Fisheries Volume 32 No. 3 - American Fisheries Society

Fisheries 

MarCH 2007 

VoL 32 No 3 

American Fisheries Society • www.fisheries.org 

Development of a 

Carcass analog for 

Nutrient restoration in Streams 

The Clear-water Paradox of 

aquatic Ecosystem restoration 

Proportional angling Success: 

an alternative approach to 

representing angling Success 

Fish News 

Legislative Update 

Journal Highlights 

Calendar 

Job Center 

Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org 105

Discovering the Painted Crayfish 

Photos courtesy of 

Ashley Frisch. 

Painted crayfish Panulirus versicolor (above) are 

widely exploited throughout the coral reefs of the Indo- 

Pacific region, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. 

They command a high price but relatively little is 

known about their biology and population dynamics. 

Ashley Frisch, at James Cook University, (photo lower 

right) is beginning to unlock some of the painted 

crayfish’s secrets. His studies first required a technique 

to identify individuals. Ashley tested NMT’s injectable 

Visible Implant Elastomer tags and found them to be 

highly suitable (1) (photo top right). By using a 

combination of tag colors and locations, he devised a 

system for identifying up to 30,000 individuals. 

Ashley’s work now focuses on the population dynamics 

of the painted crayfish. He found that male crayfish live 

in coral reef dens. If the den is large enough for more 

Northwest Marine Technology, Inc. 

www.nmt.us Shaw Island, Washington, USA 

Corporate Office 

360.468.3375 office@nmt.us 

than one crayfish, the male can attract females to share 

his den. Ashley’s work also revealed that males with 

the largest dens can attract more than one female and 

increase their reproductive potential. Males with dens 

large enough to attract females must fastidiously defend 

them from other male crayfish, about one third of the 

population, that don’t have dens large enough to share 

with a female. These “bachelor” males constantly roam 

the reef searching for a better den. 

NMT is delighted to advise on projects and to help set 

up tagging programs, anywhere in the world. Please 

contact us if we can help with yours. 

(1) Frisch, A.J. and J.A. Hobbs. 2006. Long-term retention of internal 

elastomer tags in a wild population of painted crayfish (Panulirus versicolor 

[Latreille]) on the Great Barrier Reef. J. Exp. Marine Biol. and Ecol. 

339:104-110. 

Biological Services 

360.596.9400 biology@nmt.us 

106 Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org

114 129 125 

FeAtureS 

114 Fish Habitat 

Development of a Carcass Analog 

for Nutrient Restoration in 

Streams 

Decline in the abundance of salmon 

has resulted in reduction of marinederived 

nutrients distributed to 

aquatic communities. A new product 

for restoring nutrients to food-limited 

streams is described. 

Todd N. Pearsons 

Dennis D. Roley 

Christopher L. Johnson 

129 Fisheries Management 

Proportional Angling Success: 

An Alternative Approach to 

Representing Angling Success 

Proportional angling success 

(PAS) may better enable fisheries 

biologists to measure the success of 

their management and ultimately 

contribute to improved management 

of recreational sport fisheries. 

Paul E. Bailey 

Cover: Assessing angling success is important to 

recreational fisheris management. 

Credit: Doug Stamm / stammphoto.com 

eSSAy 

125 Fish Habitat 

The Clear-water Paradox of 

Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration 

A “clear-water paradox” of aquatic 

ecosystem restoration currently exists 

due to conflicting regulatory policies and 

societal desire for maintenance of crystal 

clear waters and restoration of salmonid 

populations. 

Paul J. Anders and Ken I. Ashley 

ColumnS 

108 President’s Hook 

On the Changing Art of Science 

The dry language of science is not sufficient for 

communicating important issues to the public, 

especially in an Internet age. 

Jennifer L. Nielsen 

138 Director’s Line 

Visit to Pakistan 

The first official visit by an AFS executive 

director to a 

Pakistan fisheries 

meeting results 

138 in new ties 

and a better 

understanding of 

global fisheries 

issues. 

Gus Rassam 

DepArtmentS 

110 Fisheries News 

111 Update: 

Legislation and Policy 

112 Journal Highlights: 

NAJFM 

136 AFS Officer Candidate 

Statements 

139 News: 

AFS Units 

141 Final Call for 

Award Nominations 

144 Obituary 

Richard Aiden Martin 

145 Publications: 

Book Reviews and New Titles 

148 Calendar: 

2007 Fisheries Events 

150 Update: 

AFS 2007 

Annual Meeting 

152 

Job Center 

154 

150 

Advertising Index 


Column: 

preSIDent’S HooK 

Many of you may have read 

by now the recent Oikos article 

“How to Write Consistently Boring 

Scientific Literature” by Kaj Sand- 

Jensen (2007). This delightful and 

thought-provoking paper discusses 

how to turn a gifted writer into a 

dull scientist. The author quotes 

Erik Ursin, a fish biologist: “Hell—is 

sitting on a hot stone reading your 

own scientific publications.” I tend 

to generally agree with this assessment. 

“Unbearably boring” is a 

phrase frequently used to describe 

scientific literature by folks outside 

of our specialized disciplines. Why 

is it that scientists, people who 

frequently lead incredibly dramatic 

and often romantic lives, who know 

absolutely that they are right on 

whatever issue they presume to 

discuss, a group people with completely 

uncontrollable characters 

(herding cats is the term frequently 

used by managers), choose to write 

so dryly? The poetic irony lies in our 

absolute need to communicate as 

scientists; it is our life-blood, and 

the cursive language we use to meet 

that need. Put simply by Gopen and 

Swan (1990), “Science is often hard 

to read.” The tyranny of jargon and 

artificial style imposed by published 

scientific literature leaves a huge gap 

on the Changing Art of Science 

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; 

Our meddling intellect 

Misshapes the beauteous forms of things; 

We murder to dissect. 

William Wordsworth 

(The Tables Turned) 

in the public understanding of science 

and the ability of scientists to 

pursue interests outside of their own 

discipline or a focused perspective 

that might be tied in unique ways to 

their own work. 

Clearly a scientific paper would 

not exist without some interpretation 

by the writer. But it is more 

difficult to get scientists to understand 

that this same document 

would not exist without an equally 

viable interpretation by the reader. 

There has been significant recent 

controversy over high profile journals 

like Science and Nature regarding 

peer review and scientific integrity in 

fisheries publications (Hilborn 2006) 

and the response in letters to the 

editor in the 2007 February issue of 

Fisheries (32[2]:90-93). The changing 

face of high profile scientific journals 

is not limited to editorial decisions 

on the publication of controversial 

scientific findings. It also includes 

the publication of new links and 

pathways that bridge science with 

art and culture, primarily focused 

on the entertainment of scientists. 

One activity both Nature and Science 

have adopted is the publication of 

popular reviews of scientific policy 

and book reviews of fiction linked to 

science issues at the forefront of re- 

Jennifer L. Nielsen 

AFS President Nielsen 

can be contacted at 

jlnielsen@usgs.gov. 

search. In case you have not noticed, 

these articles come in the form of 

columns at the end of the news features 

and correspondence section of 

the journals. These reviews and essays 

are often written by scientists or 

journalists whose interests cross over 

from science into art, culture, poetry, 

or fiction. The review of the 2006 

publication Contemporary Poetry 

and Contemporary Science edited by 

R. Crawford (Ackerman 2007) and 

an essay on “Biology’s Next Revolution” 

(Goldenfeld and Woese 2007) 

stimulated my intellectual curiosity. 

Nature’s book review of a recent 

German international best-selling 

science fiction novel on intelligent 

life in the deep sea who finally try to 

get even through interspecific warfare 

(Schatzing 2006) sent me right 

to Amazon.com, with four enjoyable 

days on the beach in Hawaii occasionally 

checking the waves for toxic 

vent crabs. 

The integration of science across 

disciplines and the need for communication 

outside the box are opening 

up synoptic links that previously may 

have seemed against the grain in science. 

I think this trend to “readable” 

science and new bridges built between 

science and popular culture in scientific 

publications can be traced to the electronic 

communication medium and the 

Internet. Grassroots organizations like 

Coalition on the Public Understanding 

of Science (COPUS; www.ucmp. 

berkeley.edu/COPUS/index.php) provide 

electronic consortia linking universities, 

scientific societies, science advocacy 

groups, science media, science educators, 

businesses, and industry. COPUS 

sponsors scientific outreach links, 

often bilingual, that use web casts and 

Continued on page 147 



neWS: 

FISHerIeS 

Countries agree to combat illegal 

fishing 

During the 27th meeting of United Nations 

Food and Agriculture Organization's 

Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in March, 

the first steps were taken toward a binding 

international agreement establishing control 

measures in ports where fish is landed, transshipped, 

or processed in order to combat 

illegal fishing. Additional consultations will 

be held in 2007 and 2008 to generate a 

draft version of the agreement, which will 

then be presented to COFI for final approval 

at the body's next meeting in 2009. 

The proposed agreement will be based 

on a voluntary FAO model scheme which 

outlines recommended "port state" control 

measures. Port state controls include 

measures such as running background 

checks on boats prior to granting docking 

privileges and undertaking inspections in 

port to check documentation, cargos, and 

equipment. They are widely viewed as one 

of the best ways to fight illegal, unreported 

or unregulated fishing (IUU). Fishing without 

permission, catching protected species, using 

outlawed types of gear, or disregarding catch 

quotas are among the most common IUU 

fishing offences. FAO's model scheme also 

recommends training inspectors to increase 

their effectiveness and improving international 

information-sharing about vessels 

with a history of IUU activity in order to help 

authorities turn away repeat offenders. 

Farmed salmon risk to National Forest 

streams assessed 

A new report from the U.S. Forest Service, 

“Assessment of the Risk of Invasion of 

National Forest Streams in the Pacific Northwest 

by Farmed Atlantic Salmon,” evaluates 

the potential impact of farmed salmon on 

native fishes inhabiting streams on National 

Forest System lands and discusses whether 

concerns from both sides of the farmed-versus-wild 

fish debate have validity, based on 

an extensive literature review. The report was 

written by AFS member Peter Bisson, a staff 

scientist with the Forest Service Pacific Northwest 

Research Station in Olympia, Washington. 

The report concludes that breeding 

populations of escaped farm salmon are not 

known to presently exist on National Forest 

System lands, but the locations of Atlantic 

salmon farms and the sightings of escaped 

salmon indicate that streams on four 

national forests may be at risk: the Tongass 

and Chugach national forests in Alaska, and 

the Olympic and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie 

national forests in Washington. Atlantic 

salmon could transmit serious diseases or 

parasites to native fishes; eventually adapt 

to local conditions, leading to self-sustaining 

populations; and compete with already atrisk 

species, such as steelhead. The report is 

available at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/ 

pnw_gtr697.pdf. 

Panel recommends changes for Army 

Corps of Engineers 

The National Academy of Public Administration 

(NAPA) was commissioned by 

Congress to conduct an eight-month study 

of the Army Corps of Engineers, with emphasis 

on how the Corps prioritizes projects 

for construction. The report is available at 

www.napawash.org. The current policies 

employed by the Corps rely on a priority system 

that weighs the relative economic value 

of a project against its actual cost. In order 

for a project to be launched, its "benefitcost" 

ratio has to reach a certain level. The 

panel suggests that this narrow focus to the 

process is inadequate and must be broadened 

to incorporate public safety, environmental 

consequences, and other factors in 

addition to economic value. The panel also 

calls for the use of dedicated budget and 

planning procedures. The outcome should 

be to finance projects recognized as national 

priorities, such as the rebuilding of the New 

Orleans levee systems, to be undertaken 

without the danger of losing financial support 

before completion. 

"The Corps also needs to evaluate the 

potential impacts that projects may have on 

the surrounding environments," said AFS 

member Chuck Wilson, LSU vice provost, 

executive director of the Louisiana Sea Grant 

College Program and an advisor to the 

panel. "A particularly apt example of how 

the Corps’ lack of environmental planning 

can have a negative impact is the Mississippi 

River Gulf Outlet canal in New Orleans, 

which was perceived as a great idea on 

paper and was done for the right economic 

reasons at the time, but it eventually resulted 

in saltwater intrusion that damaged the 

adjacent wetlands." 

New species may be confused with 

white marlin 

In a recent article in the Bulletin of Marine 

Science, a team of scientists from the Guy 

Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern 

University and NOAA Fisheries Service's 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami 

has confirmed the existence of an enigmatic 

billfish species closely resembling the heavilyfished, 

overexploited white marlin. Known 

as the roundscale spearfish, the new billfish 

species has been found in the northwestern 

Atlantic Ocean, where its distribution overlaps 

that of the white marlin. 

“The existence of the roundscale spearfish 

was confirmed by analyzing the shape 

of its mid-body scales, which are slightly 

more rounded at one end compared to the 

scales of all other Atlantic billfish species, 

and by analyzing its DNA which turns out 

to be very different from other billfish species," 

says Mahmood Shivji, the article's lead 

author. 

"We don't know much about roundscale 

spearfish, particularly how abundant 

they are. If they are abundant and if 

they have been consistently misidentified 

as white marlin in the historical landings 

database of the International Commission 

for the Conservation of Atlantic 

Tunas (ICCAT), then white marlin population 

sizes may have been overestimated 

in past assessments," said AFS member 

Eric Prince of NOAA Fisheries Service and 

a co-author of the study. "This unexpected 

finding adds an unknown level 

of uncertainty to our previous estimates 

of white marlin population size, and 

certainly suggests that the magnitude of 

roundscale spearfish misidentification and 

possible 'contamination' of white marlin 

landings data need to be examined in 

greater detail." 


upDAte: 

leGISlAtIon AnD polICy 

AFS Officers Visit the Hill 

On 6 and 7 March, President Jennifer 

Nielsen and First Vice President Mary 

Fabrizio came to Washington, DC. 

to spend some time (along with Gus 

Rassam and myself) visiting with staff 

on Capitol Hill. Meetings were held 

with the House Resources Committee’s 

Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife 

and Oceans. Legislative staffer Jean 

Flemma and Knauss Fellow Jen 

Kassakian talked about the on-going 

process of Magnuson-Stevens Act 

(MSA) implementation, and their 

role in overseeing the process. The 

subcommittee is also focused on the 

issue of ocean acidification. 

Staff from Congressman Thompson’s 

(D-CA) office focused on West Coast 

issues, such as the upcoming dam 

removal on the Klamath River and 

the Trinity River Restoration Project. 

Officers encouraged Legislative Director 

Jonathan Birdsong and Knauss Fellow 

James Norman to visit the upcoming 

AFS Annual Meeting, as it will be held in 

San Francisco. 

Knauss Fellow Molly Jacobs spoke on 

behalf of Congressman Allen (D-ME), 

whose office is closely following MSA 

implementation. Senator Nelson’s (D-FL) 

Chief of Staff Pete Mitchell and Knauss 

Fellow Kassandra Cervney spoke with 

the officers about specific issues such as 

catch reporting in Florida. 

The final visit was to the office 

of Senator Cantwell (D-WA), where 

Knauss Fellow Jeffrey Watters addressed 

issues of interest in his office, such 

as upcoming hearings on ocean 

acidification and Coast Guard oversight. 

In turn, the officers informed all the 

staffers about the AFS Best Science 

publication, the upcoming Annual 

Meeting, and encouraged them to 

call the home office for assistance on 

gathering science that might help them 

craft stronger sustainable fisheries and 

environmental legislation. 

President’s FY2008 Budget 

Here are some highlights from this 

year’s federal budget proposal and some 

AFS comments on the budget: 

NOAA Fisheries 

• Supports NOAA’s request for 

an increase of $5.0 million 

for decision support tools for 

hurricane hazards and watershed 

influences. This increase supports 

one of the near-term priorities 

identified by the Ocean Research 

Priorities Plan (ORPP)—Response 

of Coastal Ecosystems to Persistent 

Forcing and Extreme Events. 

• Encourages the net increase of 

$3.85 million above the base as 

requested in the Protected Species 

Research and Management 

subactivity for a total of $165.1 

million. 

• Supports $3.0 million for 

development of a regulatory 

program for marine aquaculture 

in the U.S. Exclusive Economic 

Zone. This is called for in the 

Administration’s offshore 

aquaculture legislative proposal. 

• Supports the increase of $17.5 

million for Fisheries Research 

and Management Programs. It 

is important for NOAA Fisheries 

to begin to address the new and 

expanded requirements under 

the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management 

Reauthorization Act of 2006. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

• Supports the increased funding for 

Farm Bill Conservation Programs 

to $3.9 billion. As the Farm Bill 

goes through reauthorization, 

Jessica Geubtner 

AFS Policy Coordinator 

Geubtner can be contacted at 

jgeubtner@fisheries.org. 

continued support will be 

necessary to implement 

conservation programs in the bill. 

• Expresses concern with the $2.8 

billion funding level for FY 2008. 

While this is a slight increase from 

the FY 2007 estimate, it is still 

lower than funding in 2006. 

Department of the Interior 

• Notes strong concern about the 

President’s requested budget of 

$117.6 million for the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service Wildlife and 

Fisheries Habitat Management 

line item. This is a $13.8 million 

decrease from the FY 2007 

enacted budget, and marks a 

continued decline in funding 

over the past several years. AFS 

encourages the President to at 

least match the FY 2007 enacted 

funding level. 

• Strongly supports the 2008 

request for an increase of $3.0 

million for the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) role in the Ocean 

Action Plan, including $1.0 million 

that will also support the USGS 

hazards initiative. 

• Strongly supports the $492,000 

increase to the Cooperative 

Research Units. 

• Expresses appreciation to see 

increased support in addressing 

the very serious issue of aquatic 

invasive species. 

• Supports an increase of 

$559,000 in the Bureau of Land 

Management FY 2008 budget 

for Threatened and Endangered 

Species Management. 

• Supports an increase of $246,000 

for fisheries management 

programs. 


JournAl HIGHlIGHtS: 

nortH AmerICAn JournAl oF 

FISHerIeS mAnAGement 

Impacts of Early Stages of Salmon Supplementation 

and Reintroduction Programs 

on Three Trout Species. Todd N. Pearsons and 

Gabriel M. Temple, pages 1-20. 

[Management Brief] Evaluation of a Surface 

Flow Bypass System for Steelhead Kelt 

Passage at Bonneville Dam, Washington. 

Robert H. Wertheimer, pages 21-29. 

An Evaluation of Techniques Used to Index 

Recruitment Variation and Year-Class 

Strength. Michael C. Quist, pages 30-42. 

Stocking of Endangered Razorback Suckers 

in the Lower Colorado River Basin over 

Three Decades: 1974–2004. Jason D. Schooley 

and Paul C. Marsh, pages 43-51. 

Population Characteristics of Shovelnose 

Sturgeon in the Upper Wabash River, Indiana. 

Anthony J. Kennedy, Daniel J. Daugherty, 

Trent M. Sutton, and Brant E. Fisher, pages 

52-62. 

Population Dynamics and Angler Exploitation 

of the Unique Muskellunge Population 

in Shoepack Lake, Voyageurs National 

Park, Minnesota. Nick K. Frohnauer, Clay L. 

Pierce, and Larry W. Kallemeyn, pages 63-76. 

Simulated Effects of Recruitment Variability, 

Exploitation, and Reduced Habitat 

Area on the Muskellunge Population in 

Shoepack Lake, Voyageurs National Park, 

Minnesota. Nick K. Frohnauer, Clay L. Pierce, 

and Larry W. Kallemeyn, pages 77-88. 

[Management Brief] Gulf Sturgeon Movements 

in the Pearl River Drainage and 

the Mississippi Sound. Howard E. Rogillio, 

Ronald T. Ruth, Elizabeth H. Behrens, Cedric N. 

Doolittle, Whitney J. Granger, and James P. Kirk, 

89-95. 

[Management Brief] Survival and Tag Retention 

of Pacific Lamprey Larvae and Macrophthalmia 

Marked with Coded Wire Tags. 

Michael H. Meeuwig, Amy L. Puls, and Jennifer 

M. Bayer, pages 96-102. 

[Management Brief] Precision of Five Structures 

for Estimating Age of Common Carp. 

Quinton E. Phelps, Kris R. Edwards, and David 

W. Willis, pages 103-105. 

Using Multiple Gears to Assess Acoustic 

Detectability and Biomass of Fish Species in 

Lake Superior. Daniel L. Yule, Jean V. Adams, 

Jason D. Stockwell, and Owen T. Gorman, 

pages 106-126. 

Influence of Party Size and Trip Length on 

Angler Catch Rates on Oneida Lake, New 

York. Anthony J. VanDeValk, James R. Jackson, 

Scott D. Krueger, Thomas E. Brooking, and Lars 

G. Rudstam, pages 127-136. 

Relative Abundance, Site Fidelity, and Survival 

of Adult Lake Trout in Lake Michigan 

from 1999 to 2001: Implications for Future 

Restoration Strategies. Charles R. Bronte, 

Mark E. Holey, Charles P. Madenjian, Jory L. 

Jonas, Randall M. Claramunt, Patrick C. McKee, 

Michael L. Toneys, Mark P. Ebener, Brian Breidert, 

Guy W. Fleischer, Richard Hess, Archie W. 

Martell, Jr., and Erik J. Olsen, pages 137-155. 

Clove Oil Used at Lower Concentrations 

Is Less Effective than MS-222 at Reducing 

Cortisol Stress Responses in Anesthetized 

Rainbow Trout. Todd D. Sink, Richard J. 

Strange, and R. Eric Sawyers, pages 156-161. 

Electrofishing Capture Probability of Smallmouth 

Bass in Streams. Daniel C. Dauwalter 

and William L. Fisher, pages 162-171. 

[Management Brief] Backwater Immigration 

by Fishes through a Water Control 

Structure: Implications for Connectivity 

and Restoration. Douglas W. Schultz, James E. 

Garvey, and Ronald C. Brooks, pages 172-180. 

[Management Brief] Survival of Juvenile 

Rainbow Trout Passing through a Francis 

Turbine. Michel Dedual, pages 181-186. 

Estimated Sea Louse Egg Production from 

Marine Harvest Canada Farmed Atlantic 

Salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, British 

Columbia, 2003–2004. Craig Orr, pages 

187-197. 

Evaluating the Feasibility of Reestablishing 

a Coho Salmon Population in the Yakima 

River, Washington. William J. Bosch, Todd H. 

Newsome, James L. Dunnigan, Joel D. Hubble, 

Douglas Neeley, David T. Lind, David E. Fast, 

Linda L. Lamebull, and Joseph W. Blodgett, 

pages 198-214. 

[Management Brief] Distinguishing Centrarchid 

Genera by Use of Lateral Line Scales. 

Nathan M. Roberts, Charles F. Rabeni, and John 

S. Stanovick, pages 215-219. 

Genetic Analyses Provide Insight into the 

Early Ocean Stock Distribution and Survival 

of Juvenile Coho Salmon off the Coasts of 

Washington and Oregon. Donald M. Van 

Doornik, David J. Teel, David R. Kuligowski, 

Cheryl A. Morgan, and Edmundo Casillas, 

pages 220-237. 

Volume 27 

Issue 1 

February 2007 

to subscribe to AFS journals go to www.fisheries.org 

and click on publications/Journals. 

[Management Brief] Evidence That Lake 

Trout Served as a Buffer against Sea 

Lamprey Predation on Burbot in Lake Erie. 

Martin A. Stapanian and Charles P. Madenjian, 

pages 238-245. 

Use of Underwater Visual Distance 

Sampling for Estimating Habitat-Specific 

Population Density. Melissa Pink, Thomas C. 

Pratt, and Michael G. Fox, pages 246-255. 

Effects of Angling on Chinook Salmon 

for the Nicola River, British Columbia, 

1996–2002. Laura Cowen, Nicole Trouton, and 

Richard E. Bailey, pages 256-267. 

Interactions among Three Top-Level Predators 

in a Polymictic Great Plains Reservoir. 

Nathan W. Olson, Christopher S. Guy, and Keith 

D. Koupal, pages 268-278. 

Spiny Dogfish Mortality Induced by 

Gill-Net and Trawl Capture and Tag and 

Release. Roger A. Rulifson, pages 279-285. 

Accounting for Uncertainty in Estimates of 

Escapement Goals for Fraser River Sockeye 

Salmon Based on Productivity of Nursery 

Lakes in British Columbia, Canada. Karin M. 

Bodtker, Randall M. Peterman, and Michael J. 

Bradford, pages 286-302. 

Appropriateness of the Darroch Estimator 

for Monitoring Adult Chum Salmon 

on the Middle Yukon River, Alaska. Tevis J. 

Underwood, Judith A. Gordon, Michael J. Millard, 

Brian R. Lubinski, and Steve P. Klosiewski, 

pages 303-314. 

Competition between Hatchery-Raised Rio 

Grande Cutthroat Trout and Wild Brown 

Trout. Barak Shemai, Rossana Sallenave, and 

David E. Cowley, pages 315-325. 

Natural Landscape and Stream Segment 

Attributes Influencing the Distribution and 

Relative Abundance of Riverine Smallmouth 

Bass in Missouri. Shannon K. Brewer, 

Charles F. Rabeni, Scott P. Sowa, and Gust 

Annis, pages 326-341. 

A Regional and Geomorphic Reference for 

Quantities and Volumes of Instream Wood 

in Unmanaged Forested Basins of Washington 

State. Martin Fox and Susan Bolton, pages 

342-359. 

[Comment] A Computer Program for 

Age–Length Keys Incorporating Age Assignment 

to Individual Fish. Daniel Isermann 

and Carey Knight, page 360. 



FEAturE: 

FISH HABItAt 

development of a carcass Analog for 

nutrient restoration in Streams 

ABStRAct: Resource managers are becoming more interested in restoring nutrients 

to food-limited salmonid bearing streams, but all of the current approaches have some 

shortcomings. the objective of our work was to develop a nutrient restoration product 

that reduced these shortcomings. the product we developed, a carcass analog, was made 

from fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Spring creek Hatchery, 

Underwood, Washington. these fish were pasteurized during the process that dried the 

ground salmon carcasses into a fishmeal. No known fish pathogens were detected in the 

pasteurized product. the analogs were easy to transport and distribute throughout the 

stream channel, generally sank to the bottom, and were retained within the channel. 

Approximately half of the analog had dissolved or been eaten after being in streams two 

weeks, and the analog was almost gone after four weeks. We discuss other studies that 

have demonstrated that carcass analogs reproduce the main food pathways historically 

provided by salmon carcasses and contributed to productivity of resident and anadromous 

salmonids. Our evaluation indicates that the carcass analog is a viable candidate for stream 

nutrient restoration in food-limited streams. 

desarrollo de un simulador análogo 

de despojos de salmón para la 

restauración de nutrientes en ríos 

utilizados por salmonidos 

ReSUmeN: Los administradores de recursos han desarrollado un creciente interés 

en la restauración de nutrientes en ríos utilizadas por el salmón que presentan 

limitaciones de recursos de alimenticios. Las soluciones disponibles para el manejo 

esta situación presentan algunas problemas. el objetivo principal de este estudio 

fue el de desarrollar un método de restauración de nutrientes que facilitara este 

proceso. el producto desarrollado fue un simulador análogo de despojos preparado 

con salmón chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) del criadero de Spring creek. 

Los despojos de peces fueron pasterizados durante el proceso de molienda y 

deshidratación para convertirlos en harina de pescado. Después de este proceso no 

se detectaron o identificaron organismos patógenos en los despojos. Los análogos 

se transportaron fácilmente y fueron distribuídos a través del lecho de los ríos. Los 

análogos fueron submergidos para que permanecieran dentro del lecho del río. Los 

resultados mostraron que un 50 % de los análogos fueron disueltos o consumidos 

después de permanecer en la corriente aproximadamente dos semanas; resultados 

posteriors demostraron que los análogos no se detectaron después de cuatro semanas. 

Otros estudios sugieren que los análogos preparados con despojos de salmón 

reproducen patrones de redes alimenticias y restauración de nutrientes similar a 

los históricamente provistos por despojos de salmon. estos nutrients contribuyen 

a la productividad de poblaciones anadrónomas y residentes de salmonidos. esta 

evaluación indica que los análogos de despojos son una alternativa viable para la 

restauración de nutrientes en ríos con baja disponibilidad de alimentos. 

todd n. Pearsons 

dennis d. roley 

christopher L. Johnson 

Pearsons is a senior research scientist and 

Johnson is a fish biologist with the Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 

Pearsons can be contacted at pearstnp@dfw. 

wa.gov. Roley is a retired nutritionist with Bio- 

Oregon, Inc. living in Astoria, Oregon. 

A handful of carcass analogs. 

IntroductIon 

Interest among resource managers in restoring 

nutrients to food-limited salmonid 

streams is growing (Bilby et al. 2001; Gende 

et al. 2002; Stockner 2003). Salmonid 

populations that rear in some tributaries 

appear to have relatively low food availability, 

which may be contributing to reduced 

growth and survival, and ultimately 

hindering restoration efforts (Achord et 

al. 2003). Historically, large numbers of 

salmon returned to natal rivers to spawn 

(Gresh et al. 2000), contributing huge 

amounts of nutrients to aquatic ecosystems 

via their carcasses and eggs (Larkin and 

Slaney 1997; Gresh et al. 2000; Naiman 

et al. 2002). Gresh et al. (2000) estimated 

that only 6–7% of the marine-derived nitrogen 

and phosphorous historically delivered 

to rivers of the Pacific Northwest is 

currently reaching those streams. Salmon 

eggs and carcasses are eaten by invertebrates 

and fish (Bilby et al. 1996; 1998; 

Gende et al. 2002; Hicks et al. 2005), and 

the nutrients released by the decomposing 

carcasses can facilitate increased plant and 

microbial production that subsequently 

increases invertebrate production, resulting 

in increased food availability for fish 

(Bilby et al. 1996; Naiman et al. 2002; 

Schindler et al. 2003). Unfortunately, 


the numbers of adult salmon that spawn 

in streams has been severely reduced (Nehlsen 

et al. 1991) and undoubtedly has 

caused a reduction in the availability of 

food for young salmon and trout (Gresh 

et al. 2000; Achord et al. 2003; Schindler 

et al. 2003). In addition to a reduction in 

the amount of marine-derived nutrients, 

the capacity of stream systems to retain 

nutrients has also been diminished due 

to reduction in stream complexity and increases 

in peak flows (cederholm and Peterson 

1985; Pearsons et al. 1992; Gende 

et al. 2002). 

Stocking hatchery salmon carcasses has 

great potential to restore marine-derived 

nutrients and wild salmonid productivity 

(Bilby et al. 1998; Stockner 2003; Wipfli et 

al. 2004; Hicks et al. 2005); however, the 

strategy is not without risk. For example, 

stocking carcasses that have pathogens 

may increase the exposure of salmonids 

to a variety of diseases. concerns about 

disease transmission have led the states 

of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to institute 

prohibitions on the transfer of carcasses 

outside of fish health management 

zones. As a result, placement of carcasses 

is not an option in many nutrient poor 

systems due to the absence of an approved 

source. the addition of salmon carcasses 

to mitigate for low nutrient levels is further 

limited by low carcass availability. 

there often are not enough carcasses from 

hatcheries to produce nutrient levels comparable 

to what salmon historically contributed 

(Gresh et al. 2000). 

Some alternative approaches to stocking 

hatchery carcasses may have lower ecological 

risks and more broad scale application 

(i.e., not enough hatchery carcasses 

to meet the need). One method that has 

been used widely in British columbia is 

the addition of inorganic nutrients during 

the spring and fall (Johnston et al. 1990; 

Ashley and Slaney 1997). the nutrients 

stimulate algae growth, increase invertebrate 

production, and elevate food availability 

for the fish. However, this method 

does not directly provide a food source for 

fish and wildlife during the fall (e.g., fish 

flesh), as spawning salmon do (Bilby et al. 

1998; Gende et al. 2002). In addition, inorganic 

nutrients may be contaminated with 

pollutants, and may not contain macroelements 

or rare earth elements contained in 

salmon (Gende et al. 2002). 

Another possible option, which is the 

subject of this article, is to develop and 

stock a product that is made out of salm- 

on carcasses but is pathogen free (termed 

“carcass analogs”). the advantages of using 

carcass analogs may be that they: (1) 

reproduce natural pathways of food production, 

(2) are pathogen free so they can 

be stocked without concern about spreading 

disease, (3) are potentially very available 

and independent of salmon runs, (4) 

are easy to store, carry, and distribute, (5) 

contain rare earth elements that may be 

important for salmonid survival, and (6) 

recycle nutrients from fish byproducts that 

would ordinarily be treated as waste. Analogs 

could be produced from unused fish 

parts from commercial fisheries and may 

provide the same nutrient and food benefits 

as salmon carcasses. 

the objective of our work was to develop 

a pathogen-free product that would 

reproduce the food pathways historically 

provided by salmon carcasses. this article 

is about the development of a product, the 

effort of distribution into streams, and the 

physical behavior and dissolution of the 

analog in streams. the analogs that we developed 

were recently evaluated in Alaska 

and the results indicated that the initial 

benefits were similar to salmon carcasses 

(Wipfli et al. 2004). Salmon carcasses 

and analogs increased the condition, lipid 

levels, and production of stream-resident 

salmonids. A forthcoming article will 

evaluate the food pathways provided by 

the analog described in this article and 

the effects on the growth and abundance 

of salmonids in tributaries in Washington 

state (Pearsons et al. in press). 

MEtHodS 

Development of the carcass analog 

We endeavored to develop an appropriate 

manufacturing process for the salmon 

carcass analog that, coupled with appropriate 

additives, would result in an analog 

that would: (1) stand up to packaging and 

transportation to the treatment sites, (2) 

have a flesh-like texture as it picked up 

water, (3) dissolve at a controlled rate as 

hydration continued, and (4) be free of 

undesirable pathogens. We wanted the analog 

to dissolve at approximately the same 

rate as a salmon carcass would decompose 

at mean water temperatures of between 

10 and 20 o c (chaloner et al. 2002). the 

size of the analog also needed to be large 

enough so that it would rest above the substrate 

surface (i.e., large enough not to fall 

between interstitial spaces of the stream 

substrate), but small enough to be manufactured 

easily. 

the core component of the analog, 

which was used in initial developmental 

tests and subsequent production, was 

a fishmeal made from salmon carcasses. 

Bio-Oregon produced salmon fishmeal in 

the fall of 1999, 2000, and 2001 from fall 

chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytcha) 

carcasses from Spring creek National 

Fish Hatchery (NFH), Underwood, Washington. 

most of the salmon that were used 

during 1999 and 2000 were carcasses that 

had been spawned at the hatchery. However, 

during the fall of 2001 many more 

adults returned to the hatchery than were 

needed for production purposes, and most 

of the chinook were killed soon after entering 

the hatchery (i.e., before they were 

spawned). the fresh, raw carcasses were 

coarsely ground and dried to a meal using 

swept surface, steam-tube dryers. Liquid 

ethoxyquin was added (0.02%) to each 

batch prior to drying to prevent lipid oxidation. 

the steam temperature was a minimum 

of 121 o c and the mass of ground 

carcasses approached 100 o c. the steam 

was then turned off after about 7.8 hours, 

but for the next four hours the sweeping 

mechanism continued to mix the meal until 

it cooled to less than 32 o c. the meal, 

which now had moisture content of about 

10%, was then removed from the dryer 

and placed in bulk bags for storage. 

One of the greatest challenges that we 

encountered was finding an approach that 

would restrict the analog from dissolving 

too quickly. Following many unsatisfactory 

results (table 1), cold extrusion was 

evaluated as a method of manufacturing 

the salmon carcass analog. cold extrusion 

is used by Bio-Oregon to make pelleted fish 

feed up to 10 mm in diameter. A hydraulic 

motor-driven auger is used to push the 

pellet dough (20–26% moisture) through 

a die plate with holes of the desired pellet 

diameter. A spinning knife on the outside 

surface of the die then cuts the pellets off 

at the desired length, usually equal to the 

diameter of the hole. the advantage of this 

technology compared to compaction technology 

is that moisture levels up to 30% 

are tolerated. this enables the use of binders 

that require greater amounts of water, 

and if necessary, heat for their activation. 

Following extrusion, this water is removed 

by evaporation using a natural gas dryer. 

this is necessary to form a physically durable, 

microbiologically stable pellet. the 

ingredients that were used in the develop- 


Table 1. Methods that were evaluated to develop carcass analogs. 

Method Variables tested Rate of dissolution Comments 

Compaction technology using a 

pre-gelatinized corn flour to bind. 

Compaction technology using 

a variety of different additives/ 

binders. 

Cold extrusion and stickwater 

binder. 

Cold extrusion and porcine 

gelatin/stickwater binder: a test 

pellet press with 82 kg of pressure 

was used to form several 3.2 

cm diameter pellets with the 4 

formulations. The pellets were 

then dried overnight in a forced air 

convection oven at 30 o C. 

Cold extrusion and 20% porcine 

gelatin of the gelatin/stickwater 

binder. 

Table 2. Ingredients and characteristics 

of carcass analogs produced in 2001 and 

2002. 

(1) Compaction pressures of 

1,054 to 2,109 kg/cm 2 , 

(2) level of pre-gelatinized corn flour, 

(3) salmon meal particle size, and 

(4) added water level. 

(1) Wheat starch, which will gelatinize 

under 1,405 kg/cm 2 of pressure, 

(2) a combination of two refined 

alginates, 

(3) sodium carboxymethylcellulose, 

(4) guar gum, 

(5) partially hydrolyzed marine 

fishmeal protein, and 

(6) porcine gelatin. 

Soluble proteins in stickwater, 

a byproduct of Bio-Oregon’s 

production of low ash fishmeal 

from Pacific whiting (Merluccius 

productus) offal. 

Porcine gelatin was 10%, 15%, 

20%, and 25% of the gelatin/ 

stickwater mixture. 

Pellets were dried overnight in a 

warm, forced air natural gas dryer. 

Analogs dissolved in 9.4 to 10.1 

h in static water at 10 o C; no 

apparent affect of any of these 

variables on the dissolution rate of 

the salmon carcass analogs. 

Analogs dissolved in 9.4 to 10.1 h 

in static water at 10 o C. 

The analogs were stable in water 

up to 10 o C. Above 10 o C the 

analogs started to soften and 

fell apart once the temperature 

reached 15 o C. 

There was a direct correlation 

between gelatin concentration and 

pellet toughness when the gelatin/ 

stickwater mixture contained up to 

20% gelatin. 

In a few days they had softened, 

but were still intact. After about 

three weeks they had softened a 

little more, but were still intact in 

20 o C water. 

Ingredient 

9/7/01 8/30/02 

Weight of dough processed (kg) 1,926 2,722 

Ground salmon meal 65.4% 46.4% 

Hydrolyzed, pasteurized and deboned marine fish offal 23.6% 24.6% 

Whole Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax)/salmon scrap meal a 0.0% 17.0% 

Gelatin 7.8% 8.2% 

Dried marine fish bone 2.3% 3.8% 

Algibind b 0.9% 0.0% 

Characteristic 

The salmon meal/corn flour 

additive mixture just sloughed 

off as the water penetrated the 

analog. 

Water entering the analog did not 

activate the binders and slow the 

dissolution rate of the analog as 

we had hoped. 

Once dried, the analogs 

were tough and durable. We 

subsequently determined the 

melting point of the fish gelatin to 

be 12-15 o C. 

There was no discernable 

toughness difference between 

pellets made with 20% or 25% 

gelatin of the gelatin/stickwater 

mixture. Porcine gelatin has been 

used extensively at Bio-Oregon as a 

fish feed binder for many years and 

it has a melting point of 35-40 o C. 

Success–Used this approach to 

produce analogs. 

Moisture of finished analog 13.0% 3.6% 

Nitrogen composition of analog 9.6% 10.9% 

Phosphorous composition of analog 2.1% 2.3% 

Nutrient ratio of analog (N:P; target 6:1) 4.7:1 4.8:1 

Lipid level of salmon meal 9.6% 17.0% 

Average weight/analog (g) 11.9 10.7 

Nutrient density of analog relative to salmon carcass 4.5 5.0 

a It was necessary to blend the salmon meal with some deboned/deoiled whole Pacific sardine/salmon scrap meal 

and dried marine fish bone during 2002 to bring the lipid level of this mixture down. 

b Algibind is a crude sodium alginate manufactured from seaweed, specifically Ascophyllum nodosum. 


Carcass analogs were packaged in 20 kg bags. 

Table 3. Presence of pathogens 

tested in fishmeal and 

fishmeal spiked with pathogens. 

Results of all pathogen 

tests were negative. 

ment of the analog are presented in table 2. 

During 2001, the adjusted dough extruded easily 

and the 2.5 cm salmon carcass analog pellets were 

dried for close to three days using forced ambient 

temperature air. We dried the analogs without heat to 

prevent case hardening and maximize their density. 

During 2002, the analog pellet dough extruded with 

difficulty because it was very tough. the salmon carcass 

analog pellets were dried for about one hour using 

forced 93 o c temperature air. Prior experimentation 

suggested that it was not necessary to dry the analogs 

with cooler air in order to achieve maximum density. 

the salmon carcass analogs were removed from the 

dryer, screened to remove over or under size analogs, 

and packaged in 20 kg bags. 

Evaluation of analogs for fish pathogens 

two types of evaluations were conducted to determine 

if the analogs were free of any harmful fish 

pathogens (table 3). First, fishmeal that had been 

through the pasteurization process, and was used to 

make the analogs, was tested for viral and bacterial 

fish pathogens. Since the source material may not 

have contained many pathogens, we also spiked the 

ground salmon carcasses with pathogens to determine 

if they were killed during the pasteurization 

and drying process. the Washington Department of 

Pathogen Origin a Lab b n Year 

Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) 1 1 2 1999 

1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) 1 1 2 1999 

1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHS) 1 1 2 1999 

Flavobacterium pyschrophilium 1 1 2 1999 

Flexibacter columnaris 1 1 2 1999 

Aeromonas salmonicida 1 1 2 1999 

1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

Yersinia ruckeri 1 1 2 1999 

1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

Vibrio sp. 1 1 2 1999 

Renibacterium salmoninarum 1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

Myxobolus cerebralis 1 2 11 1999/2000 

2 2 2 2000 

aOrigin: (1) Fishmeal made from fall Chinook salmon from the Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery (SCNFH) Underwood, WA, 

(2) fishmeal made from pelagic marine fish offal. 

bLab: (1) Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish Health Laboratory, (2) Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. 


Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Health 

Laboratory screened the fishmeal that Bio- 

Oregon produced in the fall of 1999 from 

Spring creek National Fish Hatchery fall 

chinook carcasses. Viral and bacterial fish 

pathogens were evaluated using cell culture 

procedures for fish tissues as outlined 

in the American Fisheries Society (AFS) 

Fish Health Bluebook (thoesen 1994). the 

Figure 1. Locations of the study streams. 

Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic 

Laboratory (WADDL), Washington State 

University, examined an additional 13 

fishmeal samples, including 11 samples of 

fishmeal made in the fall of 1999 and 2000 

from Spring creek National Fish Hatchery 

fall chinook carcasses. two additional 

fishmeal samples were examined that were 

made from a non-salmon mixture of pe- 

lagic marine fishes (offal), and included 

partially hydrolyzed protein. these nonsalmon 

fishmeal samples were included 

because fishmeal including partially hydrolyzed 

protein is an excellent binder for use 

in producing analogs. these 13 fishmeal 

samples were tested for the presence of fish 

pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and 

the myxozoan, Myxobolus cerebralis, the 


causative agent of whirling disease (table 

3). WADDL met or exceeded the standard 

procedures outlined in the AFS Fish Health 

Bluebook (thoesen 1994) and the OIe Diagnostic 

Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases 

for the examination of fish tissue for 

pathogenic bacteria and viruses. WADDL 

also ran a single round polymerase chain 

reaction (PcR) test on each of the processed 

samples as described in Baldwin 

and myklebust (2002). Fishmeal samples, 

including a portion of one fishmeal sample 

and one sample spiked with R. salmoninarum, 

were tested on a R. salmoninarum 

monoclonal enzyme linked immunosorbent 

assay (eLISA). 

WADDL also analyzed samples from an 

experiment at Bio-Oregon during 2001, 

which was done to determine if selected 

fish pathogens were completely inactivated 

during the cooking/drying process to make 

salmon meal. Fishmeal samples in two different 

dryers were infected with a bacterial 

and viral pathogen prior to pasteurization. 

An excess of 1.4 x 10 10 colony forming 

units of A. salmonicida and 5 x 10 10 IPNV 

plaque forming units were added to one 

dryer containing 1,662 kilograms of raw 

ground salmon carcasses and 1.4 x 10 12 

colony forming units of R. salmoninarum 

and 6.5 x 10 8 IHNV plaque forming units 

were added to the other dryer containing 

1,809 kilograms of raw ground salmon carcasses. 

Prior to introduction, each bacteria/virus 

combination was added to 15 L 

of phosphate-buffered saline to facilitate 

Figure 2. Mean daily temperature in treatment streams during analog presence in 2001 and 2002. 

Mean daily temperature ( o C) 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

14 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

Coleman 

Pearson 

the distribution of pathogens in the raw 

ground salmon. After 10 minutes of mixing 

in a steam tube dryer, approximately 500 g 

of the raw ground salmon/bacteria-virus 

mixture was removed from each of the 2 

dryers and placed in sterile plastic bags. 

After these samples were taken, the steam 

was turned on to start the cooking/drying 

process. After the pasteurization process 

was completed, another 500 g sample was 

taken from each of the 2 dryers. 

Distribution of analogs into streams 

Four tributaries of the upper Yakima 

River were stocked with carcass analogs to 

determine the ease of distribution and the 

initial performance of analogs in natural 

9/18 9/21 9/24 9/27 9/30 10/3 10/6 10/9 10/12 10/15 10/18 10/21 

Cooke 

2001 

2002 

9/18 9/21 9/24 9/27 9/30 10/3 10/6 10/9 10/12 10/15 10/18 10/21 

9/18 9/21 9/24 9/27 9/30 10/3 10/6 10/9 10/12 10/15 10/18 10/21 

Date 


streams. three of these 

tributaries (Pearson, 

coleman, and cooke) 

drain the colockum 

mountain range and enter 

the Yakima River near 

the town of ellensburg 

(Figure 1). Historically 

these tributaries probably 

contained spawning 

steelhead (O. mykiss) and 

coho salmon (O. kisutch), 

but presently support only 

resident fishes. the fourth 

stream (West Fork teanaway 

River) flows into 

the teanaway River from 

the northwest and the 

teanaway River enters 

the Yakima River near 

cle elum. this stream 

probably contained steelhead, 

coho, and chinook 

salmon and now contains 

very small runs of chinook 

salmon and steelhead. Steelhead 

migrate downstream after spawning and 

thus did not contribute carcass material 

at the study sites. Analogs were used to 

mimic benefits provided by the coho and 

chinook salmon that historically spawned 

in these streams. Fish assemblages in these 

tributary streams were dominated by trout 

(e.g., rainbow trout O. mykiss, cutthroat 

trout O. clarki, brook trout Salvelinus frontinalis) 

and sculpins. 

Salmon carcass analogs were stocked 

during 19–20 September 2001 and 18–19 

September 2002 to correspond with natural 

spawn timing of spring chinook salmon 

in the upper Yakima River. treatments 

consisted of stocking carcass analogs in a 

1-km long stream section of each treated 

tributary. Analogs were stocked at densities 

of 30 g carcass analog material/m 2 of 

bank full channel width. Stocking densities 

were derived from published relationships 

between salmon carcass densities 

and maximum stable isotope compositions 

(Bilby et al. 2001). the amount of 

nutrients provided by carcasses was then 

adjusted for water weight. the nutrient 

density in carcass analogs was about 4.5 to 

5.0 times higher than in carcasses because 

of the difference in moisture content. Analogs 

were placed into large buckets and 

evenly distributed throughout the reach by 

tossing a predetermined number per lineal 

stream length. 

Analogs were examined periodically 

Carcass analogs (small white items) nestled into stream interstices. 

(e.g., daily to weekly) to determine the 

rate of decomposition, invertebrate colonization, 

and rate of retention within 

the stream channel. We attempted to 

weigh individual analogs, but this method 

proved to be unfeasible because the analog 

absorbed water (increased weight) and 

broke apart after a few weeks. temperature 

loggers were placed in the stocked reaches 

to monitor temperature. temperature loggers 

failed (2001) or could not be retrieved 

(2002) in the West Fork teanaway River. 

rESuLtS 

Carcass analog specifications 

Analogs averaged 2.5 cm in diameter, 

2.5 cm tall, weighed 11.9 g (2001) and 

10.7 g (2002) and were brown. During 

2001, the analog pellets contained 13.0% 

moisture, which is too high for long-term 

microbial stability. However, this was not 

a concern for our test because they would 

be distributed into Yakima River tributaries 

in 9 to 10 days. During 2002 the moisture 

level was 3.6%, which was suitable for 

longer-term stability. Despite the lowered 

moisture content of analogs in 2002, we 

still observed condensation within the 

bags when we stored them in our uninsulated 

shop. In the shop, the packaged analogs 

experienced a large diurnal fluctuation 

in the air temperature during autumn, 

which would cause moisture in the analogs 

to migrate to a colder surface 

(i.e., the inside of the 

bag). We also observed 

that the analogs produced 

in 2001 molded in 

the bag if they were kept 

for over a month. the 

analogs produced in 2002 

have not molded in over 

four years of storage in 

our shop. Ingredients and 

characteristics of carcass 

analogs produced in 2001 

and 2002 are presented in 

table 2. 

Distribution of analogs 

into streams 

Overall, the behavior 

of the analog met our expectations. 

the analogs 

were easy to transport 

and distribute throughout 

the stream channel. 

the analogs generally sank to the bottom 

and were retained within the channel. 

the size of the analogs facilitated 

the retention within the channel because 

they were small enough to be trapped by 

rocks and wood but large enough not to 

sink into interstices of rocks making them 

unavailable to species that live above the 

substrate. During 2002, some of the analogs 

floated because they had less moisture 

content than those stocked in 2001. Approximately 

15–20% of the bags in 2002 

contained analogs that floated. In general, 

the analogs that floated traveled approximately 

30 m before they were retained in 

the channel, subsequently absorbed water, 

and sank. Some of the analogs may have 

traveled up to 100 meters. 

Approximately 50% of the analog 

had dissolved or been eaten two weeks 

after stocking, and the analog was nearly 

gone after four weeks. Analogs were likely 

colonized by a matrix of fungi and bacteria 

which produced a rubbery “skin” that 

was difficult to penetrate for about a week. 

Later on (approximately week 3), periphyton 

began to grow on the analogs and the 

analogs appeared as small piles of fine material. 

After four weeks trace amounts of 

the analog could be seen, but most was 

dissolved or eaten. Few invertebrates were 

observed on the analogs during the day. 

Stream temperatures in cooke, coleman, 

and Pearson ranged from 1–13 o c during 

the times that analogs were in the stream 


(Figure 2), but generally averaged between 6 and 7 o c. Water temperatures 

were variable and generally decreased with time (Figure 

2). the West Fork teanaway was generally three degrees warmer 

than the streams for which we had thermograph data. 

Evaluation of analogs for fish pathogens 

All of the fishmeal pathogen tests for the first evaluation were 

negative (table 3). All fishmeal samples tested for R. salmoninarum, 

except for the spiked positive controls, had a negative optical 

density (OD) reading (i.e., were negative for the organism). 

the results of a single round polymerase chain reaction (PcR) 

assay on each of the enzyme processed samples was negative for 

Myxobolus cerebralis myxospores. 

the pathogen inactivation test was inconclusive for most of 

the pathogens tested because all but one of the samples collected 

before pasteurization tested negative for the pathogens of interest. 

the infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) was the only 

agent recovered from the raw ground salmon inoculated with 

control organisms. this virus was not recovered from salmon meal 

after pasteurization, suggesting that the cooking/drying process 

converting the raw ground salmon to a dry fishmeal was successful 

in inactivating IPNV. Large numbers of bacteria were detected 

in the spiked samples that may have reduced detection of target 

bacteria prior to pasteurization. However, after pasteurization the 

numbers of contaminating bacteria was dramatically reduced and 

target bacteria were still not detected. 

dIScuSSIon 

We found that we could develop a nutrient enhancement 

product from recycled fish waste that has the potential to restore 

food pathways previously provided by salmon. carcass analogs 

have many desirable properties, such as ease of distribution and 

potentially high ecological benefits relative to costs, and should 

be considered a viable candidate among the suite of food enhancement 

techniques available for streams (Wipfli et al. 2004). the 

amount of work to distribute analogs was probably similar to that 

for distributing dry inorganic nutrients such as the “silver bullets” 

used in British columbia and was considerably less work than 

stocking hatchery salmon carcasses (t. Pearsons, personal experience). 

carcass analogs and inorganic nutrient products have high 

nutrient densities relative to carcasses. Salmon carcasses have a 

relatively low nutrient density because of their relatively high 

water content. the nutrient density in carcass analogs is about 5 

times higher than in carcasses because of the difference in moisture 

content. that is, the nutrients in 1 kg of analogs are similar 

to nutrients in 5 kg of carcasses. this density difference makes 

analogs a more efficient way of distributing nutrients. the analogs 

might reproduce the natural food pathways better than inorganic 

nutrients because they provide a direct food source in the fall, 

similar to carcasses (Wipfli et al. 2004; Pearsons et al. in press). 

carcass analogs also present fewer pathogen risks than stocking 

salmon carcasses, are relatively easy to store, and are more readily 

available to stock into areas without salmon hatcheries or in areas 

where salmon hatchery carcasses are unable to meet the nutrient 

need. Furthermore, analogs have the potential to be stocked at 

the same time as naturally spawning salmon, but carcasses from 

hatcheries are sometimes unavailable at these times because of the 

need to conduct pathogen screening. In summary, we believe that 


carcass analogs have the following desirable 

characteristics, which in combination 

are not provided by any other nutrient addition 

technique: carcass analogs have the 

potential to reproduce some natural food 

pathways (Wipfli et al. 2004; Pearsons et 

al. in press), are easy to store and transport, 

are available in large quantities and 

at the appropriate times, are more likely to 

be approved by regulatory agencies (e.g., 

those responsible for issuing water quality 

and fish transportation permits), and pose 

low risk to aquatic communities. 

Studies in Alaska and Washington indicate 

that carcass analogs have the potential 

to restore food pathways provided by 

salmon and also increase the productivity 

of stream-resident salmonids. Wipfli et al. 

(2004) found that short-term condition, 

production, and lipid content of resident 

and anadromous salmonids were increased 

when exposed to salmon carcasses and carcass 

analogs. Pearsons et al. (in press) demonstrated 

that resident and anadromous 

salmonids directly consumed the analog in 

tributaries of the Yakima River. Furthermore, 

stable isotope analysis revealed that 

nutrients from analogs were incorporated 

into periphyton and invertebrates. Finally, 

an increase in growth during the fall was 

detected in rainbow trout exposed to analogs 

(Pearsons et al. in press). 

the decomposition of carcass analogs 

was similar to what has been reported for 

salmon carcasses. chaloner et al. (2002) 

reported that mass loss of pink salmon carcasses 

was initially rapid and then declined 

over time. Approximately half of the carcass 

mass remained after about 2.5 weeks 

(chaloner et al. 2002), which was similar 

to what we observed for the analogs and 

also for spring chinook salmon carcasses 

in the Yakima River. Some salmon tissues 

such as eggs, internal organs, and skin, decomposed 

at a slower rate than muscle tissue 

(chaloner et al. 2002). these slower 

degrading tissues could persist for over six 

weeks, which was longer than the duration 

of analogs. thus, carcass analogs are likely 

to represent the degradation rate of muscle 

tissue well, but not the slower degrading 

tissues such as skin. However, salmon 

spawn over weeks to months, so mimicking 

carcass availability would require multiple 

applications of the analog or analogs 

that degrade at different rates. 

the most natural way to restore historic 

food pathways is to restore salmon to their 

historic abundance and distribution. However, 

it is unlikely that historic abundanc- 

es will ever occur again in many locations 

(Lackey 2003). thus, if managers want the 

ecosystem benefits of restored marine derived 

nutrients, then a continual nutrient 

addition program should be instituted in 

locations where salmon runs are depleted. 

Distribution of carcass analogs appears to 

be a reasonable method of re-establishing 

important food pathways. Where escapement 

is not managed for nutrient needs 

(Bilby et al. 2001) or where other factors 

such as habitat degradation or interactions 

with other species prevent high returns of 

salmon, carcass analogs might be used to 

restore nutrients to desired levels of aquatic 

productivity. 

Although our pathogen inactivation 

experiment was not conclusive for most 

pathogens, the pasteurization process that 

fishmeal experienced was likely to kill all 

pathogens. IPNV appeared to be inactivated 

during the pasteurization experiment. 

IPNV has been shown to be generally 

more stable than the other control virus, 

Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus 

(IHNV), leading one to speculate that the 

inactivation of IPNV by the cooking/drying 

process should result in inactivation of 

IHNV as well (Inouye et al. 1992). Alternatively, 

our pathogen results may have 

been confounded by low sensitivity of the 

tests. Detection of pathogens in fishmeal 

may be lower than conventionally tested 

fish parts and high growth of non-target 

bacteria in the control sample may have 

decreased our ability to detect target bacteria. 

the pasteurization process that was 

used is the same process that is used for 

producing fish feed and human foods. the 

cooking/drying conditions (times/temperatures) 

described for the production of 

salmon fishmeal from raw ground salmon 

easily exceed those of the standard pasteurization 

conditions that have been employed 

by Bio-Oregon for the last 40 years 

to pasteurize fish digest (cooked, enzyme 

digested offal). During the period prior to 

1960, raw carcasses and viscera of adult 

salmon included in the diet of juveniles 

were responsible for the complete transmission 

of bacterial kidney disease (Wood 

and Wallis 1955) and mycobacteriosis 

(Ross et al. 1959; Wood and Ordal 1958). 

When this practice was discontinued and 

pasteurized salmon parts were used in fish 

feed, the incidence and severity of bacterial 

kidney disease was reduced and mycobacteriosis 

was apparently eradicated from 

fish reared in Pacific Northwest hatcheries 

(Fryer and Sanders 1981). 

moffitt-Westover (1987) studied the 

bacterial flora in the Oregon moist Pellet, 

a fish feed manufactured by Bio-Oregon for 

public resource fish hatcheries in the Pacific 

Northwest. this included an examination of 

the pasteurized fish offal digest, a major protein/lipid 

fish feed ingredient, before and after 

improvements were made in the pasteurization 

process. She stated that the pasteurization 

specifications for the fish offal digest 

(65 o c for 15 minutes followed by 82 o c for 

5 minutes) are sufficient for the destruction 

of pathogenic organisms (moffitt-Westover 

1987). She tested the pasteurized fish digest 

for the presence of eight fish and nine human 

bacterial pathogens after process improvements 

were made. the fish digest was not 

examined for viral pathogens or myxosporidia, 

specifically Myxobolus cerebralis. the 

fish pathogens that were examined included 

Aeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida, Mycobacteria, 

Pseudomonas, Renibacterium salmoninarum, 

Vibrio anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, and 

Streptococcus Group B. None of these organisms 

were found. Mycobacteria, Pseudomonas, 

and Streptococcus Group B are also human 

pathogens. the additional human pathogens 

included Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, 

Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus 

Group A, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Only C. 

perfringens was found. this is not surprising 

since this bacterium is widely distributed in 

nature and forms heat resistant spores. therefore, 

if the salmon carcass analog contained 

some C. perfringens spores they would not 

cause significant additional exposure. Also, 

there are significant hurdles to the germination 

and growth of C. perfringens. this organism 

is a strict anaerobe and cannot tolerate 

the level of dissolved oxygen in freshwater 

streams. the analog and stream also lack the 

kind of nutrients needed for C. perfringens to 

germinate and grow, and the water temperature 

(1–16 o c) is much colder than 37–40 o c, 

the optimum for C. perfringens. 

the result of WADDL’s examination of 13 

fishmeal samples for Myxobolus cerebralis was not 

definitive. However, sustained high temperatures 

(>85 o c for more than 5 hours) applied 

to the ground salmon carcass material to dry it 

to a meal would inactivate Myxobolus cerebralis 

spores. Wolf and markiw (1982) demonstrated 

that hot smoking of rainbow trout infected with 

whirling disease inactivated the M. cerebralis 

spores. more specifically, they found that 66 o c 

held for 40 minutes is lethal. 

Pathogen screening has been performed on 

fish inside and outside of the reaches that we 

stocked analogs (Pearsons et al. in press). Preliminary 

results suggest that the frequency and 


severity of pathogens in wild fish has not been affected by the analogs. In 

addition, the benefits provided by the analogs to the aquatic food web, and 

more specifically to juvenile salmonids, appear to mimic those provided by 

salmon carcasses (Wipfli et al. 2004; Pearsons et al. in press). 

Although the analog that we produced had many desirable properties, 

improvements could be made. We recommend repeating the 

pathogen inactivation experiment that we attempted, to further reduce 

the low scientific uncertainty of pathogen inactivation by pasteurization, 

but modifying it to produce positive replicated results in the fishmeal 

sample prior to pasteurization. this would include determination 

of the sensitivity of standardized methods on fishmeal. Furthermore, 

decreasing the buoyancy of the analog would also decrease the amount 

of analog that is exported from the desired stocking location. Producing 

a product with a long shelf life would also be advantageous. Finally, 

although potentially impractical from a manufacturing standpoint, 

creation of analogs of various sizes might enable large terrestrial animals 

to eat analogs as well as provide a variety of decomposition rates. 

Alternatively, analogs could be stocked at a variety of times to more 

closely mimic nutrient pulses provided by decaying salmon (Pearsons 

et al. in press). 

there also has been some concern that pollutants (e.g., mercury, polychlorinated 

biphenyls, and the pesticide DDt) detected in adult salmon 

could be transferred to streams following their migration from the ocean 

(ewald et al. 1998, Naiman et al. 2002, Sarica et al. 2004). Stocking of analogs 

would not eliminate this concern. the presence and concentration 

of potential pollutants was not evaluated in this study. However, if subsequent 

work does identify the presence of such substances in the analogs, 

the benefits of nutrient addition would have to outweigh the detriments 

of introducing pollutants for analog addition to be a reasonable restoration 

strategy. Alternatively, it may be possible to reduce pollutants in analogs 

by using fish sources that have low amounts of pollutants, or by removing 

pollutants in the process of developing the analog. this would be an 

important topic for future inquiry. Furthermore, restoration of salmon runs 

could pose a greater pollution problem because pollutants transported by 

salmon could not be removed. In summary, with the exception of the 

pollution risk uncertainty, the risks of analog placement appear to be low 

but the potential benefits appear to be high. Similar to recommendations 

for salmon carcass studies (Gende et al. 2002; Schindler et al. 2003), we 

recommend large-scale, long-term experimentation of carcass analogs in 

food-limited streams where salmon carcasses are unavailable or insufficient 

to meet ecosystem goals. 

AcknowLEdgMEntS 

We thank Bonneville Power Administration for funding this work 

under an Innovative Project 2001-055-00, contract 5636. We thank Peter 

Lofy for administering the BPA contract. many people contributed 

substantially to the accomplishment of the fieldwork including mike 

Schmuck, timothy Webster, Anthony Fritts, Gabriel temple, Heather 

Stringfellow, Phillip Smith, Germaine Hart, and Natalia Pitts. thanks are 

also extended to Joan thomas WDFW and Danielle Stanek WADDL, for 

providing the fish pathology data. craig Banner of Oregon Department of 

Fish and Wildlife provided the pathogens that were used in the inoculation 

experiments. 


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38, Portland. 


ESSAY: 

FISH HABItAt 

Paul J. Anders and ken I. Ashley 

Anders is a fisheries scientist and an associate consultant with 

cramer Fish Sciences and serves as affiliate faculty in the University 

of Idaho’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in moscow, 

Idaho. He can be reached at anders@fishsciences.net. Ashley is a 

limnologist and environmental engineer with the Greater Vancouver 

Regional District and an adjunct professor in the civil engineering 

Department at the University of British columbia, Vancouver. 

the clear-water Paradox of Aquatic Ecosystem restoration 

IntroductIon 

Several important resource policy 

questions involving trophic status, public 

perception, and fundamental approaches to 

aquatic ecosystem restoration were recently 

raised by Lackey (2003). two of these 

questions are of particular relevance to the 

discussion of nutrients, water clarity, and 

aquatic ecosystem restoration: (1) is there 

an inherent policy conflict between adding 

nutrients to watersheds to restore salmon 

populations (and associated ecosystem 

function) and societal pressure to protect and 

enhance water quality, given that Western 

society typically desires both, and (2) is 

there a regulatory bias toward achieving 

“distilled water” in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, 

and streams such that the important 

beneficial role of waterborne nutrients is 

not given equivalent consideration and 

legislative weight? We believe the current 

answer to both of these questions to varying 

degrees is yes, and issues addressed by these 

questions form the basis for what we call the 

“clear-water paradox” of aquatic ecosystem 

restoration. 

In this essay we: (1) review general roles, 

perceptions, and management of waterborne 

nutrients, (2) propose, define, and describe 

the nature and causes of the clear-water 

paradox of aquatic system restoration, and 

(3) discuss requirements for addressing and 

resolving this paradox. 

BAckground 

carbon (c), nitrogen (N), and 

phosphorus (P) are naturally occurring 

elements that are essential for growth and 

reproduction of all aquatic life forms. these 

nutrients drive primary and secondary 

productivity, and their concentration, ratio, 

and spatial/temporal availability dictate 

aquatic system metabolic rates and trophic 

status. Although excessive nitrogen and 

phosphorus are commonly recognized as 

pollutants in eutrophic waterways, societal 

awareness of the positive effects of these 

nutrients in oligotrophic ecosystems and 

their central role in regulating biological 

productivity is surprisingly limited. It is 

critical to recognize the importance of 

balance of c, N, and P, and how dysfunction 

occurs not only by too little or too much, 

but also by creating nutrient imbalances 

that can shift productive “classic” shortchain 

grazer communities into longer-chain 

ultra-oligotrophic microbial food webs that 

support minimal fish biomass and dissipate 

energy through picoplankton-dominated 

pathways with associated high respiratory 

costs (Weisse and Stockner 1992). 

eutrophication, the artificially elevated 

concentration of nutrients in natural 

waters, has occupied the center stage 

of applied limnology for nearly half the 

previous century (Vollenweider 1968; 

National Academy of Sciences 1969; 

Schindler 1974; Stockner 2003, and 

references therein). However, during the 

past 40 years, the opposite process, cultural 

oligotrophication, has become an important 

emerging problem in altered aquatic 

ecosystems in north temperate and boreal 

regions world-wide (Ney 1996; Stockner 

and milbrink 1999; Stockner et al. 2000; 

Pieters et al. 2003; Stockner 2003; Hyatt 

et al. 2004). cultural oligotrophication is 

the human-caused reduction of naturally 

occurring nutrients in aquatic systems. 

We recognize that natural ecosystems 

with high or low nutrient concentrations 

and ecosystem productivity do occur, and 

we are definitely not proposing that all 

aquatic ecosystems be “homogenized” to a 

middle ground of moderate productivity. 

Our intent is to raise scientific awareness 

of the magnitude and extent of culturallyinduced 

oligotrophication such that these 

dysfunctional ecosystems (Ney 1996; 

Stockner et al. 2000) receive adequate 

restoration attention. 

Water bodies located in formerly glaciated 

north and south temperate watersheds tend 

to be naturally oligotrophic (nutrient poor; 

Stockner and milbrink 1999). typically, 

these systems are characterized by low 

mean annual water temperature regimes, 

short growing seasons, underlying granitic 

geology, and relatively nutrient poor 

watersheds. Oligotrophication caused 

by dam and levee construction, habitat 

alteration, acidification, and declining 

returns of salmon derived nutrients at 

these latitudes worldwide has rendered 

many aquatic systems ultra-oligotrophic 

(Ney 1996; Stockner et al. 2000). Such 

systems now possess extremely clear, 

nutrient deficient water relative to their 

former naturally oligotrophic status and 

exhibit significantly reduced biological 

productivity. In their nutrient deprived 

states, these rivers, lakes, or reservoirs are 

incapable of supporting their historical preoligotrophication 

yields of fish. Kootenay 

Lake in British columbia is a classic case of 

cultural oligotrophication in which pelagic 

kokanee (Onchorhynchus nerka) annual 

spawning escapement collapsed from 2–3 

million to 250,000 following construction of 

two upstream hydroelectric impoundments 

and over 100 km of continuous levee 

construction, which sequestered inflowing 

nutrients and drastically reduced habitat 

diversity (Ashley et al. 1997,1999; Anders 

et al. 2002). 

Limited societal awareness of cultural 

oligotrophication may be due in part to 

the fact that ultra-oligotrophic systems, 

although biologically constrained and 

ecologically dysfunctional at worst, often 

appear aesthetically pleasing. eutrophic 

systems generate attention because they 

develop nuisance aquatic plant and algae 

growth that limit desired human activities 

and uses, and because they often look, 

taste, and smell bad. Alternatively, ultraoligotrophic 

systems typically look pristine 

and don’t violate clean water criteria. 

Hence they don’t attract the equivalent 

attention because their productivity losses 

occur slowly over many decades. the causal 


mechanism (e.g., impoundment) is often 

associated with valuable societal benefits 

(i.e., hydroelectric power and flood control). 

Hence, oligotrophication is often quietly 

viewed “as the cost of doing business.” 

Local, regional, and national water 

quality policies and standards rightly 

exist to protect aquatic ecosystems from 

eutrophication and myriad organic and 

inorganic pollutants. these existing 

standards or policies could theoretically be 

used to protect natural water bodies from 

oligotrophication, but are rarely invoked, 

despite the fact that the magnitude of 

ecological damage and food web disruption 

associated with ultra-oligotrophy may rival 

that of eutrophication (Ashley et al. 1999; 

Stockner et al. 2000). For example, the U.S. 

environmental Protection Agency (ePA) 

defines water quality standards as inclusive 

of beneficial uses, water quality criteria, and 

an anti-degradation policy. the beneficial 

uses (goals for the waterbody) often include 

“fish and aquatic life,” whereas the water 

quality criteria are the minimum conditions 

that support the most sensitive beneficial 

use, and anti-degradation is designed to 

protect existing water quality from further 

degradation. Violations of water quality 

standards can and do occur even though the 

water quality criteria are achieved, e.g., the 

concentration of some contaminant in fish 

tissue might impair the “fishing” beneficial 

uses, but the water column concentrations 

are not above the water quality criteria. 

Since water quality standards include 

beneficial uses, the U.S. clean Water Act is 

a policy tool that could be invoked to protect 

waters from cultural oligotrophication. In 

theory, anthropogenically-caused ultraoligotrophic 

water quality should qualify as 

a violation of water quality standards when 

it results in impairment of the fish and 

aquatic life beneficial use. the ePA allows 

for the use of biocriteria, which should allow 

for consideration of ecosystem services. 

However, it is clear that the ePA’s national 

nutrient criteria are focused primarily on 

addressing cultural eutrophication. the 

existing anti-degradation policy allows 

designation of waters as Outstanding 

(Natural) Resource Waters, which would 

prohibit any anthropogenic degradation of 

water quality. this policy would not address 

waters already naturally oligotrophic (e.g., 

crater Lake, Oregon), but if used, could be 

invoked for naturally oligotrophic waters to 

prevent further depletion of nutrients. 

tHE cLEAr-wAtEr 

PArAdoX 

clear water is the typically desired 

condition of public waterways. entities as 

diverse as the clean Water Act, and local 

or regional water clarity criteria support 

the notion that if clear is good, then crystal 

clear is even better. Understandably, the 

U.S. clean Water Act was passed when 

increased turbidity of public waters was often 

associated with increased contamination, 

toxicity, and significant eutrophication 

problems. Of course such conditions still 

exist. However, natural biological turbidity 

is not automatically correlated with 

contamination, and biologically productive 

and ecologically functional aquatic systems 

are not always crystal clear. In fact, they 

often produce intermittent or seasonal 

conditions that may not be aesthetically 

pleasing to humans yet are necessary for the 

functioning of the ecosystem (Stockner et al. 

2000). Herein lies the clear-water paradox 

of aquatic ecosystem restoration: Western 

society wants crystal clear public waters and 

ecosystem services or benefits like harvestable 

fish populations but simultaneously enforces 

water quality standards that limit or prohibit 

the biological productivity and ecological 

processes required to produce and maintain 

those benefits. 

to understand the degree to which 

extreme water clarity is culturally engrained, 

one simply needs to envision initial responses 

by water resource and fisheries managers 

and the public to the two images presented 

in Figure 1. Initial responses by these groups 

tend to be positive to clean rock or substrate 

and more negative regarding the algae 

covered rock. Progress may be claimed when 

the same groups recognize clean substrate 

as an indicator of a potentially nutrient 

deficient system and the lower photo as an 

indicator of a more productive ecosystem 

that provides societally valued ecosystem 

services. to be emphatically clear: we are not 

promoting eutrophication or relaxation of 

legitimate water quality protection laws and 

enforceable standards that have protected 

countless water bodies from eutrophication 

and deleterious pollutants. Rather, we 

are promoting ecological education as a 

pathway toward protecting, restoring, and 

maintaining balanced aquatic ecosystems. 

Due to this paradox, water resource 

agencies and restoration-oriented 

limnologists and fisheries biologists may 

find themselves caught between opposing 

management paradigms. environmental 

quality monitoring and enforcement 

agencies are responsible for maintaining 

water quality standards in public waters. 

Some water quality standards are essentially 

managing for distilled water, in ecological 

terms. Alternatively, fishery researchers, 

restoration-oriented limnologists, and 

fisheries biologists are simultaneously 

designing and implementing fishery and 

aquatic ecosystem restoration programs 

that recognize the essential role of nutrient 

availability and its relationship with water 

clarity, including restorative nutrient 

addition prescriptions. thus, the clear-water 

paradox involves conflicting “restoration” 

approaches among resource agencies despite 

their shared mission of environmental 

protection and some resemblance of a 

“normally functioning” ecosystem. 

rESoLVIng tHE 

PArAdoX 

A fundamental change in the way aquatic 

resource managers and Western society view 

and understand aquatic resources is needed 

to resolve this paradox, including: 

• Informative debate and accurate 

definition of the cultural 

oligotrophication problem within 

and among agency and public 

groups; 

Figure 1. Differences in periphyton accrual or 

algal productivity on native substrates upstream 

(top) and downstream (bottom) from an 

experimental nutrient addition site in Norris 

Creek, British Columbia during 2005. 


• Developing a better ecological, 

professional, and societal 

understanding of the cultural 

oligotrophication problem; 

• Developing and adopting more 

consistent, ecologically relevant 

nutrient policy and standards 

among agencies; and 

• Implementing successful aquatic 

ecosystem restoration projects 

that may not be associated with 

crystal clear water. 

Although resolving the clear-water 

paradox involves formidable tasks such 

as changing a well-established societal 

paradigm, notable progress is being made in 

the field of restoration limnology. Unlike the 

aforementioned societal oversight, cultural 

oligotrophication and successful remedial 

measures are receiving increasing attention 

among the international ecological and 

limnological communities, and within 

local and regional water resources and 

fishery management agencies. For example, 

Washington and Oregon now have policies 

that attempt to address oligotrophication 

through the introduction of salmon 

carcasses (see http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/ahg. 

shrg_t11.pdf) and British columbia has been 

conducting stream and river enrichment 

experiments since the 1980s (Ashley and 

Slaney 1997). 

A small meeting of ecologists and 

limnologists, held in Uppsala, Sweden 

in 1998, first focused scientific attention 

on the ecological effects and restoration 

options related to cultural oligotrophication 

(Stockner and milbrink 1999). A second 

landmark international conference, on 

restoring nutrients in salmonid ecosystems 

sponsored by the American Fisheries 

Society was convened in eugene, Oregon, in 

2001, and included nearly 400 participants 

from canada, Scandinavia, Japan, and the 

United States. this meeting produced a 

comprehensive peer-reviewed collection 

of nutrient addition studies designed to 

compensate for cultural oligotrophication 

of lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams 

(AFS Symposium 34: Stockner 2003). 

contributors to this volume reported 

recent developments and challenges to 

the science of nutrient enrichment in 

various regions of the world. A subsequent 

review of 24 sockeye salmon nursery 

lake enrichment experiments in British 

columbia concluded that lake fertilization 

was a successful technique for conserving 

and enhancing sockeye salmon populations 

(Hyatt et al. 2004). most recently, a 

group of fishery consultants, researchers, 

and managers presented a symposium on 

nutrient enrichment as part of the Oregon 

chapter of the American Fisheries Society 

meeting in Sunriver, Oregon (www.orafs. 

org/meeting2006/final_abstracts.pdf). 

Advances in the emerging fields of 

nutrient enrichment and restoration 

limnology reveal the prevalence of cultural 

oligotrophication in north and south 

temperate regions of the world. most of the 

hydroelectric reservoirs and downstream 

riverine ecosystems in British columbia, 

Sweden, and Norway are culturally ultraoligotrophic 

(Stockner and milbrink 1999). 

Increased awareness of the cumulative 

effect and extent of ultra-oligotrophy 

and the important role of salmon-derived 

nutrients have contributed to an increasing 

number of nutrient restoration prescriptions 

and adaptive management experiments in 

streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs around 

the world, generally at or north of the 49 th 

parallel (Ashley et al. 1997; Ashley et al. 

1999; murota 2003; Nakajima and Ito 

2003; Stockner 2003; Ashley and Stockner 

2003; Stockner and Ashley 2003; thomas 

et al. 2003; Reimken et al. 2003; Anders 

2006). Finally, ongoing interest in cultural 

oligotrophication among aquatic resource 

managers and researchers is reflected by a 

special session at the upcoming meeting 

of the International Limnological Society, 

in montreal, canada, in 2007, entitled 

“cultural Oligotrophication: causes, 

consequences and corrections” (www. 

sil2007.org). 

concLuSIonS 

Successful science-based restoration 

of culturally oligotrophic and eutrophic 

ecosystems will require improved 

understanding of these issues within the 

managing agencies and the general public. 

It will also require the development and 

implementation of appropriate fisheries and 

water resource management policies. this 

paradox is not unique. Similar conflicts 

exist where society’s biases create ecological 

problems—for example, the conflict between 

fire suppression in forests and increasing 

concerns about catastrophic burns, or the 

removal of large woody debris from streams 

despite overwhelming evidence of its 

ecological importance. the move towards 

science based ecosystem management will 

no doubt uncover additional examples. 

However, as the rigor, understanding, and 

predictability of limnological restoration 

improve, successful restoration programs will 

likely emerge, increasing the credibility and 

public support for science-based ecosystem 

restoration. this ecological or limnological 

restoration paradigm represents a significant 

change from past univariate, symptomspecific 

treatment approaches that often 

failed to restore fisheries and their supporting 

ecological processes. Rather than asking 

fishery and water resource managers and 

the public to choose between clear water 

or valued ecosystem services, education and 

effective ecological restoration involving 

the biologically productive middle ground, 

where appropriate, should provide a 

scientifically defensible strategy for restoring 

culturally oligotrophic ecosystems. 

AcknowLEdgEMEntS 

We would like to thank John Stockner 

and Harvey Andrusak for reviewing an earlier 

draft of this article, and thomas Fontaine, 

Brian missildine, Robbins church, martin 

Fitzpatrick, and one anonymous reviewer 

for providing input that greatly improved 

the article. 

rEFErEncES 

Anders, P. 2006. Nutrient restoration: 

a previously overlooked component 

of habitat rehabilitation. Page 31 in 

Proceedings of the Oregon chapter 

American Fisheries Society. Sunriver, 

Oregon. 1-3 march 2006. Available 

at: www.orafs.org/meeting2006/final_ 

abstracts.pdf. 

Anders, P. J., d. L. richards, and M. S. 

Powell. 2002. the first endangered 

white sturgeon population (Acipenser 

transmontanus): repercussions in an 

altered large river-floodplain ecosystem. 

Pages 67-82 in W. Van Winkle, P. Anders, 

D. Dixon, and D. Secor, eds. Biology, 

management and protection of North 

American sturgeons. American Fisheries 

Society Symposium 28, Bethesda, 

maryland. 

Ashley, k. I., and P. A. Slaney. 1997. 

Accelerating recovery of stream, river 

and pond productivity by low-level 

nutrient replacement. chapter 13 in 

P.A. Slaney and D. Zaldokas, eds. Fish 

habitat rehabilitation procedures. 

Province of British columbia, ministry 

of environment, Lands and Parks, 


and ministry of Forests. Watershed 

Restoration technical circular 9. 

Ashley, k. I., and J. g. Stockner. 2003. 

Protocol for applying limiting nutrients 

to inland waters. Pages 245-260 in J. 

Stockner, ed. Nutrients in salmonid 

ecosystems: sustaining production and 

biodiversity. American Fisheries Society 

Symposium 34, American Fisheries 


Ashley, k. I., L. c. thompson, d. 

c. Lasenby, L. McEachern, k. E. 

Smokorowski, and d. Sebastian. 1997. 

Restoration of an interior lake ecosystem: 

the Kootenay Lake experiment. Water 

Quality Research Journal of canada 

32:295-323. 

Ashley, k., L. c. thompson, d. Sebastian, 

d. c. Lasenby, k. E. Smokorowski, 

and H. Andrusak. 1999. Restoration of 

kokanee salmon in Kootenay Lake, a large 

intermontane lake, by controlled seasonal 

additions of nutrients. Pages 127-170 in t. 

murphy and m. munawar, eds. Aquatic 

restoration in canada. ecovision World 

monograph Series, Backhuys Publishers, 

Leiden, Netherlands. 

Hyatt, k. d., d. J. McQueen, k. S. 

Shortreed, and d. P. rankin. 2004. 

Sockeye salmon (Onchorynchus nerka) 

nursery lake fertilization: review and 

summary of results. environmental 

Reviews 12:133-162. Available at: http:// 

er.nrc.ca. 

Lackey, r. t. 2003. Nutrient addition to 

restore salmon runs: considerations for 

developing environmental protection 

policies and regulations. Pages 283-285 in 

J. G. Stockner, ed. Nutrients in salmonid 

ecosystems. American Fisheries Society 

Symposium 34, Bethesda, maryland. 

Murota, t. 2003. the marine nutrient shadow: 

a global comparison of anadromous fishery 

and guano occurrence. Pages 17-31 in J. 

G. Stockner, ed. Nutrients in salmonid 



nakajima, M. and t. Ito. 2003. Aquatic 

animal colonization of chum salmon 

carcasses in Hokkaido, Northern 

Japan. Pages 89-97 in J. G. Stockner, 

ed. Nutrients in salmonid ecosystems. 

American Fisheries Society Symposium 

34, Bethesda, maryland. 

national Academy of Sciences. 1969. 

eutrophication: causes, consequences and 

correctives. Proceedings of a symposium. 

National Academy of Sciences, 

Washington, D.c. 

ney, J. J. 1996. Oligotrophication and its 

discontents: effects of reduced nutrient 

loading on reservoir fisheries. American 

Fisheries Society Symposium 16:285- 

295. 

Pieters, r. L., and 11 co-authors. 2003. 

Restoration of kokanee salmon in 

the Arrow Lakes Reservoir, British 

columbia: preliminary results of a 

fertilization experiment. Pages 177-196 in 

J. G. Stockner, ed. Nutrients in salmonid 



reimken, t. E., d. d. Mathewson, M. 

d. Hocking, J. Moran, and d. Harris. 

2003. Pages 59-69 in J. G. Stockner, 

ed. Nutrients in salmonid ecosystems. 

American Fisheries Society Symposium 

34, Bethesda, maryland. 

Schindler, d. w. 1974. eutrophication 

and recovery in experimental lakes: 

implications for lake management. 

Science 184:897-899. 

Stockner, J. g., editor. 2003. Nutrients in 

salmonid ecosystems. American Fisheries 


maryland. 

Stockner, J. g., and g. Milbrink, 

editors. 1999. Restoration of fisheries 

by enrichment of aquatic ecosystems. 

International Workshop at Uppsala 

University, Sweden, 30 march-1 April 

1998. Uppsala University, Uppsala, 

Sweden. 

Stockner, J. g., and k. I. Ashley. 2003. 

Salmon nutrients: closing the circle. Pages 

3-16 in J. G. Stockner, ed. Nutrients in 

salmonid ecosystems. American Fisheries 


maryland. 

Stockner, J. g., E. rydin, and P. Hyehstrand. 

2000. cultural oligotrophication: causes 

and consequences for fisheries resources. 


thomas, S. A, t. V. royer, g. w. Minshall, 

and E. Snyder. 2003. Pages 41-55 in J. 

G. Stockner, ed. Nutrients in salmonid 



Vollenweider, r. A. 1968. Scientific 

fundamentals of the eutrophication of 

lakes and flowing waters, with particular 

reference to nitrogen and phosphorus 

as factors in eutrophication. Rep. 

Organisation for economic cooperation 

and Development, Paris. 

weisse, t., and J. g. Stockner. 1992. 

eutrophication: the role of microbial 

food webs. memorie dell’Istituto Italiano 

di Idrobiologia 52:133-150. : 


FEAturE: 

FISHErIES MAnAgEMEnt 

Paul E. Bailey 

Bailey is South central District fisheries 

supervisor at the North Dakota Game and 

Fish Department, Bismarck. He can be 

contacted at pbailey@nd.gov. 

Proportional Angling Success: 

An Alternative Approach to representing Angling Success 

ABStRAct: A common goal of recreational fisheries management is to improve 

fishing success. the mean number of fish caught per hour of angling (mean angler catch 

per unit effort [cPUe]) is frequently used to measure angling success. Unfortunately, 

the sample sizes needed to detect even modest differences in mean angler cPUe 

at conventionally-used levels of statistical significance are often impractical or 

impossible to obtain. Using case studies, I investigate potential issues with the use 

of mean angler cPUe and several alternative approaches for representing angling 

success. I present proportional angling success (PAS) as an alternative approach to 

representing angling success with creel survey data. Proportional angling success 

(PAS) is defined as the proportion of anglers that have individual catch rates greater 

than or equal to x fish per hour (where x is determined on a species and region 

specific basis). I demonstrate that PAS is statistically powerful, is minimally affected 

by subjective decisions to include or exclude portions of data, reflects differences in 

fishing quality among creel surveys, does not require changes to conventional creel 

survey design and can be used to readdress historical creel survey data, can be used 

as a standard method for comparing angling success among fisheries, and can serve 

as the norm for the angling public. I encourage fisheries managers to consider using 

PAS when developing fisheries management objectives or analyzing creel survey 

data. the use of PAS may enable fisheries managers to better measure angling success 

and ultimately contribute to improved management of recreational fisheries. 

The author and his son, Carter, display a 

northern pike (Esox lucius) from Lake Sakakawea, 

North Dakota. 

El Éxito Proporcional de Pesca: 

Alternativa para Estimar Éxito de Pesca 

ReSUmeN: Uno de los objetivos en el manejo de la pesca recreacional es el de mejorar el éxito de pesca. La unidad 

de esfuerzo de captura se define como el promedio del número de peces capturados por cada pescador por hora en la 

actividad de pesca (promedio de peces capturados/pescadores/tiempo [cPUe]). Desafortunadamente el tamaño de la 

muestra que se necesita para estimar diferencias modestas en las unidades de esfuerzo de captura a niveles convencionales 

de probabilidad estadística a menudo son poco prácticos o imposibles de obtener. Utilizando información colectada 

en este tipo estudios se investigó la aplicación de el promedio de esfuerzo de captura y otros métodos alternativos para 

evaluar el éxito de pesca. este estudio presenta la medida proporcional del éxito de pesca (PAS) como un parámetro 

alternativo para representar el éxito de pesca en las encuestas de captura. La medida proporcional del éxito de pesca 

(PAS) se define como la proporción de pescadores con capturas individuales mayores o iguales a un número x de peces 

por hora (la medida x se determina de acuerdo a la especie y región especificamente). este estudio demuestra que el 

poder estadístico del parámetro (PAS) se afecta de una manera mínima por diferencias subjetivas en la decisión de 

incluír o excluír partes de la data, reflejando diferencias en la calidad de pesca detectable en las encuestas de pesca. 

el parámetro PAS no require cambios en el diseño de encuestas de pesca convencional. PAS puede incorporar series 

históricas de datos de encuentas de pesca que se podrían aplicar como método comparativo del éxito de pesca para 

diferentes especies en la actividad de pesquería y como norma aplicable a los pescadores recreativos. La aplicación de 

PAS como método de evaluación del éxito de pesca permitiría que los administradores de pesquería utilizaran la medida 

PAS como herramienta para mejorar el manejo de la pesca recreacional. 


IntroductIon 

the traditional goal of recreational 

fisheries management is to improve 

fishing success (malvestuto 1996). 

Fisheries managers are increasingly aware 

of the importance of monitoring fishing 

success and angler satisfaction in addition 

to the biological component of the fishery 

(Weithman 1999). Information on 

anglers and angling success is therefore a 

necessary component of effective fisheries 

management (Pollock et al. 1994). 

Well-defined goals and objectives 

facilitate effective fisheries management 

(Barber and taylor 1990; Krueger and 

Decker 1999). Goals are the desired 

outcomes or states of affairs that fisheries 

managers wish to achieve (Lackey 

1978), whereas objectives are the 

specific, quantifiable tasks that must be 

accomplished to attain a goal (Burke 1983; 

Barber and taylor 1990). If improving 

fishing success is the primary goal of 

receational fisheries management, then 

an appropriate objective for recreational 

fisheries is a measure of success that 

reflects the way that anglers measure the 

success of their fishing (primarily by the 

number and size of fish caught). For this 

reason, the mean number of fish caught 

per hour of angling (mean angler catch 

per unit effort [cPUe]) and measures 

of population length structure (mean 

length, proportional stock density, or 

relative stock density) are common 

fisheries management objectives. For 

example, mean angler cPUe appears 

as a specific management objective for 

28 of the 32 large lentic sport fisheries 

managed by the Wyoming Game and 

Fish Department (WGFD 2002; table 1). 

Fisheries biologists typically employ 

parametric statistics in the analysis of 

mean angler cPUe data based upon 

the central limit theorem. Attempts at 

normalizing angler cPUe data through 

log 10 or log e transformation are typically 

unsuccessful due to the large number 

of anglers reporting catch rates of zero. 

Table 1. Number of lentic sport fisheries 

sampled using the Wyoming Game and Fish 

Department’s standard sampling program 

(WGFD 2002) for which select fisheries statistics 

are used as a management objective. The 

percentage of fisheries for which each statistic 

appears as a fisheries management objective is 

in parentheses. CPUE—catch per unit effort. 

Unfortunately, there are three primary 

problems with using mean angler cPUe 

to represent angling success: (1) the 

sample size needed to detect changes in 

mean angler cPUe may be impractical 

or impossible to obtain; (2) the effects 

of prestige bias (exaggerating positive 

events or underreporting negative events 

to boost self-esteem), inflation bias 

(the unintentional over reporting of 

pleasurable events), digit bias (rounding 

quantitative responses to the nearest 

5 or 10; tarrant and manfredo 1993; 

malvestuto 1996), and extreme individual 

values on mean angler cPUe; and (3) 

mean angler cPUe may misrepresent the 

norm to the angling public because the 

mean angler cPUe becomes a target that 

few anglers attain. Yet, in the absence of a 

better statistic, mean angler cPUe is still 

commonly used as the basis for fisheries 

management decisions. 

Several alternative approaches to 

representing angling success with creel 

survey data have been proposed. Rupp 

(1961) recommended calculating mean 

angler cPUe for only the most successful 

anglers. He found that an hour of 

angling by a novice is not analogous to 

that of an experienced angler and thus, 

mean angler cPUe for all anglers may 

not be representative of fishing success. 

Quertermus (1991) suggested that the 

proportion of anglers with a limit of fish or 

with zero fish may be useful in evaluating 

bass (Micropterus spp.) fishing quality. 

colby (1984) proposed a quality fishing 

index (QFI) for walleye (Sander vitreus) 

as a measure of angling success. the QFI 

combines proportional stock density 

(PSD), a measure of population length 

structure (Anderson 1976; Anderson and 

Weithman 1978), and the mean number 

of fish caught per hour of angling into 

a single statistic representing angling 

success. Baccante and colby (1991) 

recommended that the QFI be used to 

set reasonable management objectives for 

walleye fisheries. 

the approaches of Rupp (1961) and 

colby (1984) are similar in that they 

Statistic 

both use mean angler cPUe (calculated 

using all or a portion of anglers) as a 

component of their measure of angling 

success or fishing quality. Unfortunately, 

both methods thus have the same 

disadvantages as mean angler cPUe. In 

fact, these disadvantages are likely to be 

more severe when using Rupp’s (1961) 

approach as his measure of angling success 

is based solely on the most successful 

anglers (i.e., those anglers most likely 

to be exhibiting the effects of digit bias, 

prestige bias, and inflation bias). 

Representing angling success as the 

proportion of anglers with a limit of fish or 

zero fish (Quertermus 1991) may alleviate 

some of the problems encountered 

when using mean angler cPUe but this 

approach still has several disadvantages. 

First, fishing regulations may differ 

among fisheries or may change for a 

particular fishery over time. comparisons 

in angling success could only be made if 

identical fishing regulations were in place 

when representing angling success as the 

proportion of anglers with a limit of fish. 

Secondly, all individual angler catch rates 

> 0.0 fish per hour may not be viewed 

as successful by fisheries managers. A 

substantial portion of anglers with catch 

rates > 0.0 fish per hour still may not 

meet a fishery manager’s benchmark for 

good fishing. 

Representing angling success as the 

median number of fish caught per hour of 

angling (median angler cPUe) initially 

may seem like a good alternative, given 

the non-normal distribution of the data. 

However, nonparametric median tests 

have even lower statistical power than 

their parametric counterparts (Steel et 

al. 1997). Representing angling success 

with median angler cPUe would require 

even larger sample sizes than representing 

angling success with mean angler cPUe, 

when these sample sizes are often already 

impractical or impossible to obtain. 

median angler cPUe can also equal 0.0 

fish per hour, which limits its usefulness 

for representing angling success. 

my objective was to develop an 

Number of waters for which the statistic was used 

as a fisheries management objective 

Angler CPUE 28 (88%) 

Proportional stock density (PSD) 22 (69%) 

Gill net CPUE 6 (19%) 

Relative weight (W ) r 1 (3%) 

Mean back-calculated length at age 0 (0%) 


alternative approach to represent angling success with creel 

survey data that does not have the disadvantages of mean angler 

cPUe, median angler cPUe, or other alternative approaches 

associated with it. Given the widespread use of creel survey 

data for the development of fisheries management objectives, 

recreational fisheries management would benefit from an 

alternative approach to representing angling success. In this 

article, I examine creel survey datasets collected by the North 

Dakota and Wyoming game and fish departments to illustrate 

shortcomings of commonly reported angler cPUe statistics. I 

explore alternatives and present an index that is statistically 

powerful, is less likely to be influenced by common sources of 

bias, is minimally affected by subjective decisions to include or 

exclude portions of data, reflects differences in fishing quality 

among creel surveys, does not require changes to conventional 

creel survey design, can be used to readdress historic creel 

survey data, can be used as a standard method for comparing 

angling success among fisheries, and can serve as the norm for 

the angling public. 

ProPortIonAL AngLIng SuccESS 

Proportional angling success (PAS) is defined as the 

proportion of anglers with catch rates greater than or equal to 

x fish per hour (where x is determined on a species and region 

specific basis) and is calculated as: 

PAS = Number of anglers with catch rates ≥ x fish per hour X 100 

Total number of anglers interviewed 

For demonstration purposes, I chose to use angler catch rates 

> 0.5 fish per hour in the calculation of PAS because it has 

frequently been used as a fisheries management objective by the 

Wyoming Game and Fish Department and has long been used as 

a benchmark for good trout fishingin Wyoming (Robert Wiley, 

WGFD, retired, pers. comm.). A mean angler cPUe of 0.5 fish 

per hour has been used as a management objective for other 

fisheries as well (Kelly 1965; Hicks et al. 1983). 

MEtHodS 

Roving creel surveys were conducted on a diversity of 

fisheries in Wyoming and North Dakota where either salmonids 

(Salmonidae) or percids (Percidae) were the primary sport fish 

caught by anglers. the number of individual angler interviews 

ranged from 250 to 3,667 during these creel surveys. Surveys also 

ranged from two months to one year in duration. the mean of 

ratios estimator (Pollock et al. 1997) was used to calculate mean 

angler cPUe because a large portion of anglers interviewed 

Table 2. Results of retrospective power analysis to estimate the median sample size 

needed in each sample to detect 20% differences in select fisheries statistics at α 

= 0.05 and β = 0.20 for the primary sport fishes present in each fishery. I assumed 

a 2-sample t-test would be used in the analysis of relative weight (W r ), backcalculated 

length at age, gill net catch per unit effort (CPUE), and angler CPUE and 

that a Chi-square test would be used in the analysis of proportional stock density 

(PSD). Relative weight, PSD, and gill net CPUE data were obtained for common 

recreational fishes (fish with gill net CPUE ≥ 0.10 fish per hour) using the Wyoming 

Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) standard sampling program (WGFD 2002). 

Back-calculated length-at-age data were collected from lentic fisheries in both 

Wyoming and North Dakota. Angler CPUE data were collected during roving creel 

surveys in Wyoming and North Dakota. 

in each creel survey had not completed their fishing trip and 

my primary purpose was to measure the fishing success of the 

average angler. 

Growth information was obtained for a variety of common 

sport fish species (sport fish with gill net cPUe ≥ 0.1 fish per 

hour) from both Wyoming and North Dakota fisheries. In each 

case, mean back-calculated length at age was estimated from 

sagittal otoliths using the direct proportion method (Devries 

and Frie 1996). mean gill net cPUe, mean relative weight 

(W r ; Wege and Anderson 1978), and PSD (Anderson 1976) 

were determined for common sport fishes from data obtained 

for large (> 500 ha) lentic fisheries in Wyoming through the 

Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) standard 

sampling methodology (WGFD 2002). the length categories 

and standard weight equations presented in Anderson and 

Neumann (1996) were used for the calculation of PSD and 

W r . Pearson’s correlation test was used to test for a correlation 

between mean angler cPUe and proportional angling success 

(PAS; the proportion of anglers with catch rates ≥ 0.5 fish per 

hour). 

Four factors combine to determine the sample size needed to 

detect differences in mean angler cPUe among creel surveys: 

variance, α (the probability of a type I error), β (the probability 

of a type II error), and effect size (Brown and Austen 1996). 

three of these factors (α, β, and effect size) are subjectively 

chosen. Statistical convention is to set α and β at 0.05 and 

0.20 respectively. However, different levels of α and β may 

be selected based upon the perceived consequences of type I 

and type II errors. An effect size of 20% has been suggested 

(Harden and conner 1992); however, no conventional effect 

size exists (Parkinson et al. 1988). the best guidance that can 

be offered is to select an α, β, and effect size that are believed to 

be appropriate for the question being asked. 

Retrospective power analysis was conducted to estimate 

the sample size needed to detect 20% differences in various 

fisheries statistics at α = 0.05 and β = 0.20. Both North Dakota 

and Wyoming creel survey data were used in this portion of my 

analysis. Retrospective power analysis was conducted assuming 

a two-sample t-test would be used to test for differences in mean 

gill net cPUe, mean back calculated length at age, mean W r , 

and mean angler cPUe, and that a chi square test would be 

used to test for differences in PSD and PAS. 

rESuLtS And dIScuSSIon 

the inverse relationship between the frequency at which 

common fisheries statistics appear as management objectives 

(table 1) and the statistical power of those statistics (table 2) 

Statistic 

Number of 

data sets 

evaluated 

Median 

sample size 

required 

Range of 

required 

sample 

sizes 

Relative weight (W r ) 30 6 3-25 

Back-calculated length-at-age 32 9 4-16 

Proportional stock density (PSD) 26 98 18-625 

Gill net CPUE 31 178 17-969 

Angler CPUE 13 1,130 590-4,300 


indicates that fisheries biologists are often 

basing management decisions on the least 

powerful data that they collect (mean 

angler cPUe) and that a more powerful 

method of representing angling success is 

needed. Retrospective power analysis of 

creel survey data from Wyoming and North 

Dakota indicates that the median sample 

size needed to detect 20% differences in 

mean angler cPUe among creel surveys 

was 1,130 angler interviews (range of 590 

to 4,300; table 2) at α = 0.05 and β = 

0.20. Large required sample sizes are the 

result of the inherent high variance and 

skewed distribution of this type of data 

(Figure 1). With these required sample 

sizes, representing angling success as mean 

angler cPUe does not routinely provide 

data that are useful in determining if 

Figure 1. Histogram of individual angler catch per unit 

effort (CPUE) of walleye for Glendo Reservoir, Wyoming, 

during a roving creel survey April-September 2000, 

demonstrating the skewed distribution characteristic 

of angler CPUE data. 

n = 3,667 

mean = 0.61 (SD = 1.02) 

median = 0.20 

maximum = 16.00 

Figure 2. Number of anglers that reported 

releasing various numbers of fish (≥ 10 fish) 

among 10 roving creel surveys in Wyoming (a 

total of 10,597 individual angler interviews). The 

disproportionate frequency of anglers reporting 

numbers rounded to the nearest 5 or 12 fish 

demonstrate the effect of digit bias on creel 

survey data. 

fisheries management objectives are being 

met. 

Representing angling success with 

PAS requires substantially smaller sample 

sizes than the use of mean angler cPUe. 

For example, a median sample size of 362 

(range of 168–724) angler interviews was 

needed to detect 20% changes in PAS 

of the most commonly caught sport fish 

at α = 0.05 and β = 0.20 for 13 roving 

creel surveys in Wyoming and North 

Dakota. Sample sizes would need to be 

approximately three times larger to detect 

similar differences in mean angler cPUe 

(table 2). 

the effects of digit bias are evident in 

creel survey data collected by the WGFD 

(Figure 2). Anglers who reported releasing 

10 or more fish disproportionately 

responded with numbers rounded to the 

nearest 5. the effects of prestige bias and 

inflation bias have also been documented 

for creel survey data (malvestuto 1996). 

In all likelihood, when anglers are 

rounding off due to digit bias they are 

also rounding up due to prestige and 

inflation bias resulting in estimates of 

mean angler cPUe that are biased high. 

PAS is likely not immune to the effects 

of digit, prestige, and inflation bias but 

their effects may be lessened through 

the use of PAS. Because these sources of 

bias inflate individual angler catch rates, 

anglers who report the greatest success are 

likely exhibiting these sources of bias to 

a greater extent than anglers who report 

lower catch rates. thus, digit, prestige, 

and inflation bias likely influence mean 

132 Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org

angler cPUe to a greater degree than PAS 

due to the skewed nature of angler cPUe 

data (Figure 1). However, the degree to 

which PAS is affected by common sources 

of bias should be investigated. 

In other cases, anglers are simply 

providing erroneous data. For example, 

one angler interviewed at Wyoming’s 

Gray Reef fishery (North Platte River) in 

2001 claimed to have caught and released 

50 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) 

in 2 hours of fly fishing, with a resulting 

catch rate of 25.0 rainbow trout per hour 

(WGFD file data). However, this fishery 

is in a swift moving tailwater and had a 

rainbow trout PSD of 78 during this creel 

survey. In other words, this angler claimed 

to have caught and released a rainbow 

trout every 2.4 minutes (78% of which 

were likely greater than 40 cm in length) 

on a fly rod from a swift moving tailwater, 

a feat which is clearly impossible. 

With the issues of digit bias, prestige 

bias, inflation bias, and anglers who are 

providing erroneous data in mind, a 

manager may, with good reason, make a 

subjective decision to exclude extreme 

and suspect values from the calculation of 

mean angler cPUe. However, excluding 

a relatively small number of extreme 

values can have a large influence on the 

mean due to the skewed distribution of 

the data. For example, 873 anglers were 

interviewed at Wyoming’s Gray Reef 

fishery in 2001 and they had a mean 

catch rate of 0.76 (SD = 1.46) rainbow 

trout per hour (WGFD file data). making 

a subjective decision to exclude anglers 

Figure 3.⎯ Histogram of individual angler catch 

per unit effort (CPUE) of rainbow trout for the 

Miracle Mile, Wyoming, during a roving creel 

survey, March-October, 2001. 

n = 3,253 

mean = 0.30 (stdev = 0.69) 

median = 0.00 

maximum = 15.00 

with catch rates greater than 5.0 rainbow 

trout per hour only excludes 15 anglers 

(or 1.7% of anglers) but significantly 

reduces the mean catch rate of rainbow 

trout from 0.76 (SD = 1.46) to 0.63 (SD = 

0.88; t-test P = 0.02). the same subjective 

decision changed PAS insignificantly 

from 44 to 43 (Χ 2 = 0.065; P = 0.80). the 

subjective decision to include or exclude 

small portions of suspect data may have a 

significant impact on angling success data 

when represented by mean angler cPUe 

but has little impact on PAS. thus, there 

are very few cases where data should be 

excluded from the calculation of PAS. 

Fisheries managers frequently 

communicate the results of creel surveys 

to the public. When managers present 

mean angler cPUe to the public it is likely 

to be interpreted as the norm. However, 

only a small portion of anglers may have 

catch rates that meet or exceed the mean 

given the skewed distribution from which 

it was derived. For example, the mean 

catch rate of rainbow trout for anglers 

fishing the miracle mile (North Platte 

River) in 2001 was 0.30 fish per hour 

(WGFD file data; Figure 3). However, 

only 28.3% of anglers had catch rates of 

0.30 rainbow trout per hour or greater. 

the ability to reach or exceed a norm 

is likely a precondition to satisfaction 

(maslow 1970). thus, providing 

relevant fisheries statistics to serve as the 

norm may improve angler satisfaction 

(Hampton and Lackey 1976; Schramm 

et al. 1998). Presenting a mean catch 

rate of 0.30 trout per hour to serve as the 

norm for the miracle mile fishery likely 

would not increase angler satisfaction 

with this fishery because 71.7% of anglers 

surveyed had catch rates below this 

value. PAS may better serve as the norm 

for the angling public. communicating 

the proportion of anglers with cPUe 

≥ 0.5 fish per hour may eliminate this 

potential problem at the miracle mile 

by more accurately depicting the norm. 

For example, a fisheries manager may 

communicate to the angling public that 

21% of anglers fishing the miracle mile 

in 2001 caught 0.5 or more rainbow trout 

per hour fished. 

PAS is highly correlated with mean 

angler cPUe (r = 0.946; P < 0.001) 

indicating that PAS is as reflective of 

differences in angling success as mean 

angler cPUe (Figure 4). However, PAS 

has greater statistical power, is likely less 

susceptible to common sources of bias, is 

minimally affected by subjective decisions 

to exclude suspect data, and may better 

serve as the norm for the angling public. 

the use of PAS does not require any 

change to the conventional design of 

creel surveys because it is calculated from 

individual angler cPUe data that are 

routinely obtained in creel surveys. thus, 

PAS can be determined for past creel 

surveys where individual angler catch 

rate data are available. 

SuMMArY 

Previously described methods of 

representing angling success have 


disadvantages that are reduced or alleviated 

through the use of PAS. Proportional 

angling success has greater statistical 

power, is likely less influenced by prestige 

bias, inflation bias, and digit bias than 

mean angler cPUe and the methods of 

Rupp (1961) and colby (1984) and PAS is 

minimally affected by subjective decisions 

to include or exclude portions of data. 

Unlike the methodology described by 

Quertermus (1991), the use of PAS does 

not require identical fishing regulations to 

be in place in order to make comparisons 

among fisheries or within a fishery over 

time. Proportional angling success also 

has greater statistical power then median 

angler cPUe and is much less likely to 

produce a value of zero. Additionally, 

PAS is reflective of differences in fishing 

quality among creel surveys, does not 

require significant changes to creel survey 

design and can be used to readdress past 

creel survey data, can be used as a standard 

method for comparing angling success 

among fisheries, and may better serve as 

the norm for the angling public. 

I recommend calculating PAS by the 

methodology described above. Standard 

terminology and methodology will likely 

facilitate communication among fisheries 

managers as well as comparisons in angling 

success among fisheries. 

Using a catch rate of 0.50 fish per hour 

to calculate PAS effectively characterizes 

angling success for salmonid and percid 

fisheries in North Dakota and Wyoming. 

However, using smaller individual angler 

catch rates (≥ 0.25 fish per hour for 

example) may better characterize angling 

success for trophy fisheries whereas using 

larger individual catch rates (≥ 0.75 

or ≥ 1.00 fish per hour for example) may 

better characterize angling success for 

fisheries where anglers typically catch fish 

at a high rate. Assessing angling success 

using alternative individual angler catch 

rates or relative angling success (RAS) may 

be beneficial and should be investigated. 

However, biologists will have to be careful 

in their communications when comparing 

among fisheries or species if various catch 

rates are used as the benchmark in PAS. 

the use of PAS may better enable 

fisheries managers to measure the success 

of their management and ultimately 

contribute to improved management of 

recreational sport fisheries. As with any 

new tool, the utility of PAS will ultimately 

be determined through its use. 

AcknowLEdgEMEntS 

I thank the numerous biologists and creel clerks 

who collected the creel data presented in this paper 

and Dirk miller for providing data collected through 

the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s standard 

sampling program. this manuscript was substantially 

improved by comments from Scott Gangl, Jeff 

Hendrickson, Wayne Hubert, Robert Wiley, David 

Willis, and three anonymous reviewers. 

Figure 4. Results of Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrating the relationship between 

proportional angling success (PAS) and mean angler catch per unit effort (CPUE) among 13 creel 

surveys conducted in Wyoming and North Dakota. 

PAS 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

r = 0.946; p < 0.001 

Hannah and Carter Bailey display 

northern pike (Esox lucius) from Rice 

Lake, North Dakota. 

10 

0.25 0.35 0.45 0.55 0.65 0.75 

Mean Angler CPUE (fish per hour) 


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17:11-19. 

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a new index of condition for largemouth bass. Pages 79-91 in 

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management of small impoundments. American Fisheries 

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Department, cheyenne, Wyoming. 


oFFICer CAnDIDAte StAtement: 

WIllIAm l. FISHer 

Watch for your e-mail in April for voting instructions and 

an individual access code enabling you to vote. 

BACKGROUND 

I am a research ecologist and assistant 

leader of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit, and an adjunct professor 

of zoology and geography at Oklahoma 

State University. I received a B.A. in biology 

from the University of Louisville, a M.A. 

in zoology from DePauw University, and 

a Ph.D. in biology from the University 

of Louisville. My previous professional 

positions include water quality biologist 

with the Kansas Department of Health 

and Environment, postdoctoral research 

associate at Oklahoma State University, 

and stream ecologist with the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service at Auburn University. 

I have had an active research, teaching, 

and extension program with the Oklahoma 

Coop Unit since 1991. My research 

program focuses on: (1) applications of 

geographic information systems (GIS) in 

fisheries, (2) management of recreational 

fisheries, (3) conservation of rare and 

declining fishes, and (4) sustainable natural 

resources management. I have advised 

20 talented and dedicated doctoral and 

masters students. My students, colleagues, 

and I have published over 60 scientific 

articles and made over 200 professional 

presentations. I recently co-edited an AFS 

book, Geographic Information Systems in 

Fisheries. I teach courses in stream ecology 

and fisheries science, and lead seminars 

in GIS applications in natural resources. 

I received a Distinguished Service Award 

from the Warmwater Streams Technical 

Committee of the Southern Division, the 

Outstanding Fisheries Worker Award from 

the Oklahoma Chapter, and an USGS 

Service Excellence Award. 

AFS INVOLVEMENT 

As an active member of AFS since 

1980, I have served as president of the 

Alabama Chapter, was former chair of the 

Oklahoma Chapter’s Continuing Education 

Committee, and currently serve on their 

Awards Committee. I have been the faculty 

advisor for the Student Subunit of the 

Oklahoma Chapter since its inception in 

1996. 

I served as president of the Southern 

Division; chaired the Warmwater 

Streams, Nominating, Membership, 

and Outstanding Achievement Awards 

committees; and served on several other 

committees. 

I am currently president-elect of the 

Computer User Section. As president and 

president-elect of the Southern Division, 

I served on the Society’s Governing 

Board. I have been an associate editor 

for Transactions and a science editor for 

Fisheries. I led the organization of two 

symposia for the Society’s Annual Meeting 

and chaired the Books Subcommittee of 

the Publications Overview Committee. I am 

the current chair of the Professional Safety 

ad hoc committee and a member of the 

Award of Excellence subcommittee, and 

have previously served on several Societylevel 

committees. 

VISION 

AFS is a leader in promoting the 

stewardship of fisheries resources and 

aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Over the 

past eight years, I have been fortunate to 

work with a group of international fisheries 

scientists in organizing three conferences 

on applications of GIS and spatial analyses 

for the management and conservation of 

marine and freshwater fisheries. Through 

this experience, I have gained insight into 

global fisheries issues and how fisheries 

scientists around the world are combining 

traditional fisheries information with new 

technology to develop, manage, and 

conserve fisheries and aquatic resources. 

I am committed to working with fisheries 

scientists and leaders of World Council 

of Fisheries Societies to promote global 

fisheries conservation. 

AFS is widely recognized as a source 

of objective, high-quality, science-based 

information on the management, 

conservation, and sustainability of fisheries 

and aquatic ecosystems. To be a leader in 

this arena, we must continue to produce 

sound science and disseminate it in an 

understandable fashion not only to our 

peers, but also to policy makers and the 

future generation of fisheries and aquatic 

science professionals. As an educator, I am 

acutely aware of the need to train new 

fisheries professionals, retrain existing ones 

to fill the positions of retiring professionals, 

and communicate natural resource 

conservation to the public through a variety 

of information networks. AFS has adeptly 

positioned 

itself to help 

fill this need 

through the 

recruitment 

of young 

people with 

the Hutton 

Program, 

training of developing professionals 

at Society meetings, and retraining of 

current professionals through continuing 

education. I am committed to supporting 

the Society’s education of all members of 

the fisheries community including public 

school educators, the public, and public 

policymakers. 

Members are the lifeblood of the AFS 

and a myriad of member services keep 

us connected. I do not know of another 

professional society that is more inclusive 

than AFS, and I am immensely proud of 

that. AFS Chapters, Divisions, and Sections 

serve our diverse membership in ways that 

few other societies can. I see evidence 

of it as faculty advisor to our Student 

Subunit, whose students work tirelessly 

to produce and host an annual fisheries 

techniques field demonstration day. I 

enjoy the congeniality of the Oklahoma 

Chapter annual meetings and continuing 

education workshops on timely topics. I 

am excited by the growing attendance 

and enthusiasm of student and 

professional participants at the Southern 

Division’s spring and fall meetings. I 

am informed of important advances in 

geospatial technology through the e-mails, 

websites, workshops, and symposia of 

the Computer User Section. Furthermore, 

I support the Society’s renewed efforts to 

provide leadership training at all Unit levels 

to enhance the skills of current and future 

natural resources leaders. I will work to 

support and enhance these services for all 

members. 

I am honored to be a candidate 

in this election. If elected, I will work 

enthusiastically with AFS leaders and those 

from other societies and organizations 

around the world, the executive director 

and Bethesda staff, and all members 

to help maintain and enhance our 

Society’s position as the leader in aquatic 

conservation throughout North America 

and the world. 


oFFICer CAnDIDAte StAtement: 

WAyne A. Hubert 

Watch for your e-mail in April for voting instructions and 

an individual access code enabling you to vote. 

BACKGROUND 

From the time I was a child living 

near the Kankakee River in northeastern 

Illinois, I have been fascinated by fish 

and fishing. Driven by that interest, I had 

earned a bachelor’s degree in biology 

at Illinois State University, taught at a 

rural high school, and then went on to 

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 

(SIU) for a master’s degree. Education 

and experience in fisheries management 

and fish culture while at SIU enabled me 

to obtain a job as a fisheries biologist 

with the Tennessee Valley Authority 

(TVA). Initially, I conducted sport and 

commercial fisheries surveys and 

provided technical assistance to fish 

farmers. The TVA enabled me to go to 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State 

University to work on a Ph.D. in fisheries 

science and supported my dissertation 

research on smallmouth bass in the 

Tennessee River. I also worked on the 

application of thermal effluents from 

power plants for fish culture while 

employed by the TVA. 

I moved to a career in education and 

research when I became the assistant 

leader of the Iowa Cooperative Fisheries 

Research Unit in 1979. At Iowa State 

University, I advised graduate students 

who conducted research on large lakes 

and reservoirs and the Mississippi River. 

I became the first assistant unit leaderfisheries 

for the Wyoming Cooperative 

Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in 1982 

and was made unit leader in 2005. 

At the University of Wyoming, I have 

advised or co-advised over 75 graduate 

students. My research focus has been 

on understanding the relationships 

between fishes and their habitats, 

particularly in lotic systems of the Rocky 

Mountains and Great Plains. I have 

also conducted research in fish culture, 

human dimensions, and methods for 

assessment of fish populations. I have 

authored or co-authored over 250 peerreviewed 

articles and book chapters. 

AFS INVOLVEMENT 

I joined the American Fisheries 

Society in 1972, became a life member 

the following year, and was certified as 

a fisheries scientist in 1975. Throughout 

my career I have been active in the 

Society. I have served terms as secretary, 

vice president, and president of the 

Iowa Chapter and Colorado-Wyoming 

Chapter. My election and service as 

vice president and president of the 

Education Section were especially 

rewarding. I have served as a member 

or chair of numerous committees 

at the Chapter, Division, and parent 

Society levels. My service as an editor 

for AFS includes co-editor of the 

North American Journal of Fisheries 

Management, associate editor for 

the Transactions of the American 

Fisheries Society, co-editor of the first, 

second, and planned third edition 

of Inland Fisheries Management in 

North America, and co-editor of the 

upcoming book on standardized 

fish sampling techniques. During my 

service at the University of Wyoming, 

I have been the faculty advisor to 

the University of Wyoming Student 

Subunit. Several entities within the 

Society have presented me with honors, 

including the Award of Excellence 

by the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter 

(1998), Award of Excellence in Fisheries 

Education (1999), Award of Excellence 

by the Western Division (2006), and 

induction into the National Fisheries 

Hall of Excellence (2006). 

VISION 

Our Society’s mission “is to improve 

the conservation and sustainability 

of fishery resources and aquatic 

ecosystems by advancing fisheries and 

aquatic science and promoting the 

development of fisheries professionals.” 

This mission is becoming more and 

more relevant, but accomplishing it is 

posing greater and greater challenges 

for Society members. To carry out 

the mission, we must plan for the 

future, set goals and quantitative 

objectives, and evaluate our progress 

through time. In 2004, the Governing 

Board approved a strategic plan for 

2005–2009. This document is providing 

direction to all levels of the Society 

from the administration in Bethesda to 

the Sections and local Chapters. During 

the next few years the Society will need 

to assess its success in achieving its 

goals and objectives, identify goals for 

the future, and develop strategies for 

reaching 

those 

goals. I 

would 

hope to 

lead the 

Society 

in this 

process 

and engage the membership at all 

levels to contribute to the process. 

There are many challenges that 

the Society must address to assist its 

membership in their professional lives. 

Relative to the mission of AFS, there 

is a need to address evolving conflicts 

between preservation and restoration 

of native fishes and natural ecosystems, 

management of sustainable sport 

and commercial fisheries, and everincreasing 

pressures of human 

population growth, water development, 

energy extraction, and suburban and 

exurban expansion. We need to provide 

technical tools and ethical guidance 

for our members who are enmeshed 

in such conflicts. The realm of fisheries 

science is evolving rapidly and the 

technical skills required by practicing 

professionals are changing. I believe 

that one of the biggest challenges 

is how to train fisheries science 

professionals and how to continue 

the education of fisheries scientists 

throughout their careers. As we move 

from print and paper to electronic 

means of communication, information 

retrieval, and data assessment, how 

do we effectively educate students 

and practicing professionals so they 

are recognized as credible sources 

of science-based information and 

appropriately influence decisions in 

both the public and private sectors? I 

hope to lead the Society in addressing 

this problem in its strategic planning 

efforts. There is a growing need for 

communications and collaboration 

among scientists in differing disciplines, 

as well as among scientists and 

policy makers. Development and 

implementation of forums for such 

interactions is a challenge that I believe 

the Society is ready to accept and I 

would hope to pursue. 


Column: 

DIreCtor’S lIne 

At the invitation of A. R. Shakoori, president 

of the Zoological Society of Pakistan, 

I went to their 27th annual meeting in late 

February in Multan, Pakistan. The meeting 

was attended by 500 scientists (300 of them 

students) from all over Pakistan, as well 

as some scientists from Australia. I gave a 

plenary talk about the role of World Council 

of Fisheries Societies (of which both the 

Zoological Society of Pakistan and the Pakistan 

Fisheries Society are members) in future 

developments in fisheries science and about 

some of the global challenges facing the resource 

and the professionals working in that 

field. Since the meeting covered all branches 

of zoology, I took advantage of the time 

there to visit with many of the attendees and 

even took a short trip to see a couple local 

hatchery operations of the local Punjab government 

with the help of Muhammad Ayub, 

director general of fisheries in the Punjab. 

Throughout the trip, I had also the good 

fortune to be guided and accompanied by 

Nasim Akhtar, deputy director general of 

the Animal Science Institute in Islamabad. By 

happy coincidence, I found out that Nasim 

not only is a graduate of Auburn University 

but also was the president of the AFS Chapter 

at Auburn. 

Pakistan is a large country with abundant 

agricultural resources and untapped 

fisheries potential. Enjoying a long coast of 

nearly 1,100 km, Pakistan currently exports 

$100 million worth of fish annually, most 

of which is shrimp. Only 1% of employment 

is provided by fisheries, compared to 

67% by agriculture. Some 400,000 people 

are engaged in fisheries work, one-third of 

them in the marine sector. Their combined 

production contributes only 1% to the GDP. 

Consumption of fish is very low, on the order 

of 1.8 kg per year, while the consumption 

of beef reaches 18 kg per year. Because of 

pollution and overfishing, the Arabian Sea 

coast, while one of the most productive in 

the world because of upwelling, is experiencing 

a decline in production. 

As you go inland, the Pakistan river 

system is one of the most irrigated in the 

world but the supply of fresh water is declining 

because of drought and the dam system 

built in the past 40 years has reduced the 

catch. Aquaculture, which is the focus of 

Gus Rassam 

AFS Executive Director Rassam 

(center) can be contacted at 

grassam@fisheries.org. 

Visit to pakistan 

most attention today, is a fairly new industry 

having started 30 years ago with primarily 

carp but now includes trout, tilapia, and 

freshwater prawns. 

Some of the problems facing Pakistani 

fisheries are familiar to all of us, including unscientific 

stock assessments, major pollution 

from insecticides and household chemicals, 

and poor integration of management efforts. 

Recent efforts at privatization have also 

proved to be controversial given the absence 

of a clearly delineated national policy. 

Lately, governmental efforts have focused 

on coming up with a strategic policy for 

fisheries. As a result of numerous workshops 

and contributions by the Food and Agriculture 

Organization and other United Nations 

agencies, a national policy framework is now 

in place and efforts are now concentrating 

on streamlining the management within the 

federal and provincial governments and the 

relationship to educational institutions and 

private industry. 

I must admit however that the highlight 

of my visit to Pakistan was meeting the 

scientists, specially the young students, men 

and women, studying fisheries in various 

universities including Bahauddin Zakariyah 

University in Multan. It was indeed refreshing 

to see such enthusiastic and curious 

individuals, who are the future leaders in the 

scientific world of Pakistan. 

Despite the difficulties of finding proper 

Muhammad Ayub, Ph.D., (left), director general of 

fisheries in the Punjab, and Nasim Akhtar, Ph.D., 

(right), deputy director general of the Animal 

Science Institute in Islamabad, meet with AFS 

Executive Director Gus Rassam. 

facilities and opportunities for research and 

employment, it is clear that the potential 

is there and that cooperative arrangements 

with American, European, and other 

international organizations should provide 

the Pakistanis a good chance at avoiding 

the mistakes in fisheries management that 

have taken place in the developed world, 

while finding their own national strategy 

for providing food and recreation for their 

population. 

The role of scientific societies in this 

strategy, as independent, science-based 

organizations, has yet to be defined. AFS will 

work with both President Shakoori of the 

zoological society and M. Afzal Kazmi, president 

of the Pakistan Fisheries Society, to increase 

information exchange, link individual 

scientists in Pakistan with global networks, 

and provide increased access to the scientific 

literature that AFS produces. 


neWS: 

AFS unItS 

Estuaries Section 

Presents awards in Lake Placid 

On behalf of the Estuaries Section, President Syma Ebbin 

presented Student Travel Awards at the joint Estuaries and 

Marine Fisheries Sections’ business meeting in Lake Placid. 

Award plaques and checks for $250 

were presented to Bernice Bediako, 

University of Maryland, Eastern 

Shore; Bradly Trumbo, University 

of Connecticut; Benjamin Ciotti, 

University of Delaware; and William 

Smith, University of North Carolina, 

Wilmington. 

Tom Bigford announced that 

Elliott Norse was the recipient of the 

Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation 

Award. The Nancy Foster award has 

been given every year since 1996. 

Bigford requested new nominations for the 2007 award. 

A joint reception with the Marine Fisheries Section 

followed the awards. 

—Syma Ebbins 

Tennessee Chapter 

Meets with Southern Division in Memphis 

The Tennessee Chapter held its annual meeting in 

conjunction with hosting the 15th Annual Southern Division 

Spring Meeting, 7–11 February, at the Marriott Hotel in 

downtown Memphis, home of bar-b-que and blues. We had 

408 total registrants, of which 388 were full registrations. 

On Thursday, seven Division committees held very productive 

meetings. On Friday, the Southern Division Excom, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service Grass Carp, and Arkansas River 

Mitigation teams all met, along with two full workshops, 

one on pond management and the other on fish population 

modeling (FAST). Friday night, a student/professional mixer 

was held before most attendees took in the blues on 

Beale Street. Program highlights included 95 talks over 6 

concurrent sessions, 25 poster presentations, and 2 great 

Plenary Session talks on the National 

Fish Habitat Initiative (Gary Whelan, 

Michigan Department of Natural 

Resources) and the Southeast Aquatic 

Resources Partnership (Scott Robinson, 

Georgia Department of Natural 

Resources). Thanks to all the Chapter 

members that worked as session 

moderators, registration, posters, and 

audio/visual setup during the meeting. 

In the Tennessee Chapter Business 

Meeting, we were very pleased to 

have Southern Division President Fred 

Heitman, Past President Bob Curry, 

President Elect Steve McMullin, and 

Secretary Treasurer 

Dave Caughlin, as 

well as AFS officers 

President Jennifer 

Nielsen, First Vice 

President Bill Franzin, 

and Second Vice 

President Don Jackson as 

Legendary fisherman Bill Dance and Tennessee 

Wildlife Resource Agency biologists Jim Habera 

and Rob Lindbom discuss Tennessee's nuisance 

fish outreach video on display during the 2007 

Southern Division Spring Meeting. 

guests. The Tennessee Chapter presented General Meeting 

Chair Dave Rizzuto with the Chapter Service Award for his 

efforts arranging an outstanding Southern Division Spring 

Meeting. The Chapter members were congratulated on 

receiving the 2006 Outstanding AFS Small Chapter Award, 

and we passed around the plaque! Don Hubbs presented 

the Tennessee Chapter Procedure Manual, which includes 

our newest awards criteria. We discussed our bylaws and 

a proposal to vote on updates recommended by Gwen 

White, AFS Constitutional Consultant. The membership 

voted to donate $500 to the AFS Disaster Relief Fund and 

$2,500 to support kid’s fishing rodeos during National Free 

Fishing Week in Tennessee. Frank Fiss was voted president 

elect and Amy Wales as secretary treasurer. Jim Layzer was 

acknowledged for his service to the Ex-com and Chapter 

for the past three years. Outgoing President Todd St. John 

proudly passed the gavel to incoming President Don Hubbs. 

—Don Hubbs 

North Carolina and Virginia Chapters 

Hold joint meeting in Danville, Virginia 

The North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the AFS cohosted 

a very successful annual meeting in Danville, Virginia 

on 26–28 February. A total of 109 members attended, with 

an almost equal split between the North Carolina and Virginia 

Chapters. Student turnout from Virginia and North Carolina was 

excellent. 

The meeting kicked off on the 26 th with the Virginia Chapter 

business meeting where new officers were installed. Dan Michaelson 

(Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish [VDGIF]) from 


Virginia Chapter EXCOM 

conducts business at their annual 

meeting: Past President John 

Odenkirk, President Elect Scott 

Smith, volunteer note-taker 

Eric Brittle, and President Dan 

Michaelson. 

North Carolina’s 2007 EXCOM 

includes Past President Lawrence 

Dorsey, Secretary-Treasurer Brian 

McRae, President Kent Nelson, 

and President Elect Christian 

Waters. 

The registration tables stayed 

very busy on the first day of the 

meeting with 109 total meeting 

participants. 

Southern Division Past President 

Bob Curry presents an update 

to the Virginia Chapter at their 

business meeting. 

The Virginia Chapter raffle, run by 

George Palmer (foreground) and 

Vic DiCenzo (holding print), was a 

huge success. 

Jeremy Shiflet receives a $500 

scholarship from the Virginia 

Chapter, presented by John 

Odenkirk. 

Hutton Scholar Aya Tajiri 

(standing) is recognized at the 

North Carolina Chapter business 

meeting. Tajiri’s internship was 

sponsored by the Chapter. 

Virginia Chapter member Paul Bugas 

(right) presents the Outstanding 

Conservationist Award to Trace Noel 

(left) for his lifetime contribution to 

the environment. 

neWS: AFS 

unItS 

president to past president, Scott Smith (VDGIF) moved from 

president elect to president, Steve Owens (VDGIF) was elected 

treasurer taking over duties from George Devlin (Virginia Department 

of Environmental Quality), and Robert Humston (Virginia Military 

Institute) was re-elected to another term as secretary. Awards were 

presented to Tom Gunter, VDGIF (Professional Service Award), and 

to Trace Noel (Outstanding Conservationist). Best Virginia student 

presentation was awarded to Ryan McManamay (Virginia Tech) 

for “The effects of stream resources on fish and macroinvertebrate 

nutrient composition and nutrient excretion.” One $500 scholarship 

was awarded to Jeremy Shiflet. 

The North Carolina Chapter business meeting was held on 27 

February. Newly initiated officers were Kent Nelson (North Carolina 

Wildlife Resources Commission [NCWRC]) as president and Christian 

Waters (NCWRC) as president elect. Lawrence Dorsey (NCWRC) 

became past president, Duane Harrell (Duke Power) ended his term 

as past president, and Brian McRae (NCWRC) continues as secretary 

treasurer. Richard Mode was presented the Fisheries Conservation 

Award, recognizing his efforts for conserving trout habitat and 

resources. The Richard L. Noble Best Student Presentation Award 

was presented to Brad Garner (North Carolina State University) for 

“Intensive grass carp stocking effects on reservoir invasive plants 

and native fish populations.” The W. Don Baker Best Professional 

Presentation Award was presented to Robert Barwick (NCWRC) 

for “Evaluating property owner willingness to implement shoreline 

habitat improvement techniques.” The Chapter paid a portion of 

student lodging expenses to assist travel to the meeting. Tom Kwak 

presented Aja Tajiri, the Hutton scholar whose internship was funded 

by the Chapter and also mentored by Chapter members. 

Professional presentations began on the morning of the 27th . 

The overall meeting theme was management of shared North 

Carolina/Virginia resources. The program consisted of 25 excellent 

talks (11 of which were student presentations) and 2 posters, 

including 1 student poster. In addition to scientific presentations, 

Bob Curry (NCWRC) talked about the Southern Division disaster 

relief efforts to assist Hurricane Katrina recovery in Gulf states and 

Brian Murphy (Virginia Tech) gave an eye-opening presentation 

on the preliminary impacts of the Three Gorges Dam construction 

on Yangtze River fisheries in China. 

Socials were held both evenings with two separate raffles 

(Virginia Chapter, emceed by George Palmer, and North Carolina 

State Student Subunit, emceed by Marybeth Brey) on the 27th . 

Both raffles were very successful and very fun for all involved. Part 

of the proceeds from the Virginia Chapter raffle will be used for 

Hurricane Katrina relief. 

—Dan Michaelson and Kent Nelson 

VDGIF biologist Tom Gunter is 

presented with the Professional 

Service Award by the Virginia 

Chapter for his contributions to 

conservation and restoration during a 

great career. John Odenkirk presented 

the award. 

Lawrence Dorsey presents Richard 

Mode with the North Carolina 

Chapter Fisheries Conservation 

Award. 


FInAl CAll For 

AFS 2007 AWArD nomInAtIonS 

The American Fisheries Society is seeking nominations and applications for several 2007 awards. Award recipients will 

be honored at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, in September 2007. Nominations typically require a 

candidate’s name, full contact information, biographical information, and/or history of service to the Society. Some 

awards require additional nomination materials. For more information on how to nominate an individual, or organization, 

see descriptions below or contact the award chair. For more information you may also contact AFS Awards Coordinator 

Gail Goldberg at ggoldberg@fisheries.org, or 301/897-8616 x201. 

Award of Excellence 

Presented to an AFS member for original and 

outstanding contributions to fisheries and aquatic 

biology. 

Nomination deadline: 1 May 2007 

Contact: Paola Ferreri 

School Forestry Resources 

Penn State University 

207 Ferguson Building 

University Park, PA 16802 

Phone: 814/863-2095 

Fax: 814/865-3725 

E-mail: cpf3@psu.edu 

Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award 

Presented to an individual or organization for 

outstanding contributions to the conservation 

of fishery resources. Eligibility is not restricted to 

AFS members, and accomplishments can include 

political, legal, educational, scientific, and managerial 

successes. Nominations should include a 

synopsis of fishery conservation contributions; a 

description of the influence of those contributions 

on improved understanding, management, 

or use of fishery resources; and at least one 

additional supporting letter. 

Nomination deadline: 16 April 2007 

Contact: Mary C. Fabrizio 

Department of Fisheries Science 

Virginia Institute of Marine Science 

P.O. Box 1346 

Gloucester Point, VA 23062 

(For UPS or FedEx use: 

Route 1208 Greate Road) 

Phone: 804/684-7308 

Fax: 804/684-7327 

E-mail: mfabrizio@vims.edu 

Excellence in Public Outreach 

Presented to an AFS member who goes the 

“extra mile” in sharing the value of fisheries 

science/research with the general public through 

the popular media and other communication 

channels. Visit www.fisheres.org and click on 

“Awards” to see criteria and call for nominations. 


Contact: Kevin Pope 

University of Nebraska Lincoln 

103 Miller Hall 

Lincoln, NE 68583-0711 

Phone: 402/472-7028 

Fax: 402/472-2722 

E-mail: kpope2@unl.edu 

Honorary Membership 

Presented to individuals who have achieved outstanding 

professional accomplishments or have 

given outstanding service to the Society. Honorary 

Members must be nominated by at least 100 

active members and elected by a 2/3 majority of 

active members online. 

Nomination deadline: TBA 

Contact: Gail Goldberg 

American Fisheries Society 

5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 

Bethesda, MD 20815 

Phone: 301/897-8616 x201 

E-mail: ggoldberg@fisheries.org 

Meritorious Service Award 

Presented to an individual for loyalty, dedication, 

and meritorious service to the Society throughout 

the years; and for exceptional commitment to 

AFS’s programs, objectives, and goals. 


Contact: Carolyn Griswold 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

28 Tarzwell Drive 

Narragansett, RI 02882 

Phone: 401/782-3273 

Fax: 401/782-3201 

E-mail: carolyn.griswold@noaa.gov 

Outstanding Chapter Award 

Recognizes outstanding professionalism, active 

resource protection, and enhancement programs, 

as well as a strong commitment to the mission of 

the Society. Two awards are given, one for small 

chapters and one for large chapters. Chapters 

should submit an application to their Division 

presidents to be considered. Division presidents 

must nominate two best Chapters from their 

Divisions, one with less than 100 members and 

another with 100 members or more. Obtain 

appllications at www.fisheries.org, click on 

“Awards.” 

Nomination deadline: TBA 

Contact: Co-chairs, Bob Curry or Margaret 

Murphy 

Bob Curry 

1721 Mail Service Ctr. 

Raleigh, NC 27699-1721 

Phone: 919/707-0221 

Fax: 919/707-0028 

E-mail: Robert.curry@ncwildlife.org 

Margaret Murphy 

QEA LLC 

290 Elwood Davis Rd. 

Liverpool, NY 13088 

Phone: 315/453-9009 

Fax: 315/435-9010 

E-mail: mmurphy@qeallc.com 

President’s Fishery Conservation Award 

Presented in two categories: (1) an AFS individual 

or unit, or (2) a non-AFS individual or entity, for 

singular accomplishments or long-term contributions 

that advance aquatic resource conservation 

at a regional or local level. The award is administered 

by the Past President’s Advisory Council. A 

nomination package should include a strong and 

detailed letter describing the nominee’s contribution 

and the evidence for accomplishment at a 

regional or local level. If the nomination is for an 

individual, include a CV if possible. Nominations 

may be supported by multiple individuals by 

signing one nomination letter, or by submitting 

supporting letters in addition to the main nomination 

letter. Include the nominee’s title and full 

contact information (address, e-mail, phone). 


Contact: Chris Kohler 

Fisheries Illinois Aquaculture Center 


Southern Illinois University 

Carbondale, IL 62901-6511 

Phone: 618/453-2890 

Fax: 618/453-6095 

E-mail: ckohler@siu.edu 

William E. Ricker Resource Conservation 

Award 

Presented to any entity (individual, group, agency, 

or company) for accomplishment or activity that 

advances aquatic resource conservation that is 

significant at a national or international level. 

The award is administered by the Past President’s 

Advisory Council. A nomination package should 

include a strong and detailed letter describing the 

nominee’s accomplishments and the evidence for 

being “significant at a national or international 

level.” If the nomination is for an individual, 

include a CV if possible. Nominations may be 

supported by multiple individuals by signing 

one letter, or by submitting supporting letters in 

addition to the main nomination letter. Include 

the nominee’s title and full contact information 

(address, e-mail, phone). 






Phone: 618/453-2890 

Fax: 618/453-6095 


Retired Members Travel Award for the AFS 

Annual Meeting 

The American Fisheries Society has established 

this travel award to encourage and enable members 

of the Society to attend Annual Meetings, 

particularly those members who might play a 

more active role in the meeting. The Society recognizes 

that some retired members who desire 

to participate in the Annual Meeting might be 

inhibited for financial reasons. Retired members 

may not have funds for travel to meetings that 

were available to them while employed. Therefore, 

this award is meant for those members 

who truly have a need for financial assistance. 

The Society has neither means nor desire to 

verify financial need, so that your request for 

support is based on an honor system. However, 

you must be a dues-paying retired member of 

the American Fisheries Society to apply. You may 

request up to $1,500 for reimbursable expenses. 

See www.fisheries.org, and click on “Awards” 

to get an application. 

Nomination deadline: 18 June 2007 





Phone: 618/453-2890 

Fax: 618/453-6095 


Student Writing Contest 

Recognizes students for 

excellence in the communication 

of fisheries 

research to the general 

public. Undergraduate 

and graduate students 

are asked to submit a 

500 to 700 word article 

explaining their own 

research or a research 

project in their lab or 

school. The article must 

be written in language 

understandable to the 

general public (i.e., 

journalistic style). The 

winning article will be 

published in Fisheries. 

See www.fisheries.org 

and click on “Awards” 

for student writing 

contest rules and further 

description. 

Submission deadline: 4 

May 2007 

Contact: Kevin Pope 

University of Nebraska 

Lincoln 

103 Miller Hall 

Lincoln, NE 68583-0711 

Phone: 402-472-7028 

Fax: 402-472-2722 

E-mail: kpope2@unl.edu 

Awards Administered by Sections 

Education Section 

Excellence in Fisheries Education Award 

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) Excellence 

in Fisheries Education Award was established in 

1988. The award is administered by the Education 

Section and is presented to an individual 

to recognize excellence in organized teaching 

and advising in some aspect of fisheries education. 

Nominees may be involved in extension or 

continuing education, as well as traditional college 

and university instruction. Nominees must 

be AFS members, have been actively engaged 

in fisheries education within the last 5 years, 

and have had at least 10 years of professional 

employment experience in fisheries education. 

Two or more people may act as nominators, 

but at least one nominator must be an AFS 

member. The nominator(s) is responsible for 

compiling supporting material and submitting 

the application. The suggested format for 

applications can be found at www.fisheries. 

org; click on “Awards.” Application materials 

should be sent to Michael Quist (mcquist@ 

iastate.edu) in digital form. 


Contact: Michael Quist 

Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology and 

Management 

Iowa State University 

339 Science II 

Ames, IA 50011 

Phone: 515/294-9682 

Fax: 515/294-2995 

E-mail: mcquist@iastate.edu 

John E. Skinner Memorial Fund Award 

The John E. Skinner Memorial Fund was 

established in memory of John Skinner, former 

California-Nevada Chapter and Western Division 

AFS president. The fund provides monetary 

travel awards for deserving graduate students or 

exceptional undergraduate students to attend the 

2007 AFS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, 

2-6 September. Any student who is active 

in fisheries or related aquatic disciplines is eligible 

to apply. Awardees are chosen by a committee 

of the AFS Education Section. Selection is based 

on academic qualifications, professional service, 

and reasons for attending the meeting. Travel 

support (final amount is yet to be determined, 

but at least up to $600 per award) will be made 

available to successful applicants. Award winners 

will also receive a one year paid membership to 

the American Fisheries Society. Limit all answers 

to the space provided. Additional material will not 

be considered in evaluating applicants. 


Contact: Craig Paukert 

205 Leasure Hall, Division of Biology 

Kansas State University 

Manhattan, Kansas 66506 

Phone: 785/532-6522 

Fax: 785/532-7159 

E-mail: cpaukert@ksu.edu 



obItuAry: 

SHArK reSeArCHer 

Richard Aidan Martin, 41, died 

suddenly at home on 13 February 

2007. He was known throughout 

the world as a brilliant researcher 

and communicator of elasmobranch 

biology. His lectures on shark behavior 

were electrifying, his knowledge 

of Chondrichthyan systematics and 

evolution was encyclopedic, his 

enthusiasm for shark conservation 

was inspiring, his publication record 

was remarkable for such a young 

man, and his recounts of adventures 

around the world studying sharks 

were spell-binding and usually hilarious. 

Martin’s father was in the Australian 

diplomatic corps and the family 

traveled extensively in his youth (he 

was actually born in Canada, and 

lived for a year in Japan). Both his 

mother and sister died before he 

became a teenager, and his father’s 

travels made his life a solitary one, 

requiring that much of his schooling 

was by private tutor. As an escape, 

Martin explored the natural world 

whenever he could, and lost himself 

in books about natural history and 

science when he could not. 

Martin’s interest in sharks started 

very young, when he lived for a 

few years in Emu Park, Queensland, 

Australia, near the southern tip of 

the Great Barrier Reef. The ocean was 

his playground, and when he was 

only nine years old he conducted a 

tagging study of blackfin reef sharks 

in the mangrove swamps behind his 

home, observing their social behavior, 

day and night—the start of a dedicated 

passion to understand sharks. 

He went to the University of 

Queensland when he was 13, had 

a diploma in wildlife management 

and bachelor’s degree by 17, and a 

master’s at 20. Next, he worked a 

richard Aidan martin 

year as chief scientist for a shark fishing 

operation in the Gulf of Mexico 

and then as a program officer for the 

Food and Agriculture Organization 

of the United Nations in Pakistan on 

a shark management program. He 

became disillusioned with the disconnect 

between shark science and shark 

management, and particularly with 

the anti-shark fear mongering of the 

popular and trade press. Resolving 

to do something about it, he made a 

career switch from trying to educate 

“the few” in the business to reaching 

out to “the masses” through articles 

in natural history and diving magazines. 

He wrote over 40 articles explaining 

and instilling appreciation for 

marine life for publications such as 

Australian Geographic, Ocean Realm, 

BBC Wildlife, Sea Frontiers, Nereus, 

SCUBA Diver, Dolphin Log, and Diver. 

He gave lectures on the wonders of 

shark biology wherever he could, 

developed a course on critical thinking 

for the Virtual High School, and 

started an eco-tourism business that 

took students to places like the Cook 

Islands and South Africa to study the 

marine life there. And wherever he 

went, he studied and reported on the 

sharks. 

By the 1990s he had moved to 

Vancouver, Canada, met his soul 

mate, Anne, and married, but his 

interests and activities remained 

global. His annual trips to study the 

great whites at Seal Island, South 

Africa, and the reef sharks in the 

Maldives Islands of the Indian Ocean 

through his non-profit organization 

(ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research 

at www.elasmo-research.org) attest 

to his passion. His first book, Shark 

Smart, is a delightful mixture of 

stories, biology, humor, conservation, 

and survival tips meant to help divers 

marvel and value sharks rather than 

fear them. His later books (Field 

Guide to the Great White Shark and 

Behavioral Ecology of Sharks) are 

much more rigorous scientific works, 

beautifully illustrated by the author. 

Martin also organized and published 

two symposium proceedings as 

part of the AFS Physiology Section’s 

International Congress on the 

Biology of Fish series ("Biology 

of Deep-Sea Chondrichthyans” 

and “Biology and Conservation of 

Freshwater Elasmobranchs"—see 

www.FishBiologyCongress.org for full 

reprints), wrote chapters for Stevens 

2nd edition of Sharks and published 

over 20 peer-reviewed journal papers. 

Martin was a consummate collaborator, 

working with dozens of 

colleagues and holding positions 

in several institutions (Nova Southeastern 

University in Florida, University 

of British Columbia in Canada, 

IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Shark 

Research Institute of Canada, St. 

Andrews University in Scotland), and 

consulting widely to public aquariums 

(Monterey Bay, Shedd, Vancouver, 

South African), environmental groups 

(Sierra Club, WildAid, Aqualog Society, 

The Shark Research Committee), 

and media (National Geographic, 

Discovery Channel, BBC Natural History 

Unit) and even television’s “The 

Weakest Link” and “CSI: Miami.” 

Martin will be sorely missed by his 

many friends and colleagues, but his 

zest for life and extraordinarily productive 

energy will remain an inspiration 

to us all. 

—Don MacKinlay 


publICAtIonS: 

booK reVIeWS 

The Ecology of Marine Fishes, California 

and Adjacent Waters. 

Edited by Larry G. Allen, Daniel J. Pondella 

II, and Michael H. Horn. University of California 

Press. 2006. 670 p., $74. 

This book is the culmination of an exhaustive 

effort by editors Allen, Pondella, 

and Horn to compile and synthesize in one 

volume the vast array of available information 

on ecological aspects of California’s 

marine fish fauna. They have accomplished 

this daunting goal with admirable 

success. The result is a hefty, 660-page, 

scholarly treatise that makes full use of the 

wealth of published literature and presents 

it in a well-organized and extremely thorough 

format. 

There are 5 sections with a total of 

25 chapters, each authored by respected 

experts in the field. The first section deals 

with geographic patterns of distribution 

and evolutionary history of the California 

fauna. The chapter on phylogeography 

provides a particularly in-depth account 

of the genetic structure of California fish 

populations and the potential roles of 

oceanography and geology in driving 

observed spatial patterns. The next nine 

chapters address fish assemblages in 

different habitats, with a focus on spatial 

and temporal patterns in species assemblages. 

Unfortunately, the chapters do 

not follow a common format, resulting in 

some providing broad coverage including 

reproductive patterns, behavior, and 

foraging ecology but others limited to 

descriptions of the habitats and resident 

fishes. The third section provides the nuts 

and bolts of population and community 

ecology, with chapters on trophic interactions, 

recruitment, predation, competition, 

and disturbance. Each does an excellent 

job of providing a basic framework for 

the topic while emphasizing examples 

relevant to California fishes. Section 4 covers 

behavioral ecology, with chapters on 

reproduction, movement, and symbiosis. 

The chapter on reproduction includes a 

comprehensive, intriguing survey of the 

diversity of courtship behavior, mating systems, 

and parental care found in general 

for marine fishes, and a valuable comparison 

of reproductive modes in tropical 

vs. temperate systems. Section 5, entitled 

AFS MoveS to New Book wArehouSe 

AFS hAS Moved our Book wArehouSe operAtioN. 

BegiNNiNg April 2, you MAy order BookS By 

coNtActiNg our New orderS depArtMeNt operAted By 

BookS iNterNAtioNAl. 

5 wAyS to order: 

AFS oNliNe BookStore: www.afsbooks.org 

phoNe: 703-661-1570 

FAx: 703-996-1010 

e-MAil: bimail@presswarehouse.com 

MAil: AMericAN FiSherieS Society 

c/o BookS iNterNAtioNAl 

p.o. Box 605 

herNdoN, vA 20172 


“Spatial and Temporal Change,” addresses 

more applied topics and anthropogenic 

impacts such as fisheries utilization, pollution, 

and introduced species. 

As in any edited volume with an army 

of authors, the chapters are somewhat 

uneven in coverage, sometimes repetitious 

of each other, and reflect the individual 

biases in expertise of the respective 

authors. Because much of the research on 

California fishes has been conducted in 

kelp forests and rocky reef habitats, these 

systems are somewhat over-represented 

in the basic ecology chapters. These are 

minor concerns, however, and all of the 

chapters are well-written and thorough 

in their treatment of the myriad subjects. 

Most chapters conclude with a paragraph 

or two suggesting future research directions, 

which is a very useful feature of the 

book. The text is generally well supplemented 

with numerous diagrams, tables, 

photographs, color figures, and detailed 

appendices. The chapters describing species 

assemblages include a great preponderance 

of eye-pleasing color dioramas 

depicting which species live where, according 

to a suite of categorical schemes. 

The extensive, detailed descriptions 

of spatial distribution and species assemblages 

in different habitats will have a 

strong regional appeal, whereas the more 

general ecology chapters will interest a 

broader range of piscophiles. More space 

could have been allocated to the numerous 

challenges and risks currently faced 

by California fishes. Effects of climate 

change and overfishing are combined in 

the final chapter and receive rather cursory 

treatment. These topics will likely dominate 

future research efforts and the book 

would have benefited from expanded 

coverage here. Likewise, there is virtually 

no mention of the ecological aspects of 

spatial management, such as California’s 

precedent-setting efforts to implement a 

series of marine reserves, mandated by 

the Marine Life Protection Act. The intense 

controversies surrounding the ecological 

impacts of reserves on the marine fish 

community would have been a welcome 

topic. 

One minor drawback to the book is the 

absence of a glossary. In many chapters, 

advanced or obscure terms are used 

without any definition, potentially a source 

of frustration for students at the undergraduate 

level. Likewise, each chapter has 

its own literature cited section, rather than 

a single section at the end of the book, 

which would have greatly reduced repetition 

and made it easier for the reader to 

find specific references. 

The printing quality of the book is superb, 

with few typos and excellent photograph 

and figure reproduction. Overall, the 

text is a stellar contribution that will remain 

relevant and stimulating for many years to 

come. At a list price of $74, the book is an 

undisputed bargain. I highly recommend it 

to all with a penchant for fish ecology. 

—Susan M. Sogard 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

Santa Cruz, California 

Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of 

California, Revised Edition 

S. M. McGinnis. 2006. University of California 

Press. 539 p., $24.95. 

This field guide is like having your own 

personal fish professor to accompany you 

on fish-related excursions. It contains the 

highlights of courses on fish taxonomy, 

anatomy, physiology, biogeography, 

history, habitat, photography, and even 

cooking, rolled into one engaging book. 

It begins with a lively history of California 

freshwater fish habitat and the impacts of 

introduced fish species, dams, and human 

water use, as well as the role of geology 

and evolution in the distribution of fish 

species in the state. This gives the reader 

a valuable perspective on the diversity and 

abundance of California’s freshwater fish 

prior to extensive human influence. 

McGinnis provides concise descriptions 

of stream and lake food webs. In easily 

understood sections on anatomy and 

physiology, he explains how fish navigate 

using olfactory cues, how anadromous fish 

transition from freshwater to saltwater and 

back, why species differ in their tolerance of 

low oxygen concentrations, and how fish 

acclimatize to temperature changes. The 

account of fish energy metabolism makes 

apparent the need for careful handling of 

fish during catch-and-release angling. 

Most of the book is devoted to descriptions 

of native and introduced species. 

Intuitive between-family pictorial keys are 

used to determine the family to which 

a fish belongs using body plan and tail 

shape. The reader is then referred to 

within-family pictorial keys with text descriptions, 

including protective status, of all 

species. There are color diagrams of most 

species, and black-and-white diagrams of 

anatomical characteristics used to separate 

species. The illustrations are excellent;, 

detailed yet extremely clear. Curious readers 

can then refer to species accounts and 

angling notes which include color photographs 

of many species. The photographs 

are very informative, often showing fish 

in an aquarium with aquatic plants. This 

provides a clearer view of fins, coloration, 

and swimming posture than the common 

snapshot of a fish in a net. Unfortunately, 

in a few cases the fins are cut off in the 

photographs, or are out of focus. Some 

photographs of fish in nets are overexposed. 

Presumably these problems will be 

rectified in a future edition. The use of a 

digital camera would allow photographs 

to be checked and repeat photographs 

taken while the fish are in captivity. 

To encourage readers to put the species 

information to use, McGinnis follows up 

with instructions for rearing freshwater fish 

in an aquarium or pond, photographing 

fish, making fish prints, and viewing fish 

in the wild. The maps of California will be 

useful to readers interested in locating particular 

watersheds. However, in the map of 

northern California the opaque text boxes 

for river names obscure several river lines, 

and the label for Butte Creek appears to 

refer to the North Fork Feather River. 

The last major section of the book 

focuses on eating fish. There are stepby-step 

diagrams on how to clean a fish, 

advice on shopping at fish markets, plus 

methods and detailed recipes for cooking 

fish. The book concludes with a species 

checklist, glossary, and selected references. 

Given the amount of material that has 

been squeezed into this book, it is not 

surprising that it weighs 0.77 kg. This may 

make it too heavy to carry on an extended 

backpacking trip, but it is compact, and 

would fit easily in a daypack or fishing 

jacket. Readers interested in more detailed 

accounts of species life history, distribution 

maps, verbal identification keys, and more 

extensive references should consult Inland 

Fishes of California, Revised and Expanded, 

2002, by Peter B. Moyle. However, for 

a book to take in the field, on a fishing 

trip, to market, or to keep in the kitchen, 

McGinnis’s guide is an excellent choice. 

—Lisa C. Thompson, 

Wildlife, Fish, and 

Conservation Biology Department 

University of California, Davis 


Column:preSIDent’S HooK 

Continued from page 108 

web portals to link scientists and the public in an effort to 

enhance science literacy and cross-cultural communications 

in many scientific fields. New education portals like this 

open up quite frequently on the web. Web-based outreach 

programs aim to ensure the integration and dissemination 

of information of science and provide a new interactive 

baseline for future leadership in scientific communications. 

The quality and substance of that information varies, but 

many employ real scientists and educators and firmly are 

based on what we at AFS would call “sound science.” 

The evolution to a more public form of communication 

we have seen in journals like Nature and Science is not 

unique. Printed materials need a new face to compete with 

electronic publications and web-based consortia. Nowotny 

et al. (2001) not only re-think the format of contemporary 

science communications, but also provide new alternatives 

for developing “science policies” that reach across traditional 

boundaries. This begs the question about how AFS 

will facilitate new forms of communication for our membership 

that can provide cross-cultural links and interdisciplinary 

information. This will be a real challenge for a scientific 

society based on the genera of fish and fisheries, that prides 

itself on print-copy journal publications of sound science. 

But then every scientist I know who fishes, regardless of 

their background, seems to have great stories to tell at the 

end of the day. We just need to develop new formats for 

communication that fit our Society and our membership. 

This does not mean throwing away the integrity of our 

journals, or the basic principles of sound science. But it does 

require novel approaches to publications from AFS and a 

sea change in the way we think about recruiting, editing, 

and communicating our science. Let’s not wait 20 years to 

join the 21st century. 

References 

Ackerman, D. 2007. Metaphors be with you. Science 

315:767. 

Goldenfeld, N., and C. Woese. 2007. Biology’s next revolution. 

Nature 445:369. 

Gopen, G., and J. Swan. 1990. The science of scientific 

writing. American Scientist 78:550-558. 

Hilborn, R. 2006. Faith-based fisheries. Fisheries 

31(11):554-555. 

Nowotny, H., P. Scott, and M. Gibbons. 2001. Re-thinking 

science: knowledge and the public age of uncertainty. 

Policy Press, London. 

Sand-Jensen, K. 2007. How to write consistently boring 

scientific literature. Oikos (OnlineEarly Articles) 

doi:10.1111/j.2007.0030-1299.15674.x. 

Schatzing, F. 2006. The swarm. Regan Books, New 

York. 


CAlenDAr: 

FISHerIeS eVentS 

to see more event listings go to www.fisheries.org and 

click About us, committees, calendar, and click Calendar of events. 

Apr 2-4—Marine Habitat Mapping Technology 

Workshop for Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska. See 

http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2007/benthic/. 

Contact fyconf@uaf.edu. 

Apr 3-5—Pathways to Resilience: Sustaining Pacific 

Salmon in a Changing World, Portland, Oregon. See 

http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/resilience/. Contact 

conferences@oregonstate.edu. 

Apr 12-13—American River Watershed Conference, 

Sacramento, California. See www.csus.edu/CREST/ 

American_River_Watershed_Conference.html. Contact 

Ron Coleman, rcoleman@csus.edu. 

Apr 13-15—Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems 

Graduate Student Conference, Gibsons, British 

Columbia, Canada. See www.sfu.ca/fame/fame2007. 

Apr 15-17—18th Northeastern Recreation Research 

Symposium, Lake George, NY. See www.esf.edu/nerr/. 

Apr 22-25—63rd Northeast Fish and Wildlife 

Conference, Groton, CT. See www.neafwa.org. 

Apr 24-27—20th Annual National Conference on 

Enhancing the States’ Lake Management Programs: 

Interpreting Lake Quality Data for Diverse 

Audiences, Chicago, Illinois. See www.nalms.org/ 

conferences/chicago. Contact Bob Kirschner, bkirschn@ 

chicagobotanic.org. 

Apr 17—Annual Pacific Northwest Freshwater 

Mussel Research Symposium, Vancouver, WA. Contact 

Molly Hallock, hallomh@dfw.wa.gov. 

May 9-11—Water Access: Working Waterways and 

Waterfronts, Norfolk, VA. See www.wateraccess2007. 

com. Contact Tom Murray, tjm@vims.edu, 804/684- 

7190. 

May 10-13—Second International Symposium on 

Groupers of the Mediterranean Sea, Nice, France. 

See www.ims.metu.edu.tr. Contact meltemok@ims. 

metu.edu.tr. 

May 14-15—AIBS Annual Meeting: Evolutionary 

Biology and Human Health and Annual Meeting 

of the Natural Science Collections Alliance, 

Washington, DC. See www.aibs.org/annual-meeting. 

May 14-16—New Strategies for Urban Natural 

Resources: Integrating Wildlife, Fisheries, Forestry, 

and Planning Conference, Chicago, IL. See www. 

informalearning.com/wildlife. 

May 20-23—Center for Natural Resource Economics 

and Policy Meeting: Challenges of Natural Resource 

Economics and Policy, the Second National Forum 

on Socioeconomic Research in Coastal Systems, New 

Orleans, LA. See www.cnrep.lsu.edu/pdfs/CNEP. 

May 22-24—Backpack Electrofishing and Fish 

Handling Techniques: Effective Methods for 

Maximizing Fish Capture and Survey, Seattle, 

Washington. See www.nwetc.org. 

May 22-25—29th Organization of Wildlife Planners 

Annual Meeting and Conference: Developing the 

Next Generation of Fish and Wildlife Aqencies, 

Blacksburg, Virginia. See www.owpweb.org/Annual 

Conf/next_conference.php. 

May 24-27—Aquarama 2007: Tenth International 

Aquarium Fish and Accessories Exhibition and 

Conference, Singapore. See www.aquarama.com.sg. 

May 28-Jun 1—Human and Climate Forcing of 

Zooplankton Populations, Hiroshima, Japan. See 

www.pices.int/meetings/international_symposia/2007_ 

symposia/4th_Zooplankton/4th_Zoopla.asp. 

Jun 6-9—Fourth North American Reservoir 

Symposium, Atlanta, GA. See www.sdafs.org. 

Contact Vic DiCenzo, vic.dicenzo@dgif.virginia. 

148 Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org 

gov. 

Jun 7-9—15th International Conference on 

Environmental Bioindicators, Hong Kong. See www. 

InformaLearning.com/EBI . Contact Jana Johnsen, 

Johnsen@informuse.com. 

Jun 11-14—International Symposium on the Science 

and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs, Oakdale, NY.

To submit upcoming events for 

inclusion on the aFS Web site 

Calendar, send event name, 

dates, city, state/province, web 

address, and contact information 

to cworth@fisheries.org. (If space 

is available, events will also be 

printed in Fisheries magazine.) 

See www.horseshoecrab.org/isschc/. 

Jun 13-15—Advanced Mobile Survey Hydroacoustic 

Techniques Workshop: HTI Model 241/244 Split- 

Beam Hydroacoustic Systems, Yellowstone Park, WY. 

Contact Workshop2007@HTIsonar.com. 

Jun 17-21—Seventh Conference on Fish Telemetry, 

Silkeborg, Denmark. See www.fishtelemetry.eu/. 

Jun 17-21—13th International Symposium on 

Society and Resource Management, Park City, UT. See 

www.issrm2007.org. 

Jun 18-22—Seventh Symposium on Fish 

Immunology, Stirling, Scotland. See www.abdn.ac.uk/ 

noffi/. 

Jun 18-21—Second International Symposium 

on Diadromus Fishes: Challenges for 

Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global 

Environment, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. See 

www.anacat.ca . Contact Alex Haro, Alex_Haro@usgs. 

gov. 

Jun 22-24—Shanghai International Fisheries and 

Seafood Exposition, Shanghai, China. See www.sifse. 

com. 

Jun 23—Seventh International Chrysophyte 

Symposium, New London, Connecticut. Contact Anne 

Lizarralde, anne.lizarralde@conncoll.edu. 

Jun 23-27—Fourth Biennial Conference of the 

United States Society for Ecological Economics— 

Creating Sustainability within Our Midst: Challenge 

for the 21st Century, New York, New York. See www. 

ussee.org/conference.htm.Contact conference@ussee. 

org. 

Jun 26-29—ICES/PICES Conference for Early Career 

Scientists: New Frontiers in Marine Science, 

Baltimore, MD. See www.pices.int/newfrontiers.aspx. 

Sep 2-6—American Fisheries Society 137th 

Annual Meeting, San Francisco. CA. See www. 

fisheries.org/sf/. 


The 137 th Annual Meeting 

Planning Committee is proud 

to offer three beautiful hotels 

for your stay in San Francisco. 

The impressive Downtown San 

Francisco Marriott at 55 Fourth 

Street is the main host hotel and 

will house all meeting functions 

including workshops, symposia, 

technical sessions, and the plenary 

session. Our equally well appointed 

overflow hotels, the Parc Fifty-Five 

and Handlery at Union Square, are 

less than a 10-minute walk from the 

Marriott. All of the rooms blocked 

for AFS are available for $140 per 

night, the per diem rate, regardless 

of your affiliation. We don’t think 

you’ll find hotels of this caliber for a 

better deal. The special room rate 

is available for a few days before 

and after the meeting so you can 

set out to enjoy the city from these 

centrally located properties. 

San Francisco's Downtown Marriott 

(left) and the Marriott’s View lounge 

(above). 

San Francisco landmarks like 

Union Square, China Town, the bay 

front Ferry Building Marketplace, 

Yerba Buena Gardens, and the San 

Francisco Museum of Modern Art 

are just a few blocks from each hotel. 

Major transportation hubs are also 

steps away. We suggest that you ride 

the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) light 

rail/subway system from San Francisco 

International Airport to the Powell 

Street Station and walk less 

than two blocks to the Marriott or Parc 

Fifty-Five hotels. After you check-in 

and set down your 

bags, walk up the 

street and jump on 

the Powell to Hyde 

Street cable car 

line for a scenic 

ride to Fisherman’s 

Wharf. 

UPDATE: 

AFS AnnUAl MEETInG 

Our Hotels are in the 

Heart of the Action 

Please visit the Annual 

Meeting website at www. 

fisheries.org/sf/ and 

choose the “plan your 

trip” menu for details 

about lodging and 

travel. Each hotel has 

established their own 

website for AFS attendees 

that highlight available 

dates and automatically 

generate the group 

lodging code. You can 

also call to make a 

reservation using the group codes 

listed for each hotel. To call the 

San Francisco Marriott directly, 

dial 1-888/575-8934 and use the 

group code FIS. It’s never too 

early to reserve a room during 

peak season in San Francisco 

and we expect the hotels to fill 

rapidly. As of this writing many of 

your colleagues have heeded 

this advice, as nearly 1,500 room 

nights have 

already been 

reserved at 

the Marriott! 

An aerial view of San Francisco and the Downtown Marriott. 


Winter Special 

All orders placed 

before Mar 30, 

receive a free 

Garmin etrex 

GPS. 

HT-2000 Battery Backpack 

Electrofisher 

Thanks to Utah State U for this. 

Keep sending us your pictures! 

The HT-2000 meets and exceeds 

all aspects of the Electrofishing 

Guidelines for Safety and 

Functionality. 

Contact us to find out why so 

many Federal, State and Local 

Authorities are choosing the 

HT-2000 for their Fisheries 

Research Monitoring and Stream 

Assessments. 

Toll Free : 1-866-425-5832 

email : fish@halltechaquatic.com 

web : www.halltechaquatic.com 

Visit www.htex.com for Rugged Data Collection Systems, GPS Solutions & more Field Research Products. 


Job Center 

Fisheries Biologist (Nr 

Specialist—Fisheries), 

Minnesota Department of Natural 

Resources. 

Responsibilities: Perform 

professional fisheries management 

work, acting as a project leader 

for technicians in implementing 

a variety of professional and 

technical field management 

activities; may function as project 

specialist on efforts devoted to 

fisheries management operations 

on a single major lake, or as a 

Fisheries Professionals 

HDR is one of the nation’s premier professional 

services firms specializing in fisheries and 

aquatic resource engineering. With a staff of 

experienced scientists and engineers trained in 

fi sheries science, we strive to balance community 

and economic needs with conservation and 

sustainability of natural resources, including 

our aquatic environments. Our multi-disciplinary 

staff has the broad range of experience 

necessary to protect, restore and enhance fi sh 

and aquatic resources. 

We serve a diverse client base from federal, 

state, and local governments, to tribal groups 

and nations, corporations and utilities. 

HDR is looking for talented and commit ted 

personnel to expand our capacity and add depth 

to our team. We have opportunities in fi sheries, 

aquatic, and related fields at all levels from 

senior management and technical advisors to 

entry-level positions. 

HDR has more than 14 0 offices across the 

Lower 48, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. 

For more information about our company and 

the services HDR provides, please visit our 

website at http://www.hdrinc.com 

For immediate consideration, 

visit our careers page at: 

http://www.hdrinc.com/2/default.aspx 

to apply on-line. 

HDR is an Affi rmative Action EOE M/F/D/V employer. 

technical specialist within a region. 

These duties include: design, 

implementation, and supervision of 

projects. 

Salary: $15.92–23.09 per hour; 

$33,241–48,212 per year. 

Qualifications: Three part process: 

(1) transcript review, (2) oral 

interview, and (3) a written exam. 

College transcripts must meet the 

coursework or AFS certification 

requirements outlined on page 3 

at http://web.fisheries.org/main/ 

images/stories/afs/certpost02.doc. 

Closing date: Submit your 

transcripts by 20 April 2007. 

You will be invited to interview 

and test after having met 

the minimum coursework 

requirements. 

Contact: Forward (unofficial) 

college transcripts to Tim 

Goeman, DNR Regional 

Fisheries Manager, 1201 East 

Highway 2, Grand Rapids, 

MN 55744; tim.goeman@dnr. 

state.mn.us. Applicants will be 

contacted for interview and 

exam. 

Summer Fish Facility 

Technician, Brigham and 

Women's Hospital, Boston, 

Massachusetts. 

Responsibilities: Assist in 

the maintenance of a 2000 

sq. ft. zebrafish aquaculture 

facility. Includes: daily 

feedings, culturing of live food, 

routine cleaning of tanks and 

equipment, setting up breeding 

crosses, egg collection, etc. 

Qualifications: Candidate 

should be working towards 

or possess a B.S. in biology, 

fisheries, or related field. 

Experience working with 

aquatic animals useful, but not 

required. 

Salary: $10 per hour for 35–40 

hours per week, M-F. 

Start date: Candidate must be 

able to work from early to mid June 

through the end of August 2007. 

Closing date: 1 May 2007. 

Contact: Send resume, and a 

brief statement of interest, along 

with the names, phone numbers, 

and e-mail addresses of three 

references to Christian Lawrence, 

Zebrafish Facility Manager, 

Brigham and Women's Hospital, 

Karp Family Research Laboratories 

06-004B, One Blackfan Circle, 

Boston, Massachusetts 02115; 

617/355-9041; fax: 617/355-9064; 

clawrence@rics.bwh.harvard.edu. 

Post-Doctoral research 

associate, Zooplankton 

Ecology, Oregon State University's 

Cooperative Institute for Marine 

Resources Studies/Hatfield Marine 

Science Center, Newport. 

Qualifications: Relevant 

experience and interest in the 

effects of climate variability and 

change on zooplankton and fishes 

in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. 

Successful candidate must meet 

NOAA civilian seagoing medical 

requirements. 

Start date: April 2007. Full-time, 

fixed-term, 12 month position. 

Closing date: April 19, 2007. 

Contact: For a complete 

announcement with required/ 

preferred qualifications and 

application instructions, please see 

www.jobs.oregonstate.edu posting 

# 000405. 

Senior Fisheries Biologist, 

HDR Inc., Anchorage, AK. 

© 2007 NAS 152 Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org 

(Media: delete copyright notice) 

American Fisheries Society 

2.25” x 4.70” 

to see more job listings go to www.fisheries.org 

and click Job postings.

. 

Responsibilities: Plan, direct and oversee all aspects 

of large scale, multi-discipline fisheries projects; 

provide oversight of field study program design and 

implementation for a wide variety of projects including 

fisheries assessments, fish population analyses, 

baseline studies, habitat improvement, and restoration; 

oversee advanced fisheries data analysis and provide 

quality assurance/quality control; build and maintain 

client relations; participate in project development 

and contract document preparation; and mentor midand 

junior-level fisheries biologists. This position will 

require field work in remote areas of Alaska for 1–2 

weeks at a time. 

Qualifications: B.S. in fisheries or related field, M.S. 

preferred. Fifteen plus years experience. Experience 

designing and directing large, complex, multi-discipline 

fisheries projects, including management of field 

2007 membership Application 

American Fisheries Society • 5410 Grosvenor Lane • Suite 110 • Bethesda, MD 20814-2199 

301/897-8616 x203 or 218 • fax 301/897-8096 • www.fisheries.org 

EMPLOYERS: To list a job opening on the AFS Online Job Center 

submit a position description, job title, agency/company, city, state, 

responsibilities, qualifications, salary, closing date, and contact information 

(maximum 150 words) to jobs@fisheries.org. Online job 

announcements will be billed at $350 for 150 word increments. 

Please send billing information. Listings are free for Associate, Official, 

and Sustaining organizations, and for Individual members 

hiring personal assistants. If space is available, jobs may also be 

printed in Fisheries magazine, free of additional charge. 

studies. 

Contact: Apply online at www.gojobs.com/seeker/ 

aoframeset.asp?JobNum=1044026&JBID=1334. 

Employer JobCode: 061860. 

associate Environmental Scientist, HDR, Inc., 

Sacramento, CA. 

Responsibilities: Include preparing quantitative 

and qualitative fishery and aquatic resource impact 

evaluations; technical analyses; develop experimental 

designs; develop and review technical reports; support 

for various projects related to aquatic resources; 

work with clients, resource agencies, technical staff, 

and project managers to prepare technical sections 

of CEQA, NEPA, and ESA documents, technical 

memoranda, meeting minutes, transmittals, and 

presentations; perform archival/electronic research to 

NAME Please provide (for AFS use only) Employer 

Address Phone Industry 

Fax Academia 

E-mail Federal gov't. 

City State/province Recruited by an AFS member? yes no State/provincial gov't. 

Zip/postal code Country Name Other 

MEMBERSHIP TYPE (includes print Fisheries and online Membership Directory) North America/Dues Other Dues 

Developing countries I (includes online Fisheries only) N/A $ 5 

Developing countries II N/A $25 

Regular $76 $88 

Student (includes online journals) $19 $22 

Young professional (year graduated) $38 $44 

Retired (regular members upon retirement at age 65 or older) $38 $44 

Life (Fisheries and 1 journal) $1,737 $1,737 

Life (Fisheries only, 2 installments, payable over 2 years) $1,200 $1,200 

Life (Fisheries only, 2 installments, payable over 1 year) $1,000 $1,000 

JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (optional) North America Other 

Journal name Print Online Print Online 

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society $43 $25 $48 $25 

North American Journal of Fisheries Management $43 $25 $48 $25 

North American Journal of Aquaculture $38 $25 $41 $25 

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health $38 $25 $41 $25 

Fisheries InfoBase $25 $25 

PAYMENT Please make checks payable to American Fisheries Society in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank or pay by VISA or MasterCard. 

Check P.O. number 

Visa MasterCard Account # Exp. date Signature 

All memberships are for a calendar year. New member applications received January 1 through August 31 are processed for full membership that 

calendar year (back issues are sent). Those received September 1 or later are processed for full membership beginning January 1 of the followig year. 

Fisheries, March 2007 

Fisheries • vol 32 no 3 • march 2007 • www.fisheries.org 153 

PAID:

obtain data, documents, and other information. 

Qualifications: B.S./B.A. in fisheries, natural or 

aquatic resources, environmental studies, or a related 

field. Three plus years of related experience. 

Contact: Apply on line at www.gojobs.com/seeker/ 

aoframeset.asp?JobNum=1070690&JBID=1334. 


Ph.D. Graduate research assistantships in 

Environmental Toxicology, Fisheries and Illinois 

Aquaculture Center and Department of Zoology at 

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 

Responsibilities: Seeking highly motivated doctoral 

students to join an active environmental toxicology 

group. Potential research topics include: joint toxicity 

of multiple stressors, fate and effects of pesticides in 

aquatic systems, bioavailability issues in sediments. 

Qualifications: Master’s degree in zoology, 

biochemistry, chemistry, toxicology or related field. 

Desired qualifications include experience with 

toxicological bioassays, culturing of aquatic organisms, 

and analytical equipment (GC/HPLC). 

Salary: Research assistantships will include a 

competitive salary (~$16,000), full tuition waiver, 

health benefits and support for the proposed research. 

Closing date: 15 April 2007. 

Starting dates: From Summer or fall 2007. 

Contact: Send letter of intent describing research 

interest and goals, a resume, transcripts and three 

letters of reference to Michael Lydy, Fisheries and 

Illinois Aquaculture Center, Southern Illinois University, 

Carbondale, IL 62901, 618/453-4091, cell 618/201- 

1681, mlydy@siu.edu See www.aquatictox.com/ for 

further details. 

Fisheries Biologist-Seasonal, HDR Inc., 

Anchorage, AK. 

Responsibilities: This is a seasonal position for a 

recent college graduate with a fisheries or related 

degree that can function as a field crew leader and 

execute work plans under the guidance of the project 

manager. Experience with juvenile fish (salmonid) 

identification, electrofishing, minnow trapping, aerial 

spawning counts, snorkel surveys, telemetry, and markrecapture. 

This person will also conduct data entry and 

QC. Comfortable with working and living in a remote 

environment. 

Qualifications: (1) Data synthesis and scientific 

writing 

(2) field work requiring data collection of fish 

population parameters and their habitats in streams 

and lakes for extended periods. (3) Environmental 

permitting, documentations, and associated regulatory 

processes desirable. 

Contact: Apply online at www.gojobs.com/seeker/ 

aoframeset.asp?JobNum=1521078&JBID=1334 


Advertising Index 

CompAny pHone pAGe 

AFS Northeastern Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 

AFS Southern Division Reservoir Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 

Advanced Telemetry Systems, Inc. . . . . 763/444-9267 . . . cover 3 

Bellamre LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 

EcoAnalysts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208/882-2588 . . . . . 135 

Frigid Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 

Halltech Aquatic Research, Inc. . . . . . 519/766-4568 . . . . . 151 

HDR, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 

Hydroacoustic Technology, Inc. . . . . . 206/633-3383 . . . . . 109 

Lotek Wireless Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 905/836-6680 . . . . . 128 

Miller Net Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 

Northwest Marine Technology, Inc. . . . 360/468-3375 . . . cover 2 

O.S. Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 503/543-3126 . . . . . 142 

Smith-Root, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 360/573-0202 . . . cover 4 

Sound Metrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 

VEMCO, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902/852-3047 . . 121,123 

Tell advertisers you found them through Fisheries! 


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