Work Plan

2021-2022

American Fisheries Society

INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES SECTION

 2022 – 2023 Work Plan

Elizabeth Nyboer, President

 

Expand Membership, with a focus on women from Low- and Middle-Income countries

  • Increase the IFS membership with a focus on women from Low- and Middle-Income countries and Indigenous women
  • Build relationships with international organizations supporting women in fisheries sciences (i.e., ACARE, AWIS, SFS Africa Chapter, SFS Latin American Chapter).
  • Build on past presidential initiatives and collaborate with the Equal Opportunities Section to revitalize the “Women in Fisheries” committee.
  • Organize sessions / workshops / networking opportunities at AFS 2023 and WFC 2024 based on barriers and priorities identified by women and gender-non-conforming members of IFS

Support Global Conferences and Initiatives

  • Support World Fisheries Congress 2024 (Seattle, Washington
  • Serve International Program Sub-Committee
  • Fundraising and coordinating of International Travel Awards
  • Coordinate committee for International Fisheries Science Prize
  • Serve on the International Program Sub-Committee for WFC 2024 (Seattle, USA

Build on Communication Strategy

  • Update the listserv including AWIS fellows offered complimentary membership
  • Prepare quarterly email blasts to all IFS members
  • Improve and update the IFS website (Peter Holder)
  • Maintain Social Media presence and promote interaction (So-Jung Youn and Lisa Kelly)
  • Promote the IFS Editorial Assistance Program (Robert Mussgnug, Julie Claussen)
    • Investigate the possibility of expanding to include assistance with proposals and/or experimental design.

Manage Directives

  • Coordinate OLAF International Membership Awards (Paul Simonin, Eva Salas)
  • Maintain fiscal responsibility of section funds (Paul Simonin)
  • Grant International Travel Awards (ITAs) from the Sullivan Family Endowment Fund
  • Ensure fair and equitable adjudication of ITA
  • Coordinate FSBI-AFS Fellows Program (Sarah Borsetti)
  • Grant Bern Megrey World Fisheries Congress Travel Awards (Bob Hughes)

Contribute to AFS

  • Host international symposium at AFS 2023 (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
  • Support new AFS student chaper from Nigeria (Victor Awugo)
  • Represent international members to AFS

 

Vision for IFS

The IFS’ influential position on the global stage and the capacity of the section to facilitate international collaboration can be leveraged to amplify voices of less visible regions, communities, and demographics within the fisheries sector. An important challenge in fisheries today is to understand the contributions and unique challenges faced by women (both as participants in the fishing industry and as researchers), and to integrate this information into research and development. International frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries have both highlighted gender equity as a critical goal for the future of fisheries. In my role as president of the IFS of AFS, I would focus on building the section’s capacity to support that goal. This could proceed through outreach activities geared towards building gender parity in membership, facilitating connection and collaboration among international members who share the common goal of interrogating fisheries from a gender perspective (network building), and organizing a gender-oriented thematic section for the 2023 AFS meeting in Grand Rapids and/or the 2024 World Fisheries Congress. This focus intersects with and builds on past presidential initiatives to facilitate international collaboration and engagement, and dovetails with the focus on accessibility for Indigenous Peoples proposed for 2021-22. In addition to the above, I remain committed to enhancing core IFS activities including representing international members to AFS, building on existing international partnerships, administering awards and travel supports, and contributing to organizing the 2024 World Fisheries Congress in Seattle, Washington.