AFS Fish Habitat Section

Minutes from the 2024 Annual Business Meeting

Tue, September 17, 2024
3:45 PM – 5:00 PM Hawaii Time
Room 312

Virtual Option: https://meet.google.com/rdh-cbep-ymb

Determination of Quorum (minimum of 10 members present) – Rebecca Krogman
1. 16 members present, quorum met
1. 18 attendees
Call to order at 3:49pm by Gary Whelan, FHS President
Recognition of AFS officers, FHS officers (past and present), other guests
1. Doug Austen, Jeff Kopaska, Margaret Murphy, Dan Cassidy
Approval of minutes from 2023 Business Meeting
1. Motion to approve the minutes by Jason Olive, seconded by Stan Allen. Motion passed unanimously.
AFS Officer and Executive Director remarks
1. AFS Officer Report by Gary Whelan, 1^st Vice President
  1. A great deal of effort over the past year has been expended on the search for a new Executive Director for the American Fisheries Society. The search was successful! Please welcome Jeff Kopaska, and big thanks to Doug Austen for his service!
  1. AFS is transitioning publishers from Wiley to Oxford University Press at the end of the year. The new 7-year contract is not quite as financially lucrative as the previous one with Wiley, but the new publisher aligns far more closely with our values and priorities as a nonprofit organization. We strongly encourage members to publish with AFS’s journals, with Oxford University Press.
  1. Recent improvements in communications include updates to unit leaders via the LeaderLine newsletter (from Margaret Murphy), more frequently website updates on fisheries.org, and intentional AFS officer appearances at unit meetings. Someone from the AFS Executive Committee should be at each unit’s annual meeting at least once every three years or so. Please convey your concerns regarding communication to the AFS officers.
  1. The past year included strong DEI efforts. For example, the Honolulu meeting focused closely on Indigenous peoples, bringing in local plenary speakers and emphasizing symposia on co-production and co-management of fisheries. The Hutton Program, designed to recruit more diverse people into fisheries science, also had a successful year, with its summit in Mannsfield, Georgia. The program maintains 40-60 participants annually and needs more hosts in more places, in order to grow.
  1. Meetings: Honolulu looks to be a successful meeting, with over 2,300 attendees registered from over 35 countries. The next annual AFS meetings will occur in San Antonio, Texas (2025); Columbus, Ohio (2026); and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2027). After that, AFS expects to host a massive joint meeting in 2028 with the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies/Joint Aquatic Science Societies. Expect over 5,000 people at this meeting, location TBD. Recently, AFS helped host the 2024 World Fisheries Council in Seattle, Washington. This meeting did face some financial challenges but drew attendance from over 70 counties, meeting its objective of bringing many fisheries professionals together to share their diverse perspectives.
  1. Membership: Note that affiliate membership will not be an acceptable form of participation in AFS in the future. AFS does face membership challenges, with many people who work on the fringes of fisheries or at lower ranks in their agencies, and may not realize that AFS should be their professional home. This is partially an identity issue.
  1. Professional development: AFS convened a 25-member special working group this spring to work on professional development strategy. The group developed a vision and grant application to support a joint AFS-TWS -AFWA system to host professional development opportunities, records, and career planning pathways. This effort will continue next year with the new President’s plan.
  1. Strategic planning: The new 5-year plan for AFS is almost ready for comment and review. The previous strategic plan expires at the end of 2024, and the new plan will include more measurable goals and metrics. The new plan also includes both short- and long-term goals. Keep an eye out for your opportunity to comment!
1. AFS Staff Report by Doug Austen, Director for one more day!
  1. Transition planning and mentoring of the incoming Director has been the focus lately. Doug will continue representing AFS on the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board for the year, as well as finalizing several previous obligations.
  1. Doug will take you fishing if you visit him!
AFS Policy Update – Gary Whelan, Doug Austen, and Patrick Shirey
1. Under Gary’s leadership, AFS will continue to explore more opportunities with AFWA, pushing fish habitat issues forward in the policy arena.
1. Drue Winters works 1/3 time for major policy issues. One of the biggest things AFS did over the past few years was with CASS writing science briefing re: Maui Bay water quality case, the judge’s opinion upheld the Clean Water Act and its relevance with thanks to CASS and AFS’s input.
1. A group (Bob Hughes, Leanne Roulson, Sue Colvin, Patrick Shirey) worked on a policy letter for Drue and Doug as AFS testimony in July to the House Committee on Natural Resources to support America’s Conservation Enhancement Act, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, and to maintain the Endangered Species Act’s science based approach: https://fisheries.org/2024/07/afs-supports-conservation-funding-bills-and-a-science-based-endangered-species-act/
1. There is also a group of AFS members with a review manuscript focused on the Clean Water Act and WOTUS policy that was recently accepted for publication by BioScience. It is not yet published, but they will plan to share the PDF with the Fish Habitat Section when it is published early online.
Review of Financial Report – Rebecca Krogman
1. See below.
Committee Reports
1. Awards Committee Report – Dylan Kwak
  1. Big thanks and kudos to Dylan for handling the Best Student Paper competition again this year. The application process was shifted to echo the AFS Best Student Paper competition run by Education Section, making the timeline for application a little more forgiving as it occurs after the general AFS deadline. Judging can also be more flexible, allowing virtual judges who may not be able to attend the meeting in person to participate and contribute. However, we will try to move the judging deadlines earlier next year to give them a bit more time.
1. Membership Report – Rebecca Krogman
  1. See below.
1. Social Media/Website Report – Kanyan Klein
  1. Thanks to Kanyan for volunteering! Kanyan is stepping down this year, so please let us know if you would like to replace her as social media/outreach coordinator! Don’t worry about technical skills needed, as none are needed!
  1. FHS is converting to the AFS multi-site to maintain long-term website support and enhance security. That means, look for a newly updated website at units.fisheries.org/habitat soon!
Old Business – Gary Whelan
1. FHS-Sponsored Symposia (End material)
1. Best Student Paper Awards
  1. 2023 Winner and Runners-up
    1. Winner: Michelle van Campernolle for the paper “Assessing vulnerability of marine megafauna to global anthropogenic threats”
    1. Runner-up: Peter Grap for the paper “Stability and Habitat Generation of Large Woody Debris Additions in an Urban Headwater Stream” and Emily Jameson for the paper “Lakeshore development impacts food web structure in suburban lakes”
  1. 2024 Winner and Runners-up
    1. Winner: Katrina Munsterman for the paper “A new approach to an old enigma: Do artificial reefs enhance fish production?”
    1. Runners-up: Jordanna Bergman for the paper “Can a freshwater protected area support a migratory fish?” and Rachel Roday for the paper “Habitat use of acoustic tagged American Shad in the lower Delaware River”
1. Student and Early-Career Travel Awards
  1. Student: Jordanna Bergman, Carleton University (now at University of Victoria)
  1. Early Career Professional: Simen Kaalstad, Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
1. FHS-NFHP-NOAA Awards
  1. Rising Star Award for Outstanding Early-Career Contributions in Fish Habitat Conservation
  1. Stanley A. Moberly Award for Outstanding Contributions in Fish Habitat Conservation
National Fish Habitat Partnership Update – Gary Whelan
1. Met for the first time in Alaska, although over 25% of FHPs are in that state!
1. 127 projects that came in at $8.5 Million with match of 2.6:1
1. ASAC is in the process of being re-authorized. One bill has passed the Senate, and one will be at the House committee soon. Some of the changes include: Coordinator salaries will no longer be required to meet the match ratio, a reduction in reporting, no longer requiring Congressional action to add a new FHP (it’s a bit unclear as of now), and new allocations of money for the 2025 National Lakes Assessment. About $125K is expected from a multi-state conservation grant to support the NLA (it costs about twice as much). Also, NFHP is expecting a new board chair next year, replacing Robert Boyles.
1. Upcoming meetings: November virtual meeting, February Vegas meeting, virtual in June to approve the list of FHP projects to Department of Interior, Aug-September Minneapolis with hopefully a “Coordinator” meeting workshop-style
1. New NFHP data dashboard will be coming out soon, expecting it within the next week or two
New Business – Gary Whelan
1. Progress toward the President’s Vision for the Section
  1. Quarterly webinars, Oct-Nov will solicit members for presenting and using the AFS-wide system. Comments from attendees:
    1. Coordinate the webinar series with FMS and Bioengineering sections, to ensure we don’t overlap in timing but also learn from each other
    1. Ask in the survey what topics would be useful (FMS did so and got over 100 responses)
    1. Members-only, requiring login to attend because it is a member service
  1. Multiple habitat-oriented symposia in San Antonio
    1. Reservoir habitat which may dovetail with the Black Bass Symposium
    1. Stream flows in partnership with the Instream Flow Council
    1. Symposium for marine focused on artificial reefs – We will solicit presenters and helpers for coordinating the symposium
  1. Membership – What do you want? We do want to know what our FHS members think, so we will develop a survey in fall, deployment in January
  1. Expect a habitat focus on the 2026 meeting, when Gary is President! This will align with the 20-year anniversary of the NFHP!
1. Black Bass Symposium Series – Dave Phillip
  1. First in 1975 organized by the Sport Fishing Institute, in Tulsa
  1. 2000 organized as part of the AFS meeting
  1. 2025 organized as part of the AFS meeting, co-hosted by Fisheries Conservation F, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and AFS
  1. 23-member steering committee planning an event that brings in anglers and the fishing industry as well. Invitation-only Bass Summit on the last day with round-table discussions on sticky issues.
  1. Big budget over $100,000, met mostly by targeted and corporate sponsors as there will not be a major separate registration.
  1. ExCom: The FHS is financially healthy and will contribute something, amount TBD.
1. Upcoming Annual Meetings – Gary Whelan
  1. San Antonio, TX (August 10-14, 2025)
  1. Columbus, OH (August 30-September 3, 2026)
Adjourned at 5:01pm.

FHS Financial Report

Statement of Income and Expenses 2023-2024

8/1/2023 – 7/31/2024

BALANCE FORWARD $13,221.87

INFLOWS

5/8/24 2023 Membership dues 2,090.00

OUTFLOWS

9/15/23 Check to Great Lakes FHP (2023 Rising Star Winner’s Choice) 250.00

9/26/23 Check to Kim Dibble for 2023 award plaques 115.00

9/28/23 Check to Kim Dibble for 2023 Moberly Award costs 237.35

10/2/23 Check to Illinois Natural History Survey for Jeremy Facer’s award 375.00

10/27/23 Check to Craig D Wells (2022 BSP Winner) 100.00

ENDING BALANCE $14,234.52

NOTES: The Section is transitioning from Wells Fargo Bank to LendingClub, a more nonprofit-friendly operation that is FDIC-insured. This will vastly improve our ability to manage account administrators, making the Secretary-Treasurer position easier for all!

FHS Budget 2024-2025

BALANCE FORWARD $14,234.52

PENDING INFLOW ESTIMATED

After 8/1/24 2023 Membership dues $2,000.00

PENDING OUTFLOWS IN NEXT YEAR’S REPORT

~1,000 members

After 8/1/24 Check to R. Krogman (2024 Award Plaques) 167.81

2023 BSP Winner Check 100.00

2024 BSP Winner Check 100.00

2024 Moberly Award 100.00

Check to R. Krogman (2024 Catering) 434.69

2024 Rising Star Winner’s Choice of Donation 250.00

2024 Travel Awards 1500.00

2024 Nancy Foster NOAA Award 166.25

Multisite Web Transition 350.00

Multisite Annual Maintenance beginning 2025 240.00

ENDING BALANCE $12,825.77

Membership Report

Where is our growth? Can we improve this next year?

Student: 450
ECP: 287
Regular: 185
Retired/Life: 31
Other: 1

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