American Fisheries Society Meeting In Phoenix

      Southwestern fisheries is a featured topic at the American Fisheries Society 131st Annual Meeting at the Phoenix Civic Plaza and Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Phoenix Aug. 19-23.           Featuring the theme “2001: A Fisheries Odyssey—The Journey of Science and Education Continues,” the meeting is expected to draw nearly 1,500 international fisheries scientists and include over 500 technical papers and poster presentations.

      Several symposia will address southwestern regional fisheries issues — the Colorado River; conservation biology, genetics, and management of fisheries of the Southwest and Mexico; native fish management; fisheries of the Southwest and the Sea of Cortez; the San Pedro River; water use and demand; and riparian management.

      The plenary session on Monday will begin with American Fisheries Society President Carl Burger’s multimedia presentation. Phil Pister, executive secretary of the Desert Fishes Council and an authority on native fish issues in the Southwest, will review past errors in conservation and management decisions and discuss new and innovative ideas and strategies for conservation biology.

      Eleanor Towns, regional forester for the southwestern region of the USDA Forest Service, will provide a unique perspective of the future from a land-management point of view.

      The keynote speaker, Ernest Neimi, is vice president and project manager at EcoNorthwest and specializes in applying the principles of cost–benefit analysis to the problems of economic valuation and decision-making, with a focus on the relationship between regional economies and the environment. He will show how important the economics of natural resources are to conservation biology.

List of Symposia:

·        Aquaculture in the 21st Century

·        Changes in Fish Community Structure in Large U.S. Rivers: Status of Native Species, Research, and Management

·        The Colorado River: a Case History of Aquatic Habitat Change, Declining Native Fisheries, and Increasing Exotic Species

·        Conservation Biology, Genetics, and Management of Fishes from the Southwest and Mexico

·        Creeping Crayfish!

·        Danger Ahead: Native Fish Management Bad and Getting Worse

·        Defining and Assessing Adverse Environmental Impact

·        Fisheries in a Changing Climate

·        Fisheries of the Southwest and Sea of Cortez

·        Fisheries Sustainability in North America

·        New Methods for Analyzing Historic Fisheries Data to Produce Stock Assessment Estimates

·        Partnerships in Tribal Fisheries—A Basis for Fishery Success in the 21st Century

·        Quantitative Methods in Fisheries Science

·        Riparian Management: Recurrent Issues & Contemporary Solutions

·        The Role of Parasites and Disease in Aquatic Ecosystems

·        The San Pedro River: Bi-national Drainage in Peril

·        Scientific Writing: The Artery of Research Communication and How to Increase Your Circulation

·        Special Regulations and Sport Fishing: The Promise of Science Lost?

·        Use of Acoustic Technology to Monitor Fish Populations in Large Rivers

·        Water Use and Demand: Managing a Scarce Resource

·        You Win Some, You Lose Some: The Costs and Benefits of Litigation in Fishery Management

      The meeting will also feature a trade show of 60 fisheries-related product and service providers, AFS business meetings, and various section meetings related to specific disciplines within the fisheries science field. Large aquariums filled with native fish will be on view at the Civic Plaza. More information, including abstracts and presentation times for all papers, is available online at www.fisheries.org.

            Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society is the world’s oldest and largest society for fisheries professionals. Its mission is to promote the conservation, development, and wise utilization of fisheries.