter distribution system from mail/addressed based system to a mostly email-based system.
The Student Subunit web site is maintained as a portion of our site, and has continued to be maintained by the Electronics Communications Committee. Their web site address is:
http://www.fisheries.org/afs-ak/student
The Student Subunit’s web site includes postings of the officers, meetings, and special event announcements were posted for each of the following active Campus Groups:
- Anchorage-UAA;
- Fairbanks-UAF (University of Alaska Fairbanks); and
- Juneau-UAS (University of Alaska Southeast).
The committee continued to maintain an email distribution list for most Chapter members with email addresses in the Chapter's membership database. The distribution list was used successfully to "get the word out" for Chapter activities such as the recent announcements for the 2008 Annual Conference, chapter elections, the chapter newsletter, and other items of interest. In 2006 the parent Society re-implemented support for our Chapter’s list server, and all Chapter members with an email address (who have chosen to participate) can be members of that list. During this past year (2008), the server that the parent Society hosts the email distribution system changed to address some SPAM issues, and there were a few growing pains related to that conversion, but it is currently functioning smoothly. Currently, the subscription list for this list server is about 3 months out-of-date, and will be updated in the next few months. Chapter members that are subscribed can post email to the list at the following address (they need to post from the email address that they are subscribed to the list):
akchap@lists.fisheries.org
The list is moderated by yours-truly to reduce SPAM messages sent out and to control for mistaken "Reply-to-All" responses to posted messages, that I filter-out before allowing transmission to subscribed Chapter members. Membership in the list is contingent upon membership in the Chapter. Periodically, postings from non-Chapter members have been permitted to be posted for distribution to the list on a case by case basis.
The committee is interested in hearing what members would like to see on our web site. The web site address is:
http://www.fisheries.org/units/afs-ak
and the e-mail address for sending comment about and contributions to the web site is:
allen.bingham@alaska.gov
Environmental Concerns Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
Cecil Rich, Committee Chair
The Environmental Concerns Committee was established by the Executive Committee to provide coordinated technical and policy analysis and Chapter input and comments on environmental issues that affect Alaska’s fishery resources. This may occur, for example, when the Chapter’s opinion or position is solicited by members or by external organizations or agencies. The committee will formulate, through consensus, a Chapter position on such issues for review by the EXCOM. Such positions should reflect the concerns of the membership as a whole. Due to the time-sensitive nature of many environmental issues, review of positions formulated by the committee will be by the EXCOM.
In 2008, several issues were brought to the Committee for consideration including: whether the Alaska Chapter should submit an amicus briefing to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Exxon Valdez case, Chinook salmon stocking near Haines, and Chilkat River habitat protection. In consultation with the EXCOM, it was decided that the committee would not take action on these matters.
If you would like to become involved with the committee on issues of concern, please contact Environmental Concerns Committee Chair, Cecil Rich at cecil@gci.net.
Finance Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
Ray Hander, Committee Chair
The committee chair is Ray Hander. Committee members include Tim Joyce and Lee Ann Gardner. The Chapter’s UBS investment portfolio has lost approximately $34,000 since December 31, 2007, with individual account losses ranging from 18 to 24% (Table 1). This does not include the UBS checking account that fluxes with Chapter spending needs. This loss is due to the ongoing market volatility. The Chapter’s UBS portfolio is invested using a moderately conservative strategy with an investment horizon of 7 to 10 years as determined by the Finance Committee members in consultation with the UBS investment representative. The Chapter’s strategy is for long-term growth and we will have to weather the volatility of the market.
The Finance Committee has met quarterly with the Chapter’s UBS representative, Todd Fletcher, to receive portfolio status updates and conduct maintenance of accounts as needed to conduct Chapter business. Lee Ann Gardner is in frequent contact with UBS as she conducts day-to-day Chapter business and informs finance committee members with information on an as-needed basis.
Fisheries Communication and Education Committee
Annual Report - November 2008
Laurel Devaney , Committee chair
Laurel Devaney coordinated the continuing education workshop entitled, “Improving Your Scientific Presentation and Speaking Skills” presented by Andi O’Conor, PhD., at the state AFS meeting in Anchorage.
If you have any questions or suggestions for the Education committee, please feel free to contact:
| Laurel Devaney laurel_devaney@fws.gov 907‑456‑0558 |
International Relations Committee
Annual Report –
VACANT, Committee Chair
No report this year.
Membership Committee
Annual Report – October 2008
Lisa Stuby, Committee Chair
Lisa Stuby is the committee chair and Allen Bingham is the membership manager. The membership statistics for 2008 are nearly unchanged from similar figures for 2007, which had dropped substantially from 2006 (Table 1). The 2006 membership numbers were likely above normal due to the membership’s that came with registration at the Parent Society’s annual meeting that was held in Anchorage the previous year (2005). Similarly, the membership figures for 2005 were likely raised by individuals joining and/ or renewing on their own in anticipation of the 2005 AFS meeting in Anchorage. Those suppositions aside, there appears to be a continued decline in our Chapter’s membership which may be a cause for concern that should be addressed in the upcoming months. However, recent updates to the Chapter roles indicate that there may be some recovery in our ranks by the end of the year.
Table 1. AFS membership summary (2003 to 2008).
| Member Type / Statistic | Year & Month | |||||
|
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 | |
|
May |
Jun |
Jun |
Jun |
Jun |
Jul | |
|
Active |
254 |
267 |
288 |
347 |
210 |
205 |
|
Life |
35 |
32 |
23 |
30 |
26 |
24 |
|
Retired |
7 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
8 |
9 |
|
Student |
51 |
54 |
60 |
41 |
43 |
45 |
|
Other |
18 |
34 |
36 |
20 |
32 |
27 |
|
Total |
365 |
396 |
416 |
449 |
319 |
310 |
|
Owes Parent AFS dues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Recent Delinquent (paid Parent AFS through previous year) |
98 |
96 |
105 |
226 |
242 |
135 |
|
Owes Chapter |
18 |
20 |
10 |
60 |
9 |
37 |
|
State/Providence (outside of AK) |
9 |
16 |
13 |
13 |
11 |
15 |
The statistics listed for “State/Province” in Table 1 represent the number of different states or locations outside of Alaska where we have members.
Efforts in 2008 to increase and/or maintain membership have mainly consisted of writing up reminder letters in mid-May for those people whose memberships had lapsed between 2007 and 2008 and those whose memberships lapsed for more than a year. The letters were constructed with an
Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Committee
Annual Report - November 2008
Hal Geiger, Committee Chair
The committee chair is Hal Geiger. The Molly Ahlgren Scholarship committee recommended Shelley Woods as the third recipient of the Chapter’s most prestigious scholarship award.
The scholarship fund is far behind our original projections; there is currently approximately $39,000 in the fund. The guiding principles for the scholarship calls for awards to come from the interest earned when the fund exceeds $100,000. This year’s interest from the fund’s principle is below what was expected when the Chapter first made plans for this scholarship. There will be no award in 2009 unless the Executive Committee chooses to make a financial offering from the Chapter’s other funds. Additionally, the Committee would like to take this opportunity to suggest that Chapter members consider an additional individual contribution to the scholarship fund.
Newsletter Committee
Annual Report - December 2008
Gretchen Bishop, Committee Chair
The Oncorhynchus serves as a medium to distribute information to Alaska Chapter members and other interested individuals. The newsletter is produced by editor, Gretchen Bishop who compiles articles submitted by Chapter members then sends the articles to Connie Taylor of Fathom Publishing who designs, lays out, and mails the newsletter. The AFS style conventions described at http://www.fisheries.org/afs/styleguides.html [updated link: http://www.fisheries.org/afs/publications_style.html] are generally followed. Prior to finalizing the newsletter, electronics committee chair Allen Bingham makes a final edit. Each issue includes a front-page feature article and one or more photos supplied by a volunteer to the editor to include in the newsletter. An effort is made to distribute opportunities to write the feature article between agencies and regions of the state. Submissions of articles for inclusion in the newsletter are solicited triennially via the AFS Alaska Chapter list-serv; photos are encouraged. During the past fiscal year, four electronic issues were printed, one at the beginning of each calendar quarter. Content was as follows:
Winter (Vol. 28 no. 1) Oncorhynchus
Deep-sea Corals in Alaska
President’s Corner
2007 Chapter Awards
Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Update
Cultural Diversity Committee Report
Wally Noerenberg Award Committee Report
Student Subunit News
Student Writing Contest
Call for Award Nominations
Meetings and Events
Spring (Vol. 28 no. 2) Oncorhynchus
Hatchery Reform in Alaska
President’s Corner
Don Collinsworth obituary
First Call for Symposia, Alaska Chapter Annual Conference
Committee Reports
Fairbanks student subunit update
Continuing Education Opportunities with AFS
UAF to offer B.A. degree in Fisheries
Meetings and Events
Summer (Vol. 28 no. 3) Oncorhynchus
NOAA Ship John N. Cobb
President’s Corner
First Call for Papers, Alaska Chapter Annual Conference
Call for EXCOM Nominations
Award Nominations
Juneau Student Group Update
Meetings and Events
Fall (Vol. 28 no. 4) Oncorhynchus
Predicting Rockfish Locations Using High-resolution Bathymetry
President’s Corner
National AFS Meeting Update
Second Call for Papers, Alaska Chapter 35th Annual Conference
Ole Mathisen Posthumously Receives Sullivan Award
Hal Geiger and Co-authors Receive Stevan R. Phelps Award
EXCOMM Candidate Biographies
Cultural Diversity Chair Position Open
Student Subunit Update
Meetings and Events
This year, the Oncorhynchus has been fully electronic in distribution. This has permitted the distribution of a more lengthy newsletter at no additional cost. The goals of changing to electronic newsletter distribution were primarily to save money and paper but other advantages and opportunities are becoming apparent. The distribution change has also necessitated a more continuous newsletter layout to facilitate readers scrolling through the newsletter; and we have replaced the AFS application with a web link to avoid duplication with the website. The AFS, Alaska Chapter logo has been incorporated into the front page of the Oncorhynchus and color images have begun to be used. Submission deadlines are the 10th of March, June, September and December. If you have a possible newsletter contribution, please contact Gretchen at: 465-4269, or Gretchen.Bishop@alaska.gov.
Past Presidents Committee
Annual Report – November 2008
Jamal Moss, Committee Chair
We were successful in recruiting 2 new officers for next year that will serve the chapter well. They are Audra Brase from ADF&G for Vice President and Cindy Tribuzio from the NOAA Fisheries for Treasurer. ExCom had a productive discussion with the Past Presidents at the Past President’s luncheon regarding the most effective way to proceed with a salmon straying workshop while maintaining the support of hatcheries and hatchery supporters. More details regarding this effort will be released in upcoming newsletters.
Resolutions and Bylaws Committee
Annual Report – October 2008
Bill Bechtol, Committee Chair
Annual Summary: The Resolutions and Bylaws Committee is a standing committee of the Alaska Chapter and serves to review proposed resolutions and Bylaw changes and make recommendations to the Executive Committee. Per action taken at the 2005 Chapter business meeting, this committee is also responsible for maintaining the Chapter Procedures Manual. The committee received no proposals for resolutions or bylaws changes during the past year. Minor updates were made to the Procedures Manual and the updated manual posted on the Chapter’s website. More substantive manual updates are anticipated in the coming year to better reflect the procedures currently being applied for some chapter committees (e.g., Molly Ahlgren Scholarship and Cultural Diversity).
Student Subunit
No reports this year.
Wally Noerenberg Award Committee
Annual Report - October 2008
Ted Otis, Committee Chair
The Wally Noerenberg Award (WNA) for Fishery Excellence is the highest award of the Chapter. It is bestowed to honor an individual's life-long career achievements in fishery excellence. The award was created in 1981, and in 1982 was awarded posthumously to its namesake, Wally Noerenberg. Since then, there have been thirteen recipients: Armin Koerning, Robert Armstrong, Clem Tillion, Steven Pennoyer, Jim Branson, Jim Reynolds, Ole Mathisen, Ken Roberson, John Clark, A.J. Paul, Alex Wertheimer, Lance Trasky, and Bill Wilson. Contributions may include, but are not limited to: fisheries research; technology development; species and habitat management; innovations in harvesting, processing or marketing; academics or fisheries education; and involvement in national and international affairs affecting Alaska fisheries.
For the second straight year, the committee did not receive any nominations prior to the historical July 31 deadline, so the Wally Noerenberg Award was not bestowed in 2008. The WNA committee is comprised of three Chapter past-presidents and a committee chair that cannot be a past president. Committee members serve a staggered three-year term such that only one position becomes vacant and is refilled each year. Historically, the immediate past-president was automatically seated on the WNA committee following each year’s annual Chapter meeting. In 2006-2007, the WNA Committee Procedures Manual was modified so that new committee members are randomly selected from a list of past-presidents still active in the Alaska Chapter. Bill Hauser was randomly selected to join Tim Joyce and Carol Kerkvliet on the committee in 2007. Due in part to the lack of nominees for the award this past year, one of the committee seats remained vacant prior to the 2008 meeting. Immediately following the 2008 Chapter meeting in Anchorage, Jim Reynolds was randomly selected to fill that seat. Hence, the 2008 WNA committee consisted of Bill Hauser, Tim Joyce, and a vacant seat, which was later filled by Jim Reynolds.
In an effort to encourage more nominees for chapter awards, including the WNA, the chairpersons of the Chapter award committees are considering moving the award nomination deadline. The current deadline falls amidst the busy field season, which likely contributes to the paucity of nominations in some years. In 2008-2009, award committee chairpersons plan to begin a dialogue with the Executive Committee to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving the deadline to December, well outside of the field season. The annual meeting would be used to encourage more nominations for awards to be presented at the following years’ meeting. The award committee chairpersons welcome input from chapter members on this or any other issues relating to chapter awards.
Please send comments, corrections, questions to:allen.bingham@alaska.gov