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FLORIDA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY

April, 2003                      

   http://www.sdafs.org/flafs

It was a memorable meeting and we sorely missed all of you who couldn't make it.  A plethora of unforgettable topics discussing everything from the red snapper’s “famous anus” to the elusive “pink snook” graced the big screen during the three-day event.  Those of us present will not soon forget the propinquity of slippery dicks to 747 jetliners or just how big a sturgeon ovary really is.  Tom Maher sacrificed a healthy vertebra to win both the newly inaugurated “Bonfire Olympics” as well as the coveted Lampshade Award (hang in there, Tom, maybe we’ll give away a wheelchair next year instead of a canoe), and Jerry Lorenz moved us to tears with his description of the plight of the rare and threatened “pink snook” to take the Power Tie Award, hands down.  As you may have already heard, the meeting and symposium were immensely popular with a record number of posters and platform presentations being delivered.  In fact, we had more attendees than beds, and several people had to be accommodated in the recreation center.  Student attendance was at an all time high, and for the first time in my memory we couldn't fund all student requests for travel grants. We fully funded eight and partially funded two but had to turn down requests from eight students for lack of funds.  On a brighter note, the raffle took in over $1500 (before expenses) that will go a long way toward funding more students at next year's meeting. 

 

As has been our tradition, professional speakers from our ranks stepped up to deliver a series of truly outstanding contributed professional poster and platform presentations.   Not surprisingly, competition was keen for top presenter awards.  Indeed, it was perhaps the closest competition ever seen for these honors.  The judges for the Best Professional Poster category were deadlocked on four - yes, count 'em - four posters!  It fell to Past President Larry Connor to break the tie, and even he studied the submissions for well over an hour before pronouncing the winner.  Not to be outdone, the panel of judges for Best Professional Paper insisted on an unprecedented two winners for this category.  See Page 6 for the list of winners!

 

While the professional contributions were formidable, at the end of the day there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that our students had stolen the show.  Student submissions comprised one-half of all posters and more than one-third of platform presentations delivered.  And boy did they ever deliver!  Unbelievably, the Best Student Poster competition was even more contentious than the professional category with three student submissions vying for the top award.  The winning poster was separated from the other two contenders by only a single point, and deliberations among the judges continued well into lunch on the last day before a final decision could be reached.  The Best Student Presentation award was likewise a difficult decision for judges who were forced to choose from an array of truly superb presentations.  The quality of our student’s presentations was nothing short of stellar, and talk in the professional ranks underscored again and again the poise, imagination, and uncommon mental acumen that these young researchers brought to both podium and poster.  We were enthralled by their presence, enlightened by their knowledge and we all stood a little taller around the bonfire knowing that they were one of ours.  It’s good to know that our future and our fisheries are in good hands.

 

All the Best,

Wayne A. Bennett, President