REPORT TO THE AFS GOVERNING BOARD

ANNUAL MEETING

August 16- 17, 2002

from

INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES SECTION

 

I.  ACTION:

 

                        Action requested: None

 

                        Recommended Motion: 

 

                        Background for Motion:

 

II.  Outcome or Accomplishment as Relevant to the Strategic Plan

 

            Change or Annual Program of Work: No charge or Program of Work Defined

 

            Outcome and Accomplishments

 

            Information Transfer and Outreach

 

                                    ITO 1.1:  IFS has been extremely active preparing for the 4th World Fisheries Congress.  IFS members Max Stocker, Stan Moberly and Bernard Megrey serve on the Executive Committee (EC) for the 4th World Fisheries Congress and President Bernard Megrey serves as the Chair of the International Steering Committee. Glen Contreras has been active in planning efforts and Max Stocker has recently volunteered to chair the Training and Workshop Committee.

 

                                    At the request of the Executive Committee, the section has played an active role in soliciting sponsorship of the Congress by taking the lead in contacting AFS units and ISC members as well as forwarding email distribution list and international contact information to the program co-chairs.   

 

The International Fisheries Section has been asked by the 4th Congress Executive Committee to prepare a letters to international contacts and AFS subunit in support of the Congress fund raising effort. The section has also been active forwarding email distribution lists and international contact information to the program co-chairs. Bern Megrey and Max Stocker have coordinated this work and the activity has formally been added to the sections plan of work.

The section believes it is very important that Congress sponsorship originate from countries beyond Canada and the U.S. as it helps validate the Congress as a truly international undertaking.

 

                                    ITO 1.2: The International Fisheries Section is continuing to develop a reciprocal agreement with the Australian Society of Fish Biology (ASFB) to exchange memberships for students. IFS has successfully  established with the Fisheries Society of the British Isles a reciprocal program for graduate students and members of that society to receive grants to become members of each others society. Currently the Section is looking for a new "Chairperson" to take over this very worthwhile effort.
 

ITO 1.3:  As part of its ongoing journal donation program, the IFS and section members have donated a long list of AFS titles to the Shanghai Fisheries University in China.

 

                                    ITO 1.4: The section was asked by President Ken Beal to assist with organizing and planning for the AFS Retreat at the Baltimore Meeting. The theme of the meeting is "Devising a Strategy for AFS International Activities putting the pieces together".


In discussing the retreat, it became apparent that Ken has a high regard for the section as evidenced from two quotes from some recent email....

"I believe there is much that the members of the Governing Board can contribute to developing a more over-arching philosophy for our international approaches, and it is quite natural to look to the International Fisheries Section as the one subunit which epitomizes diplomatic interactions with individuals and organizations outside the US".

".... it's a pleasure to be able to rely on the International Fisheries Section to carry the ball on this important discussion. Thanks for the compliments Ken.

In anticipation of the retreat, the section is conducting an informal online survey of all AFS subunits so that we can gather several pieces of background information. We have asked each subunit how they are involved in international affairs, to provide a short description of those activities, and to tell us what the subunit needs to support those activities. By collecting and summarizing this information before the retreat, we can bring some relevant background information to the meeting to begin the discussions. IFS member Dale Burkett has agreed to facilitate the meeting.

 

                                    ITO 1.5: On the initiative of the International Fisheries Section (IFS), AFS President Ken Beal, AFS International Fisheries Section President Bernard A. Megrey and AFS Western Division President Eric Knudsen  took the occasion of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization International Symposium on North Pacific Transitional Areas in La Paz Mexico during April of 2002 to make a presentation on the benefits of joining AFS "Forging North American Partnerships Through the American Fisheries Society".

During this visit, the IFS and the Western Division each contributed to 14 gift memberships (for a total of 28) which were given away to scientists working in La Paz. Fourteen of the gift memberships were given away at the PICES venue.  Ken Beal and Bern Megrey also made the AFS presentation at the Instituto Politécnio Nacional Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR) where an additional 14 gift memberships were given away. Mexican AFS memberships tripled as a result of the support of both the Section's and the Division's gift memberships.

There was much local enthusiasm and interest in establishing a Mexican Chapter within the Western Division and discussions took place with interested parties from CICIMAR as well as the Centro de Investigaciónes Biologicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR) facility.

Also during this visit Ken Beal discussed with Alex Bychkov, Executive Director of PICES, opportunities for PICES to be involved in the upcoming World Fisheries Congress scientific program as well as areas of common interest for future collaborations between AFS and PICES.

Special thanks are extended to Daniel Lluch-Belda and Salvador E. Lluch-Cota for their help in organizing our visit.

                                    ITO 1.6: The IFS President continues to promote AFS, the section, the World Fisheries Congress, and the World Council of Fisheries Society in his travels. In January 2002 I had the privilege of visiting Japan for a North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) international modeling workshop. While there on "official" business I took the opportunity to acquaint Pacific Rim scientists from Japan, Korea, Russia and China with AFS and the upcoming World Fisheries Congress. Visited were the Nemuro Fisherman Research Institute in the City of Nemuro on the northern island of Hokkaido, Hokadate Fisheries University, and the Frontier Research Institute for Global Climate Change in Yokohama.

 

                                    In August, I will go to Cairns Australia to participate in the World Congress on Aquatic Protected Areas as well as to attend the annual meeting of the Australian Society of Fish Biologists (ASFB). Hopefully, while there, the section can strengthen their ties with ASFB through mutually beneficial cooperative programs. Shortly after that, at the end of September, I will be the ICES Annual Science Conference in Copenhagen Denmark. This looks like it will be an exceptionally exciting meeting as ICES is celebrating their 100th year anniversary this year.  In the middle of October I will be in Asia with my attendance at the GLOBEC Open Science Meeting followed immediately by the 11th Annual meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Finally, in December I will be in Cape Town South Africa for the IOC/SCORE working group on Quantitative Ecosystem Indicators for Fisheries Management.

In addition to my personal scientific objectives for attending each of these venues, I will be promoting the 4th World Fisheries Congress, the American Fisheries Society, and the section, meeting with fellow 4th World Fisheries Congress International Steering Committee members in order to bring them up to date on Congress activities, as well as exploring potential partnerships and collaborations between IFS and other bodies.

 

                                    ITO 1.7: IFS members Bernard Megrey and Glen Contreras will be representing AFS at the annual Australian Society of Fish Biology (ASFB) meeting in Cairns Australia during August where they hope to facilitate the signing of the World Council of Fisheries Society charter by the Australia society. Also while in Cairns Megrey and Contreras hope to hold a similar meeting with a representative of the Asian Fisheries Society. Megrey will be doing the same with the China Fisheries Society and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea during his visits to China and Denmark.

           

            Membership Services

 

MS 1.1: The Carl Sullivan International membership program is directed towards subsidizing Society and Section memberships for fisheries scientists from non-North American English speaking countries.  Each membership award is for three years. There are five active members in the program now.

 

During the past year, 3-year memberships were awarded to four Australians, David Crook, Murry-Darling Freshwater Research Center, Abury NSW, AU;  Ashley Webb  University of Sidney (PhD candidate Sidney AU;  Wayne Erskine  State Forests of New South Wales, Pennant Hills, NSW, AU;  and Kylie Hall  Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Alexandria, VIC, AU. 

 

This year nominees were received from the Fisheries Society of the British Isles and new awards went to Dr. Etienne Baras, University of Liege, Tihange Belgium, Victoria Jayne Wearmouth, The Marine Biological Association-The Laboratory, Plymouth United Kingdom, and Leanne Llewellyn, South Wales, United Kingdom.

 

                                    MS 1.2: The “International Fisheries Endowment Fund” continues to receive support from the Society and AFS units. I'm happy to report that fund as of this writing is a bit over $5,000. Very good progress indeed, but substantially short of the level we need to achieve before the fund can start doing some real work. Half of the proceeds from this years raffle will be allocated towards building the fund.

 

            Aquatic Stewardship

 

                                    AS 1.2:  IFS members hosted many scientists and managers from a variety of countries and continue to receive requests for books, journals, symposium proceedings.  We currently need journals for two libraries in Chile and Argentina and a large collection of journals for a new fishery school in India.

 

AS 1.3: IFS is continuing a project to develop an English translation of eastern European literature regarding large rivers. Most of this literature has not been available in a common format to northern American audiences.

 

III.  Financial Status

 

            A copy of the Section’s Annual Financial Report has been provided to the Director of Administration and Finance.