The 2023 Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Fisheries Society will be held March 7th – March 9th 2022 in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. The meeting will be held at The Lodge at Henry Horton State Park.

 

A Reminder from AFS

The Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee (EPCC) wants to remind you that we have a code of conduct for our meetings and AFS-sponsored functions, whether virtual or in person. Please take the time to read this brief document and reach out with any questions you have. We are working to build awareness of this policy to ensure that all AFS-related gatherings are a respectful and inclusive experience for everyone.

The AFS Meetings Code of Conduct can be viewed here.

 

 

Registration & Rates

Due by Friday, February 10th, 2023

Visit https://tnafs.square.site/ to register.

or send a check to:

Shawna Fix
1031 Tiberius Way
Murfreesboro, TN 37128

If paying by check, please indicate in the subject line what is being paid for.

Please remember to also pay your annual dues of $10.

If anyone has registration questions or financial concerns (especially students), please contact Shawna Fix at Shawna@southeastaquatics.net.

Registration Rates:

• Professional: $70 through February 10, $85 thereafter
• Student and Retiree: $40 through February 10, $45 thereafter

Issues registering or paying through the square store? E-mail Shawna@southeastaquatics.net

 

 

Lodging

HOTEL RESERVATION CUTOFF is Friday, January 20th, 2023

A rate of $86.40 per standard double room (government rate), $90.90 per motel room, and $99.90 per suite has been negotiated with The Lodge at Henry Horton State Park when you mention the reference below. You MUST make a phone reservation as they do not have reservations using the negotiated rate set up through their website for this meeting. Please call the following number:

Phone: (931)364-2222 or 1-888-TN-PARKS

Reference: TN Chapter of the American Fisheries Society 2023 or use code 4717

Address: 4201 Nashville Highway, Chapel Hill, TN 37034

 

 

2023 TNAFS Tentative Meeting Schedule

Monday, March 6

There is a block of rooms set aside for members on March 6th that are attending workshops on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, March 7

7:30 – 5:30    Registration open
8:00 – 12:00 Workshop I: Mussel Identification
1:00 – 4:30    Workshop II: Fish Photography
6:00 – TBD   Informal Social (invasive carp fish fry at Cabin #5 in the park)

Wednesday, March 8

7:30 – 5:00    Registration open
8:00 – 11:30  Workshop III: Microsoft Excel for Fisheries Professionals
8:00 – 11:30 Student Professional Development Workshop
1:00 – 6:30    Oral and Poster Presentations, Business Meeting
6:30 – 10:00  Banquet, Auction, Awards

Thursday, March 9

9:00 – 3:00 Oral Presentations Continued
3:00 Meeting Adjourned

 

 

Continuing Education Workshops

TNAFS is proud to offer four continuing education courses at our annual meeting this year! Courses can be signed up for at our Square Store https://tnafs.square.site/

 

Please see the below options:

• Tuesday morning 8:00am – 12:00pm – Mussel Identification ($25)
• Tuesday afternoon 1:00 – 4:30pm – Fish Photography ($25)
• Wednesday morning 8:00 – 11:30am – Microsoft Excel for Fisheries Professionals ($25)
• Wednesday morning 8:00 – 11:30am – Student Professional Development (FREE)

 

Mussel Identification (Tuesday 8:00am-12:00pm)

Instructor: Amanda Rosenberger, Gerry Dinkins, Kristin Womble

This course will focus on both the ecology and identification of Tennessee freshwater mussels. The first portion of the workshop will be in the classroom, and the last hour will be an excursion to a field site located within the park to find and identify shells, weather-permitting. Please email Amanda Rosenberger at arosenberger@tntech.edu if you plan to attend and what region you expect to work in so that the workshop may highlight those species. 

 

Fish Photography (Tuesday 1:00-4:30pm)

Instructor: Todd Amacker, Jon Michael Mollish

Are you interested in using photography as a conservation tool? With the challenges facing aquatic biodiversity in the American Southeast, it’s important that biologists engage the public regarding aquatic species that deserve attention and protection. Attendees will learn techniques for how to photograph fish using a ‘field studio’ technique. They will also learn about what gear works best to attain the most impactful images, what camera settings to utilize, and tips for using software for post-processing. For best results, attendees are strongly encouraged to bring a digital camera. If possible, participants should bring a laptop with image editing software (Photoshop,LightRoom, GIMP). Learn how to put the spotlight on aquatic species and their habitats on the Duck River!

 

Microsoft Excel for Fisheries Professionals (Wednesday 8-11:30am)

Instructor: Jack Van Deventer

Fisheries data is complex and cumulative, and reporting needs are constantly changing.  The good news is that Microsoft Excel is enormously powerful, and Microsoft is adding impressive functionality each year.  How can you leverage Excel’s power to save you valuable time and expand your research findings?  That’s what this workshop is all about.  We’ll review fundamentals of Excel, show how to overcome common challenges in fisheries analytics, and provide exposure for advanced techniques.

 

Student Professional Development (FREE) (Wednesday morning 8:00-11:30am)

This FREE course will allow students to meet with professionals to learn about different aspects of fisheries employment in the state of Tennessee. Various, state, federal and non-profit organizations will be present to answer any questions and help give guidance on how to obtain future employment. Please sign up for this course in the Square store if you plan on attending so that we can get an accurate head count, and plan to bring a draft resume/CV if you wish to receive feedback from the instructors.

 

 

Symposium

The Tennessee Chapter of the American Fisheries Society will be hosting a special symposium session with select talks focusing on “Fish Health – The Big Picture”. The 2023 symposium talks will focus on all aspects of fish health at all levels, from the individual to the population to the health of the habitat or environment. A broad range of presentations concerning or affecting fish health are encouraged, such as disease treatment and control in hatcheries or the wild, case studies of fish health issues, impacts on populations from invasive species, conservation genetics, and managing “sick” habitats. We hope for a diversity of submissions from agency, NGO, and university members.

We strongly encourage submissions to be included in this symposium, but the meeting will also feature presentations outside the scope of the symposium topic.

Presentation Details

• Oral Presentations – Speakers will be given 15 minutes for talks (including time for questions and/or discussion).
• Poster Presentations – The poster session will be held after the business meeting on Wednesday March 8th.
  • Presenters will be provided with tacks or tape in which to hang their posters.

 

 

Abstracts

Deadline to submit abstracts is February 10, 2023. We are accepting abstracts for both oral and poster presentations. Oral presentations should be no more than 15 minutes total, including 5 minutes for questions.

•  Student presenters are invited to compete for the Best Student Paper and Poster Awards (1st and 2nd prizes for both)
• Professional presenters are invited to compete for the 4th annual Best Symposium Paper and Poster Awards (bragging rights and resume boosters for both winners)

Abstract Submission

Please submit your abstract as a MS Word document to tennesseeafs@gmail.com. Please follow these instructions for submission:

• In the email subject line, please enter TNAFS2023: followed by the author names in your abstract (e.g., TNAFS2023 EarpHolliday)
• Use the same name for the abstract file (e.g., TNAFS2023 EarpHolliday).
• Please include the associated information requested below with the abstract:

Abstract Format

Abstract word limit is 250 words and should include the following information:

Presenter: Wyatt Earp
Email: Wyatt.Earp@arizona.gov
Author(s): Earp, W.B.1 and D. Holliday2,
1Affiliation with address (e.g. O.K. Corral University, 326 E Allen St, Tombstone, AZ 85638)
2Affiliation with address

Title: I’m Your Huckleberry
Abstract: 250 word maximum
Student Presentation: No or Yes
Presentation type: Oral or Poster
Would you like to be considered for symposium? Yes or No
Are you willing to be a judge? Yes or No
If so, oral presentation or poster?

Contact President-Elect, Meredith Harris, Meredith.hayes.harris@gmail.com, with any questions

 

 

Officer Nominations

The Tennessee Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is soliciting nominations for the following Chapter officer positions:

• President-elect

Send nominations to President, Justin Wolbert, jrwolbert@tva.gov by February 10, 2023.

 

 

Award Nominations

Our membership is full of dedicated professionals, and it’s time to recognize them for their efforts. Please review the award criteria below and send nominations to Kristin Irwin kirwin@tntech.edu by January 27, 2023. Applications should be limited to one page.

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Nominee should either be retired or within five years of retirement and have had a long history of significant contributions.

Outstanding Fisheries Scientist

• To be bestowed on the biologist in their early to mid-career for making significant contributions in the past year or over several years.

Distinguished Service Award

• To be bestowed on individuals that served as a Chapter officer for more than five years or served the chapter as chair of a long-standing Chapter committee for more than five years.

Friends of Fisheries Award

• This award shall be made to non-Chapter member(s) who have distinguished themselves by service or commitment to the Chapter or the fisheries resources of Tennessee.

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