AFS Roots: Emmeline Moore, All Things to All Fishes

As we reflect on the rich history of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), no greater inspiration emerges than the pioneering figure of our 47th President, Emmeline Moore. In addition to serving as AFS’s first female President, her groundbreaking research in the fields of aquatic ecology, fish health, and watershed‐based ecosystems irrevocably shaped fisheries research and management. She led the fisheries bureau of the New York State Conservation Department (NYSCD), reminiscing “I had to be all things to all fishes.” Moore was similarly broad in her service to AFS, as is demonstrated by her participation in more than a dozen diverse committees throughout her tenure with AFS, providing consistent high‐level expertise, synthesis, and leadership. From award‐winning presentations to regular donations to Society funds, her legacy reveals a mixture of brilliance, talent, and dedication to fisheries and to AFS. With over 25 first‐author publications, Moore broke boundaries as the first woman to publish in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (TAFS), and later the first woman in the United States to publish a paper on fish diseases. Moore not only strengthened the Society, but fisheries science as a whole….Read more in the August 2020 issue of Fisheries.