MEETING UPDATE / POSTPONEMENT: Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases associated with the Omicron variant, the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (TCAFS) is being postponed from February 3-5, 2022 to May 17-19, 2022. If you have a prior commitment or scheduling conflict that necessitates you withdraw from the meeting or shift from in-person to virtual (or vice versa), contact Sarah Robertson [Secretary-Treasurer, Sarah.Robertson@tpwd.texas.gov, (512) 754-6844] any time prior to the May 4th registration deadline to obtain a refund or to adjust your registration fees. If you need to cancel your reservation, contact Jessica Bombach [Mo-Ranch Sales and Guest Services Liaison, jrbombach@moranch.com, (800) 460-4401 x237]. Alice Best [Program Chair, Alice.Best@tpwd.texas.gov, (979) 272-1430 x224] can be contacted to withdraw abstracts for technical presentations.

MEETING OVERVIEW

The 2022 Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (TCAFS) will be held May 17-19, 2022 at Mo-Ranch Resort and Conference Center on the banks of the North Fork Guadalupe River in the scenic Texas Hill Country.

Live streaming of the meeting will be offered via Microsoft Teams for those who choose the virtual attendance option. Due to technical limitations, the interactive experience for virtual participants will be limited to the Microsoft Teams chat function, which will be used to relay questions to speakers. For an optimal meeting experience, TCAFS encourages in-person attendance. Those who register to participate virtually will receive a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation via email in advance of the meeting.

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

TCAFS is committed to following best practices to avoid and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. TCAFS will continue to monitor status and trends of the COVID-19 pandemic and will adapt as needed. A virtual participation option is being made available. For the in-person participation option, meals, networking events and refreshment breaks will be held outdoors, as weather allows. Additionally, when possible, doors and windows will remain open in the main auditorium during the plenary and technical sessions. Masks and hand sanitizer stations will be available for attendees. As meeting planners make attempts to minimize the potential transmission of the COVID-19 virus, in-person attendees should be prepared spend much of the meeting in the outdoors or in an open-air setting.

MEETING LODGING

THE DEADLINE FOR SECURING LODGING IS MAY 4, 2022.

Mo-Ranch will provide lodging for meeting attendees and their guests. Lodging consists of hotel-style accommodations with most rooms offering two queen-size beds. Lodging will be available at the government rate of $96 per room. Students are encouraged to apply for TCAFS travel awards (see application instructions provided below), which will be awarded competitively and specifically support lodging costs.

Reservations must be made by calling the Mo-Ranch front desk at (800) 460-4401. Reference room block #9559 (American Fisheries Society / Texas Parks and Wildlife).

If you plan to share a room with other meeting attendees or guests, please be prepared to provide Mo-Ranch with the names of your roommate(s) when you call to make a reservation. As indicated below under “Meals,” each meeting attendee or guest will need to communicate to Mo-Ranch their desired meal plan for the meeting and ensure a credit card is on file for the advanced food purchase. This can be accomplished by communicating the meal plan for your family members or guests who may be staying with you upon making a lodging reservation or by ensuring that your roommate also calls Mo-Ranch to secure a meal plan even though a lodging reservation may have been made by another attendee.

MEALS

THE DEADLINE FOR SECURING A MEAL PLAN IS MAY 4, 2022.

Mo-Ranch will serve meals for meeting attendees and their guests in Mo-Ranch’s King Dining Hall and River Pavilion. Meal plans (i.e., the specific meals you plan to consume while at Mo-Ranch) must be arranged with Mo-Ranch when securing lodging (see instructions provided above). Special dietary options (e.g., vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free) are available upon request but must be communicated to Mo-Ranch.

The cost of meals will be charged (to credit cards on file with Mo-Ranch) on May 5th in order for Mo-Ranch to purchase bulk food in preparation for the meeting. Meals costs will be itemized on attendee receipts from Mo-Ranch as daily meals provided during the meeting at a cost of $9.80 (breakfast), $13.00 (lunch), and $15.00 (dinner). Please note that meals cannot be refunded after they are billed.

STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS IS DECEMBER 10, 2021.

TCAFS is actively fundraising with prospective donors to support student travel awards, which will cover the cost of student lodging at the 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting. The total number of student travel awards to be awarded is contingent upon available funding. All current graduate and undergraduate students (as of the spring 2022 semester) are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday, December 10th. Applicants will be notified of a decision in January 2022.

Click here to apply for a TCAFS Student Travel Award. Be prepared to answer the question (in 250 words or less), “How will attendance at the 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting contribute to your professional development goals and career aspirations?”

MEETING PROGRAM

The full meeting program is available here

Click here for the 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting Schedule-at-a-Glance.

MEETING REGISTRATION

THE DEADLINE FOR MEETING REGISTRATION IS MAY 4, 2021.

Meeting registration cost for in-person attendees is $125 for professionals and $65 for students. Meeting registration cost for virtual attendees is $34 for professionals and $25 for students.

Click here for the online 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting Registration Form.

Click here for the paper 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting Registration Form.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

THE DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS IS DECEMBER 17, 2021.

Abstracts for oral and poster presentations are requested for the 2022 TCAFS Annual Meeting. To submit an abstract and be considered for the technical program, please click here. Be prepared to provide the following information:

Author name(s): (presenting author should be noted with an *)
Presentation type: (oral or poster … please indicate whether you are willing to present the data in the alternative format if requested)
Contact information: (affiliation, street address, city, state, zip code, telephone number, and email address)
Presentation title:
Abstract: (Single paragraph, 300-word maximum length)

In addition, please indicate your intentions for the presentation in the 2022 TCAFS Proceedings (abstract-only or manuscript), and indicate whether the presenter is a STUDENT or PROFESSIONAL. To be considered a student presenter, you must be enrolled at the time the abstract is submitted. PROFESSIONAL presenters, please indicate your willingness to judge student presentations. Oral presentations should be prepared as a 15-minute presentation (with 5-minutes for open discussion) using MS PowerPoint®. Poster presentations must include presenting and/or lead author’s name and institution. Posters must not exceed 48” in any dimension.

SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS, AND DONATIONS

ALL EXHIBITOR BOOTHS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED BY APRIL 27, 2022

A highlight of our annual meeting is awarding academic scholarships to our future fisheries professionals. To finance these scholarships, we hold a raffle and auction held during the meeting. Merchandise, artwork, services, vacations, and guided fishing and hunting trips donated by individuals and businesses have made these fund-raising events possible over the past years. The continued growth of the student awards and scholarships program is dependent upon the success of this event.

Please consider contributing to our fund-raising efforts. Any item or service you donate would greatly benefit our organization as we strive to improve the quality of management of our waters and biological communities. Note that your contributions are tax deductible.

There are three ways you can help. First, if you are marketing services or products that you feel may be of interest to fisheries professionals, please consider setting up an exhibition or information booth at the trade show. Second, you can elect to sponsor the meeting. These sponsorships contribute directly to various student scholarships, student travel expenses, and student housing during the meeting. Third, you can make a monetary or product donation to the meeting’s auctions and raffle.

Click here for the Exhibitor, Sponsor or Supporting Donation Form.

Click here for the Sponsorship Levels and Exhibitor Information Form.