Articles

By Brian Murphy, AFS President I consider him, inch for inch and pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims. —James A. Henshall, Book of the Black Bass Wednesday, 6 June, 1883, Cooper Institute in New York American Fish Culturists’ Association (AFCA) President George Shepard Page called the 12th Annual Meeting to order. In its first decade, […]

By Jesse T. Trushenski, James D. Bowker, Gary E. Whelan, and Jeff A. Heindel Like fisheries science itself, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) began with fish culture when the pioneers of North American fish propagation amazed the public with their ability to coax food and fishing opportunities from pails of eggs and wriggling fry. Once considered a novelty or […]

By Lauren Zatkos, Christina A. Murphy, Amanda Pollock, Brooke E. Penaluna, J. Andres Olivos, Emilee Mowlds, Christine Moffitt, Michael Manning, Christina Linkem, Lisa Holst, A. Brent Cárdenas, and Ivan Arismendi 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, […]

By Daniel Shaw William E. Meehan, my great‐great‐grandfather, had both professional accomplishment and humiliation as he served from 1910 to 1911 as the American Fisheries Society’s 30th President (https://bit.ly/3cT9Cqx). He was a contemporary of Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, and like them, embraced civic engagement, outdoor adventure, and the emerging conservation ethic of their shared era. […]

By Gary E. Whelan, Diana M. Day, John M. Casselman, Laura Gephart, Carolyn J. Hall, James Lichatowich, Michael Matylewich, Leandro Miranda, Leanne Roulson, Patrick D. Shirey, Norman Mercado-Silva, John Waldman, and Drue Winters The historical context of current environmental conditions offers vital guidance to North American fisheries professionals as they strive to develop effective management plans and policies. […]

By Mary Webb Banning During the 130th AFS Annual Meeting in 2000, two long‐time American Fisheries Society members, Kenneth Beal and Gene Fritz, presented the idea of an innovative, hands‐on high school summer internship program, sponsored by AFS, to the Governing Board. The internship was designed to help recruit and introduce high school students from […]

By Christina A. Murphy, Lauren Zatkos, Kelsi Antonelli, A. Brent Cárdenas, Christina Linkem, Michael Manning, Juan Andres Olivos, Brooke E. Penaluna, Amanda Pollock, and Ivan Arismendi In light of the profound influence that women have had in fisheries science and AFS, we recognize contributions of some of the historical mothers of fishes and AFS, in keeping with the theme of “The Father of All […]

By Rowshyra A. Castañeda, Colleen M. M. Burliuk, John M. Casselman, Steven J. Cooke, Karen M. Dunmall, L. Scott Forbes, Caleb T. Hasler, Kimberly L. Howland, Jeffrey A. Hutchings, Geoff M. Klein, Vivian M. Nguyen, Michael H. H. Price, Andrea J. Reid, James D. Reist, John D. Reynolds, Alexander Van Nynatten, and Nicholas E. Mandrak To celebrate the American Fisheries Society 150th anniversary, we present a brief history of Canadian […]

By James B. Reynolds and Jan C. Dean Electrofishing may be broadly defined as the use of electricity to capture or control fish. The concept began on October 26, 1863, when Isham Baggs of Islington, Middlesex County, England, applied for a patent entitled Improvements in the Means of and Apparatus for Paralysing, Capturing or Killing Fish, Birds […]

By Christine Moffitt, Robert M. Hughes, Doug Austen, Tom Bigford, Beth Beard, Dan Cassidy, and Aaron Lerner In this paper, we highlight the growth, professional involvement, and impact of AFS over the past 25 years. This increment follows summaries of the years 1970 to 1995, provided by Mary Frye and John Gottschalk on the occasion of the AFS 125th Anniversary (Frye […]

By Scott Bonar, AFS President On our wall at home hangs a cracked, faded, large old painting. It depicts a mariner in a U.S. Navy uniform from the 19th century, standing on a ship’s deck in front of a mast. He wears a blue uniform adorned with two rows of gold buttons and epaulets. His […]

By Brian R. Murphy, AFS President Elect Most people primarily associate the family name Roosevelt with 20th century U.S. presidents: Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt Jr. (two terms, 1901–1909) and his distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt (who is also known as FDR and served four terms, 1933–1945). But decades before Teddy charged to fame with his Rough […]

By Brian Murphy, President Elect, American Fisheries Society This year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the American Fisheries Society. President Scott Bonar’s theme for our sesquicentennial celebrations is, appropriately, “Learning from the past, meeting challenges of the present, advancing to a sustainable future.” In that spirit, this periodic series will explore some […]

By Gwen White, Julie Claussen, Christine Moffitt, Brenda Norcross, and Donna Parrish Dr. J Frances Allen—Jady to those who knew and loved her—a pioneer of women’s involvement in the field of fisheries, passed away on February 11, 2011. The combined talents of Jady and her sister, Lochie Jo Allen (of Front Royal, Virginia), significantly influenced the development of scientific publications […]

by Christine M. Moffitt, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho with graphic design by Tracy M. Akin, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho © 2001 American Fisheries Society The 131-year history of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) reflects the changes in the social and geographical history of North America. […]

THE PURPOSE of this paper is to update the published history of the American Fisheries Society (AFS). The early years of the AFS have been extensively covered by Thompson, Benson, and Hutton in A Century of Fisheries in North America, published by the Society in its centennial year, 1970. Here, we cover the 25-year period […]