Southern Division
of the
American Fisheries Society

Brook Trout Symposium

The symposium will feature talks on brook trout population dynamics, habitat and population restoration, genetic studies, and efforts of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture throughout the region.

Blackbanded Sunfish Symposium

Blackbanded Sunfish is a small centrarchid found in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain that is currently considered imperiled, vulnerable, or presumed extirpated in seven of the nine states within its range. Recent surveys in the Chesapeake Bay drainage of Maryland and Delaware indicate that Blackbanded Sunfish populations have declined. Current published research and conversations with biologists from other states suggest that the decline of Blackbanded Sunfish is not limited to the Mid-Atlantic.  The goal of this symposium is to bring together representatives (non-game fisheries or heritage program scientists) from all states within the range of Blackbanded Sunfish to share their results of research and monitoring efforts and to initiate discussion on the current status and conservation concerns of this species. Presentations will focus on current status in each state, habitat preferences/ landscape patterns associated with this species, genetics, threats, conservation actions states have taken, and research needed to effectively conserve Blackbanded Sunfish throughout its range.

Restoration of Non-Game Species Habitats and Populations Symposium

The southeastern United States has historically supported some of the richest freshwater aquatic communities in the world. However, major changes in habitat quality that occurred over the past century or so, including impacts from impoundment, point source pollution, hydrologic changes, and introduction of invasive non-native species, have diminished or eliminated all but the most tolerant species from much of the great river systems of the Southeast. Several species, primarily mollusks, are now extinct. Many extant species now occur in only a few, isolated refuges and are threatened with extinction. The present ranges of even greater numbers of less imperiled species are highly fragmented and barriers exist that prevent movement and gene flow between remaining populations.

While the overall trend hasn’t entirely reversed, opportunities to restore species to segments of their former range are now available. Since the passage of landmark federal legislation in the late 20 th century, primarily the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Federal Power Act, habitats in some areas of the Southeast have generally improved such that they could support many of the species that have been eliminated. Resource managers are moving quickly to take advantage of many of these opportunities. New techniques and approaches are being developed and successfully applied to restore species to reaches that were formerly polluted by point sources, were de-watered or significantly altered by hydropower production, or where dams once stood.

Please join us at the 2010 Meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society in Asheville, NC for a symposium of invited and contributed talks focused on many aspects of this important direction in aquatic resources management. Subject matter will range from policy decisions to case histories of restoration projects and will touch on many facets, including, genetic considerations, assessing habitat needs and restoration opportunities, equipment and techniques, and monitoring progress.