NCAFS December 2001 Newsletter

My term as President of the NC Chapter AFS is rapidly drawing to a close. It doesn’t seem very long ago that I became president of the best AFS Chapter in the nation. In the March 2001 newsletter, I described to you the Chapter’s plan of work based upon the AFS Strategic Plan. All unit leaders are encouraged to use the Society’s Strategic Plan as a guide to meet the ultimate goals and objectives for the Society. Below is a brief summary of our accomplishments this year.

I encourage the membership to become active in the Chapter; as the many activities that occur at the Chapter level cannot be completed without the leadership and participation from the membership at large. You should also consider serving as an officer on the Executive Committee or as a committee chair. I would have to say that the Chapter presidency is probably the easiest job of all. I just defined what the work should be, members volunteered to get it done (and they completed the work in a BIG way) and I just sat back and received the credit. Nothing to it. Speaking of officers, please remember to VOTE for this year’s slate of officers.

Please make every effort to attend the annual meeting February 5-6 in Huntersville. Shari Bryant, Vice-President and 2002 annual meeting Program Chair, has worked diligently to put together what is shaping up to be the best annual meeting ever. The workshops organized by Lawrence Dorsey will only be successful if you participate, so get your registration form in early.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to serve as your Chapter president this year. I must say that my eyes were opened to the operation of the AFS at both the Southern Division and Parent Society level; it has been a very rewarding experience for me. Finally, please take the time to thank your executive committee and committee chairs for their dedication to accomplishing our work plan and for their willingness to serve you. It was indeed my fortune to have the opportunity to work with these folks.

On behalf of the ExCom and myself, we wish each of you a very happy holiday season and a joyous New Year.

Third Call for Papers.
The 2002 annual meeting of North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society will be held on February 5 and 6 at Duke Power's McGuire Office Complex in Huntersville, North Carolina. The program will include oral presentations on any fishery-related topic. Students are encouraged to submit presentations. Presentations may include completed projects or works in progress. Presenters should plan for a 20-minute program that includes a question/answer period. There will be awards for "Best Paper" and "Best Student Paper". Submission deadline is January 4, 2002.

Abstracts for presentations should be submitted electronically to Shari Bryant at E-mail bryants5@earthlink.net or on a 3.5" diskette in either Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format. Presenters are requested to provide their name, affiliation, telephone number, e-mail address and a brief biographical sketch for a 20-30 second introduction. Send submissions to Shari Bryant, NC Chapter AFS, 2002 Program Chair, P.O. Box 129, Sedalia, NC 27342-0129. Phone (336) 449-7625.

The registration fee for the meeting will be $30.00 ($15.00 for students) and includes breaks and social. Please follow this link to a copy of the REGISTRATION FORM (Word Doc).

The NC State University Student Subunit will handle the raffle again and is selling advance raffle tickets. To make things easy, you can pay for your raffle tickets when you pre-register. Visit the Student Subunit web site for more information.

Accommodations
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Ramada Ltd. in Huntersville. The rate is $40.00 per night. Contact the Ramada Ltd. at (704) 892-6597 to make your reservations. Be sure to mention you will be attending the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting. The deadline for reserving your room is January 10, 2002.

Scott Van Horn Awarded Outstanding Service Award - The Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) recently presented the Outstanding Achievement Award to Scott Van Horn, fishery research biologist for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Van Horn was presented the award for his career service to the fisheries science profession, to the AFS, and to the Southern Division. He received the award in October at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in Louisville, Ky.

The Outstanding Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by the AFS Southern Division, which comprises 15 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the West Indies. Van Horn was nominated by a group of professional colleagues including a fisheries science professor at N.C. State University and fish biologists with Carolina Power & Light, Duke Power Company and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

"Receiving such an award from one's peers is a tremendous honor," said Fred Harris, chief of the Commission's Division of Inland Fisheries. "Scott's distinguished record in fisheries management, professional service, and mentoring of students and colleagues make him highly deserving of this award."

Van Horn has worked for the Commission for 26 years, including the last 22 years as research coordinator in North Carolina's piedmont region where he focused primarily on reservoir fisheries management. His contributions to the field include assessing the impact of coal-fired power plants on aquatic communities, evaluating fishing regulations, conducting largemouth bass stock assessments, investigating fish contaminants issues, and conducting angler opinion surveys. Currently, Van Horn is assessing striped bass growth and condition in Lake Norman and investigating largemouth bass virus in North Carolina. He also chairs the Southern Division's Striped Bass Technical Committee and speaks regularly to the public on a variety of fish-related issues.

"Scott works closely with local angler groups to help them understand the intricacies of reservoir fisheries management," Harris said. "He has an intrinsic ability to simplify complex information and clarify the complicated issues involved in reservoir fisheries management."

Reid Garrett and Tom Kwak have agreed to run for President-Elect, with Kim Sparks and Dave McHenry running for a two-year term as Secretary/Treasurer. Along with strong backgrounds in fisheries, each of these candidates are committed to the goals and objectives of NCAFS and, just as importantly, the parent society. Please take a minute and re-read the biographies of these fine candidates and cast your ballot electronically. Please be sure to add a personal identifier (i.e., your name) to your ballot to verify your Chapter membership. The ballot is located after the biographies.

Reid Garrett, Candidate, President-Elect - Reid Garrett is a Senior Technical Specialist in CP&L's Natural Resources Unit and has been with the Company since 1982. Reid has primary responsibilities as the overall site lead of environmental programs and issues, particularly fisheries, for three major power plants in North and South Carolina. Other areas of expertise include aquatic toxicology, contaminants, water quality, and thermal issues. He is the Laboratory Supervisor of the CP&L Certified Biological Laboratory in North Carolina and Laboratory Director of the CP&L Certified Environmental Laboratory in South Carolina for toxicity testing and biological population surveys. Reid graduated from Troy State University in 1977 with a B.S. degree in Marine Biology and an M.S. degree from the Auburn University Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures in 1983. He has been an active member of AFS since the early 1980s.

Tom Kwak, Candidate, President-Elect - Tom Kwak is the Leader of the NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Associate Professor of Zoology at NC State University. He completed B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Fisheries from University of Minnesota. Tom's previous employment has been in research biologist and faculty positions at the IL Natural History Survey, MN Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, San Diego State University, and the AR Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. His interests and expertise are in ecology and management of stream and river fisheries and undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education. He's been an AFS member since 1984 and has been active in three divisions, five state chapters, and two student subunits. He has served the AFS as chair of the Publication Awards Committee and Best Student Paper Awards Committee, and member of the Symposium Review, Nominations, Warmwater Streams, Rivers and Streams, Program and Publications (SEAFWA), and Environmental Affairs committees at state, division, and society levels.

David (Dave) McHenry, Candidate, Secretary/Treasurer - Dave McHenry is an environmental biologist with the Weyerhaeuser Company Southern Environmental Field Station located in New Bern, North Carolina. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Fishery Science in 1991, Dave began his career with Weyerhaeuser as a technician conducting various water quality, fish contaminant, and toxicity data collection activities for effluent discharge permits of southeastern pulp and paper mills. After completing a M.S. in biology at East Carolina University in 2000, he became a scientist and expanded his work investigating, tracking, and analyzing water quality and biological information from aquatic environments surrounding Weyerhaeuser Company facilities and forest holdings. Dave is specifically interested in assessing the ecological functioning and condition of aquatic systems through the study of biological communities. Furthermore, he enjoys building cooperative relationships with other governmental, institutional, and industrial groups toward protecting fishery resources in our human-influenced aquatic environments. Partly to develop these interests, Dave has been a member of AFS and the North Carolina Chapter for the better part of the past 11 years. When not pursuing his professional life, Dave enjoys getting in a tree or on the water for deer and ducks or spending time with his wife Angela and the new addition to the family, Jennifer.

Kimberly Sparks, Candidate, Secretary/Treasurer - Kimberly Sparks is a Research Environmental Scientist at RTI, a not-for-profit environmental consulting firm. Her current work involves providing GIS and database support to US EPA Office of Water programs. She has been a member of AFS since 1997 and won the W. Don Baker Memorial Award in 1998 for her presentation on major spawning habitats used by American Shad in the Roanoke River. Ms. Sparks received her M.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University in 1998.

A poster outlining the history of the North Carolina Chapter is being developed. The poster will be displayed at the 2002 Southern Division AFS mid-year meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas on February 20-24, 2002. The theme of the poster will be "From the Mountains to the Coast" and will attempt to display the diversity of habitats and fish species found in North Carolina. The draft of the poster includes a background graphic that resembles a stream meandering through the landscape. For each year of the Chapter's existence various species of fish will be used as bullets to highlight important activities. Fish species will include those found in mountain, piedmont and coastal habitats. A brief overview the Chapter's history and list of past presidents will be included as well as photos of mountain, piedmont and coastal habitats. We hope to have the poster completed by the Chapter's annual meeting on February 5-6, 2002 at the Duke Power's McGuire Office Complex in Huntersville, North Carolina.

NCSU Student Subunit Report

The subunit has been busy this fall fundraising and planning cooperative outreach projects with on-campus and community partners. In addition we managed to have a little fun. In October, the subunit helped Cliff Edwards of Premier Ponds move large-mouth bass from a pond near Laurinburg, NC. In exchange, Premier Ponds donated $500 to support subunit activities and Mr. Edwards came to one of our meetings to discuss small pond management. In November, we organized a social trip to the Davidson River section of Pisgah National Forest. Participants got to tour the Pisgah Fish Hatchery, and the NCSU Mountain Horticulture Research Station with a little fishing in between. A good time was had by all.

The subunit has committed to support two proposed cooperative research projects for 2002. The first is a monitoring project for the recently refilled Lake Raleigh, and the second is a workshop series on environmental research in cooperation with the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. Both proposed projects have been submitted for funding by the EPA.

Dr. Jeff Hinshaw, NCSU Zoology, gives a tour of the NCSU Mountain Horticulture Research Station

Speakers at our monthly meetings this fall included Barbara Doll of NC Sea Grant and Jim Francesconi of the NCDMF. Future speakers include Jeff Govoni of the NOAA Lab in Beaufort, NC, Wayne Starnes of the NC Museum of Natural Science

**We have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Roy Stein, director of the Aquatic Ecology Lab at Ohio State University for a Zoology department seminar and visit April 30 – May 2, 2002. Check out our website for information on speakers and other subunit activities and look for our raffle booth at the NCAFS meeting in February.
You can obtain more information and directions to campus on our website http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/sfs/ or please contact the current president, Rich Fulford. (Email: rsfulfor@unity.ncsu.edu)

We are offering two excellent continuing education courses at the 2002 Chapter Meeting. An introductory course in the use of GIS in Fisheries will be taught be Kim Sparks of Research Triangle Institute on February 5th. Dr. Don Holbert of East Carolina will teach a short course on power analysis and it's applications to fisheries and other biological sciences on February 6th. These courses are an excellent opportunity to obtain continuing education credits for AFS Certification or simply expand your knowledge base. Further information on these courses is located in this newsletter and on the Annual Meeting section of the chapter website.

If you have other ideas for courses, please contact me at E-mail: dorseylg@vnet.net

The Environmental Concerns Committee drafted a position paper titled Instream Sand and Gravel Mining Activities in North Carolina. The DRAFT position paper provides background information, potential impacts, and guidelines to reduce impacts as support material for the position statement. Committee members have worked diligently to draft a thorough position paper and have received very helpful reviews of early revisions from EXCOM. The EXCOM voted to present the DRAFT position to the membership at-large via the Chapter newsletter and on the Chapter website. Please follow this link to the

We will bring this issue to a vote at the annual business meeting on February 6 in Huntersville. I encourage each member to review this document and be prepared to discuss and vote on it at the annual meeting. All comments should be in written format and directed to Bob Curry NO LATER THAN January 18, 2002. Comments can be submitted electronically at (Email: curryrl@mail.wildlife.state.nc.us) or by US Mail to: Division of Inland Fisheries, 1721 mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1721. Bob will summarize the comments anonymously and provide them to the membership at the annual meeting.

The committee is presently working on a position statement regarding the construction of an Oregon Inlet Jetty System.

If members have suggestions for issues, please send them at any time. Please contact Danielle if you would like to get involved penderdr@mail.wildlife.state.nc.us.

The Ad Hoc Membership Committee continues to draft a set of recommendations for increasing AFS membership. The goal is to increase chapter membership by at least 10% (14 new members) during 2002 and to increase AFS parent society membership within North Carolina also by 10% (16 new members). Plans are currently underway to publicize the upcoming annual chapter meeting and promote AFS membership to non-members by direct mailings and emails. In addition, a display on the benefits of both chapter and parent society membership is being prepared for the chapter meeting. However, existing members have consistently proven to be the best recruiting tool. Therefore when opportunities present themselves, this committee encourages all members to promote chapter membership, parent society membership, as well as the upcoming annual chapter meeting.

As a reminder, it is time to renew your AFS membership. You can renew your membership online at www.fisheries.org/Membership.shtml. Chapter membership is only $7.00!! Regular AFS parent society membership is $76.00. Please note: Young professionals (defined as those within 3 years post graduation) can now receive a regular AFS parent society membership for $38.00 (1/2 rate) per year for the first 3 years following graduation. Parent society memberships for students are also $38.00.

If you have questions or suggestions relative to AFS membership, please contact committee chair Christian Waters by phone (252-208-7764) or email Watersct@coastalnet.com.

NCWRC News from Lawrence Dorsey - Two member of the NCSU student subunit recently accompanied North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) personnel on a trap net sample at Lake Norman. The students, Regan McNatt and Poem Gardiner, joined NCWRC District 6 personnel on November 14th and 15th respectively. Each student participated by assisting in the fishing and re-setting of each net. They also learned to identify many of the species commonly collected by trap nets including the black crappie and white crappie which are the targeted species for this gear. Finally, they were able to find out about the common job responsibilities of NCWRC biologists and ask questions about fisheries management in NC. I would encourage anyone who has an opportunity to include students in field sampling to do so. You can contact me (E-mail: dorseylg@vnet.net ) or the NCSU student subunit if you would be interested in hosting a student on a field sampling trip.

Regan McNatt and Marla Chambers, NCWRC, check a trap net
on Lake Norman

Requests for nominations for AFS's various awards will be coming out soon. There are many deserving people (members and non-members)and organizations that should be recognized for their contributions to AFS and resource conservation. Please consider nominating someone for one or more awards. For information on the criteria for the Distinguished Service and the Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award contact Fred Harris. E-mail: harrisfa@mail.wildlife.state.nc.us

NCSU News from Rich Noble - Nate Bacheler Receives AFS Student Writing Award

Each year, the American Fisheries Society holds a student writing contest to recognize students who "do an excellent job communicating the value of fisheries research to the general public." Students write an essay about their own research, explaining it in a manner that the general public can understand, and with a further goal of increasing appreciation of research as a dimension of fisheries resource management. This year, Nathan Bacheler, a Master's student working with Rich Noble at NC State, was Runner-Up in the contest. Nate's thesis research in Puerto Rico, focused on the only native fish occurring in the island's reservoirs, was the topic of his essay, titled "The island of the enchanted bigmouth sleeper." This and the other two winning essays will be published in "Fisheries" later this year. Nate was honored with a plaque presented at the AFS annual meeting in Phoenix.

Leadership Development News from Larry Olmsted - At last year's mid-term meeting Duke encouraged the formation of a leadership development program in the Southern Division. This effort has been expanded to the parent society level and will include a kickoff at the 2002 National Meeting in Baltimore. A committee was formed and consists of Jeff Boxrucker (Chair), Mike Meador, Larry Olmsted, Steve McMullin, Cindy Williams, and Mike Fraidenburg. Plans have been formalized for 3 workshops to be presented in Baltimore. Steve McMullin plans to present a 1.5 day workshop covering: understanding people and different approaches to leadership: Myers-Briggs Psychological Type; attributes of effective leadership; and review and application of leadership models. Mike Fraidenburg already has approval from the CE committee to teach workshops on "Working with a Commission" and "Conflict Resolution." Baltimore is just the first step in our vision of developing a much more far-reaching program than offering 2 or 3 workshops at the Annual Meeting. It was decided that an article in Fisheries (as a guest "Directors Line") would be a good first step in advertising the committee's vision for the program, soliciting member input in development of the program and at the same time highlight the CE program for Baltimore.

2003 SDAFS News from Kent Nelson, General Program Chair - The North Carolina Chapter of AFS will host the 2003 SDAFS mid-year meeting (February 12 - 16th) at the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington. The contract has been signed with the facility and work has begun on organizing the event. I will be attending the meeting in Little Rock to display a poster announcing the 2003 meeting and also distribute information on visiting the Wilmington area. It will also give me exposure to the coordination and setup of the meeting which should help prepare me for next year.

Crayfish news from Aimee Fullerton, NCWRC, Non-game Section - The atlas for The Crayfishes of North Carolina has moved to a new domain. This is a work in progress, and hasn't changed much since I asked for review comments last year, but links to all species are running. I'll continue to add to it and update it. We hope to eventually have a link to it from the main WRC pages. Any comments would surely be appreciated at any time and PLEASE let me know if you find anything to be incorrect or for whatever reason should be altered. E-mail: fullerah@mindspring.com

Robust redhorse from the Pee Dee River

Sucker News from John Crutchfield, CP&L - CP&L biologists captured a robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum, from the Pee Dee River at Cheraw, SC, on November 29, 2001. The fish was caught just below U.S. Highway 1/S.C. Highway 9 bridge at Pee Dee river mile 164.7. This fish marks the first collection of robust redhorse in the South Carolina portion of the Pee Dee River and was caught in the transitional area from the piedmont fall line zone to upper coastal plain zone. The fish, caught in a gill net in pool habitat (2 meters in depth), was unfortunately dead. The specimen has been preserved and retained for scientific purposes. CP&L will turn over the fish to the appropriate scientific collection repository.

This fish (413 mm TL, weight 805 grams) appears to be much younger than the two robust redhorse previously collected in North Carolina waters during 2000 and 2001. This younger fish indicates that some successful reproduction may be occurring in the Pee Dee River population. A left pelvic fin clip was taken for DNA analysis.We also collected two more specimens of Carolina redhorse (undescribed Moxostoma species) in the headwaters of Blewett Falls Lake (transitional area of river to lake)on November 26, 2001. These specimens were collected with electrofishing in shallow water (< 2 meters in depth) along the west shoreline of the lake. Both were healthy adults and were released back into the lake after left pelvic fin clips were taken for DNA analysis. One specimen appeared to be a male with evidence of tubercles on the anal fin and snout.

Carolina redhorse from the Pee Dee River

Aquarium Society News from Gerald Pottern - The Raleigh Aquarium Society is looking for speakers for our monthly meetings this coming year. Although the club's main focus is keeping and propagating fish and plants in aquaria, we're also interested in general aquatic ecology, fish natural history, conservation, aquaculture, wetlands, etc. Todd Wenzel, our program chairman for many years has moved away for an aquaculture job with VaTech, so we're scrambling to fill his shoes and make some new contacts.

Talks should be geared for a fish-savvy but mostly non-academic audience. Qualitative descriptions & pictures are best; no need to prove statistical significance. Meetings are the first Thursday each month at the Vet School, downstairs past the library, first lecture room on the right. We also trade fish & plants, raffle aquarium supplies, & have refreshments at each meeting. Please contact me for more info or to discuss an idea for a talk. E-mail: gpottern@rjgaCarolina.com

News from Nature forwarded by Jim Gilliam - Contrary to the statistics published by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which indicate that the global fisheries catch is stable, leading fisheries scientists reveal that catches have actually been declining for over a decade. This new evidence means that the true state of the oceans is far worse than anyone has previously realized.

The study published in the November 29th issue of Nature shows that vast over-reporting by the People's Republic of China combined with the large and wildly fluctuating catch of a small fish, the Peruvian anchoveta, have painted a false picture of the health of the oceans by inflating the catch statistics and implying that "business as usual" is sustainable. "The global catch trend is not increasing, it is not even stable, but rather it has been decreasing steadily since the late 80's," states one of the study's authors, Dr. Reg Watson. "The bottom line is that the downward trends in global fisheries catches have been obscured. Fisheries management and economic decisions are being based on flawed data," says Dr. Daniel Pauly, the other author. "These earthshaking findings are the most significant fishery and food security results in decades," says Dr. Jane Lubchenco, a Distinguished Professor at Oregon State University and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "They call into question the very basis of international fisheries management." For the complete article, follow this hotlink - http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-11/s-sin112801.php

Journal News forwarded by Martin O'Connell - Announcing a new journal . . . Southeastern Naturalist. A peer-reviewed and edited interdisciplinary scientific journal with a regional focus on the southeastern United States (ISSN #1528-7092). First issue to be mailed in the first quarter of 2002. Featuring research articles and notes on terrestrial, fresh-water, and marine organisms, and their habitats. Focusing on field ecology, biology, behavior, biogeography, taxonomy, evolution, anatomy, physiology, geology, and related fields. Starting with volume 1(1), will be indexed in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, EBSCOhost, FISHLIT (Fish and Fisheries Worldwide; Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Resources), Wildlife Review Abstracts, and Zoological Record (BIOSIS UK). Arrangements for indexing in Biological Abstracts (BIOSIS) and other services are pending publication of the first issue. A sister journal of the Northeastern Naturalist. Both journals are identical in focus, format, quality, and features. The journals together serve as a matched-pair of regional journals that provide an integrated publishing and research resource for the eastern part of North America. Printed by Allen Press, printer of many journals in the biological and environmental sciences, especially those whose parent organization is a society which is a member of AIBS. Starting with volume 1(1), will be available online in full-text version in the BioOne database (www.bioone.org, a collaborative effort of Allen Press, AIBS, et al.) and the Proquest Information and Learning databases (www.il.proquest.com).

Spotlight on Students and Young Professionals

Spotlight on Win Taylor, NCWRC Assistant Fisheries Biologist- Win Taylor is a native of coastal South Carolina. He received his B.S. Degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Wildlife and a minor in Forest Resource Management from Clemson University in 1998. As an undergraduate, Win served as a research assistant in the Aquatic Animal Research Laboratory and was involved in numerous research projects.

In 2000, Win received his M.S. Degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Wildlife from Clemson University. His thesis was titled "Temperature Tolerance of Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma: effect of salinity". The results of this study are published in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. During his graduate years at Clemson, Win served as Vice-President of the Clemson University AFS subunit. He was also actively involved in other research projects including growth studies on red drum and striped bass hybrid and a stream monitoring project that evaluated the effects of traditional horse logging within watersheds. After graduate school, Win took a job as a research technician with Idaho Fish and Game. He worked on a research project evaluating native salmonid populations in the Snake River drainage. In March 2001, Win became the District 5 Assistant Fisheries Biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. He is a member of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and enjoys basically any hobby that involves being outdoors including hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing and hiking.

Spotlight on Chris Taylor, NCSU graduate student - Chris is presently a PhD candidate in the Department of Zoology at NC State University, and now happily resides at the new Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City, NC. (Next time you see him, ask him about his view of Bogue Sound from his office.)

While Chris' attention is mostly preoccupied with estuarine and marine systems these days, he hails originally from the midwest (Minnesota). Chris attended UW-Stevens Point for his undergraduate degree, where he majored in Biology. His first introduction to estuaries was on a cruise out of Gulf Coast Research Lab, MS as a TA for a field ecology course as a junior. He yearned for the salt, tides and waves, and began a Masters program in the NCSU Department of Zoology, where he studied the effects of hypoxia on growth of southern flounder, under the direction of Dr. John Miller. Many important professional skills were honed during this experience. He is particularly proud of his plumbing prowess ... his recirculating, oxygen stripping experimental tanks at the NMFS Beaufort Lab must have been inspired by Rube Goldberg. He recently published this work in the JEMBE. After completing his Masters degree in 1999, he accepted a PhD position under Dr. Peter Rand in the same department. However, since 1998 he as been active in his dissertation research funded through North Carolina Sea Grant. Chris is applying ecological theory to help explain habitat use of pelagic estuarine fishes in the Neuse River estuary. Specifically, he is investigating how the temporal and spatial distribution of dissolved oxygen and plankton in the estuary influence habitat selection and growth in Atlantic menhaden and bay anchovies. The sampling is conducted from Slocum Creek to Adams Creek, around the "bend in the lower Neuse".

He works out of a 23' Sea Ox (a surplused DMF vessel) - it's a charismatic boat, noteworthy for it's impressive range in pitch and roll. His objective during these sampling excursions is to map habitat variables in the water column throughout the study area along with the distribution and abundance of pelagic fishes using hydroacoustics and trawls. The work is intensive, and he and his crew often work around the clock. Chris has encountered and worked through a number of impediments to get this project rolling, not the least of which is dealing with the typically sloppy conditions on the Neuse. His work should break new ground in understanding how fishes respond to conditions encountered in nutrient rich estuaries. Chris recently presented some of this work at a special symposium at the national AFS meeting held this summer in Phoenix, AZ. He recently received a STAR Fellowship through US EPA, a competitive program supporting the best graduate students across the nation. He hopes to complete his degree by 2003.

Chris has many (indeed, some feel far too many!) irons in the fire. He has taken many opportunities to be involved in the society. He was instrumental in establishing the NC State Student Subunit of the NC Chapter of the AFS, and served in a position as president from May 1998 to December 2000. As you all know, he has also served ably on the ExCom during that same time, and he has been particularly helpful with the publication of our on-line newsletter. He is a member of the recently resuscitated Environmental Concerns Committee, where he is spearheading the development of a position statement on the Oregon Inlet jetty construction. Undoubtedly, he holds positions in other important organizations that I'm completely unaware of (and maybe I don't want to know!). He has developed an expertise in hydroacoustic data collection and analysis, which has taken him far afield, including Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and other exotic locales (e.g. Badin Lake!). So, the next time your down east, look him up. He might just enlist you for his next cruise.

Spotlight on Oldtimers in the Chapter

Spotlight on Bob Brown, NCWRC Assistant Fisheries Biologist - Bob began his career in fisheries in 1964 with the Ohio Division of Wildlife in a walleye hatchery on the South Bass Islands in Lake Erie. What started out as a high paying job at $1.52/hour turned into a life-long association with the walleye. Following good advice, Bob returned to school and eventually received an MS degree in fisheries from the University of Michigan. vWhile in school, he was employed part-time by the Michigan Department of Conservation. He managed to get thrown off some commercial fishing boats while observing the incidental catch for lake trout and salmon in the gill net fishery in upper Lake Michigan. This was at a time when the first introductions of pacific salmon were being made into the Great Lakes and everyone wanted to know what had happened to those little buggers. They were eventually found, but not by Bob, doing quite well in southern Lake Michigan. From the Great Lakes it was off to another great lake, Lake Nicaragua with the Peace Corps. Bob worked with bull sharks and sawfish for almost two years and then he moved on to tilapia culture in Costa Rica.

Bob's first real job began in mountains of North Carolina in the summer of 1972 when he was hired by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. "I was issued a 1968 Ford, a 14-foot aluma-craft boat, a 9-1/2 hp Evinrude outboard motor, a Peterson trailer used to carry the boat upside down, a rotenone pump, measuring board and scales, and told to get to work." Bob also inherited a research project looking at growth of wild trout fed with pelletized high protein feed. The following are some of the highlights of working in the mountains where even the small trickles can contain important fishery resources. Bob has spent much of his career working to minimize the impacts of instream gravel mining on our mountain streams. He has worked hard to ensure that mining permits are thoroughly reviewed and that the Mining Act of 1971 is enforced. Another area of work that Bob was involved in was the reduction of the impacts of the NCDOT upon mountain streams. Thanks to the US Army Corps of Engineers we are now reviewing permits and minimizing impacts in mountain trout waters. Bob is also proud of the cooperative work that has been done with the TU, USFS and Duke Power. Many cooperative projects were accomplished with the USFS, especially in trout waters, with handicapped accessibility and children's fishing days. Another source of pride has been all of the cooperative work Duke Power has done on Lake James with walleye.

Bob has had the opportunity to work with lots of good folks over his 27-year career. He would like to take this opportunity to thank them all.

2002 NCAFS Annual Meeting - Feb. 5-6, 2002, Huntersville, NC. V Congratulations, you're at the best spot to learn all you need to know!

Biology of Freshwater Fishes course - June 17-29, 2002, Highlands Biological Station. Taught by Ed Menhinick (Freshwater Fishes of NC). http://www.wcu.edu/HIBIO/COURSES.HTM

2002 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists - July 3-8, 2002, Kansas City, MO. http://199.245.200.110/

If you are aware of meeting information that would be beneficial to the membership of the NCAFS, please send it to the newsletter editor for inclusion in the next newsletter. E-mail: djcoughl@duke-energy.com

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission seeks five TEMPORARY CONTRACT FIELD POSITIONS.
The Commission's Nongame & Endangered Wildlife Program will contract with five (5) individuals to provide temporary assistance during the 2002 field season. One individual will be contracted to provide assistance with sea turtle nesting and stranding data collection; one to assist with surveys of colony nesting waterbirds and other coastal projects; and, three to provide assistance with aquatic endangered species surveys, monitoring, and relocation. Very brief job descriptions are contained in the individual announcements listed below. CALL: Project Leaders listed in announcements for information related to application procedures and project activities. INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN RALEIGH, NC ON JANUARY 28, 2002. NO EXCEPTIONS.

JOB DESCRIPTION	CONTACT	E-MAIL
Survey and monitor populations of rare freshwater crayfishes	Aimee Fullerton	fullerah@mindspring.com
Restore common native freshwater mussels and snails to stream reaches within the Piedmont	Brian T. Watson	watsonbt1@mindspring.com
Survey and monitor populations of rare freshwater crayfishes and endangered species (mollusks and fishes)	Aimee Fullerton	fullerah@mindspring.com
Research, monitoring, and management of colonial nesting waterbirds, piping plovers, other shorebirds	David H. Allen	allend@coastalnet.com
Monitor sea turtle nesting activities	Steve Johnson, Ph.D.	stevejohnson@coastalnet.com

Fisheries Research Technician w/ the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NC State University, Raleigh, NC.
Responsibilities: Technician will assist a graduate student on a project on the lower Roanoke River near Scotland Neck, NC. The primary objective of the project is to evaluate the use of a fishwheel for monitoring anadromous fish populations, including striped bass, river herring, and American shad. Radio telemetry and standard tagging methods will also be used to monitor the migration of striped bass as part of an in-river spawning stock abundance study. Primary responsibilities will include checking fishwheel live boxes, assisting with drift gillnetting, and tracking tagged striped bass. Work will be conducted 7 days a week but will not typically exceed 40 hours per week. Some nighttime work may be required.
Qualifications: Educational background in fisheries or related curriculum. Ability to perform strenuous physical labor, including lifting weights of up to 75 pounds. Ability to operate boats and motors and maneuver boat trailers. Ability to communicate effectively with the public a plus. Valid driver's license. Knowledge of fish species identification and sampling gear is beneficial. Applicant should be motivated, flexible, and be able to work well without supervision. Closing Date: 9 January 2002. Duration: 1 February 2002 until mid-June 2002. Salary: $8.50 per hour; housing will be provided at the field site.
Contact: Feel free to contact Dave Hewitt with any questions regarding the project. Applicants should submit a letter describing their background and career goals, a resume, and a list of references, to Dave Hewitt, NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Campus Box 7617, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617. Phone: (919) 515-4590, Fax: (919) 515-4454, E-mail: dave_hewitt@ncsu.edu. For more information about the fishwheel project see: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jhncsu/public/FishwheelProject.html

Marine/Estuarine Fisheries Research Technician, NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and TechnologyMorehead City, NC
Responsibilities: Position is full time (40hr/week). The project goals are to understand connections between water quality, plankton dynamics and pelagic fish populations in the Neuse River Estuary. The assistants will assist in water quality sampling, plankton collections, and fish collections using a variety of methods including trawls, automated datasondes and fisheries sonar. The work will involve long hours under sometimes adverse weather conditions during both days and nights and sometimes weekends. The assistants will also be expected to assist with sample sorting, identification and data entry. Work will be staged out of the Center for Marine Science and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City, NC. Salary: $1200/month + housing allowance. Duration: May 15 – 1 December 2002 (Start date negotiable). Closing Date: 1 March 2001
Qualifications: Completed or continuing BS in biology, ecology or fisheries related field. Experience in plankton and fish identification, computer use and boat operations preferred.
Please send a cover letter, resume and references to: Chris Taylor, NC State University, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC 28557, Email: Chris_taylor@ncsu.edu, Phone: 252.222.6322, Fax: 252.222.6311

NC State Government Internships - The internships are for ten-weeks and are located at DMF, the Natural Science Museum, the NC aquaria, various state parks, etc. These are great opportunities for undergrads. http://www.doa.state.nc.us/doa/yaio/intern.htm

Fishery related jobs can be found on the AFS web site at: http://www.fisheries.org/jobs.html This site also offers links to job postings on non-AFS web sites.

If you have a fishery-related job opening and would like to post it in the next NCAFS Newsletter, please send your announcement to the newsletter editor. E-mail: djcoughl@duke-energy.com

The American Fisheries Society Home Page offers a wealth of links to assist you in your fishery endeavors. Information on ordering AFS books, public outreach, annual meetings, chapter links and joining the AFS can be found at http://www.fisheries.org/

President's Message	Membership Committee
2002 Annual NCAFS Meeting	News from around North Carolina
Outstanding Service Award	Spotlight on Students and Young Professionals
Candidate Biographies and Ballot	Spotlight on Oldtimers in the Chapter
NCAFS Poster for the 2002 SDFS Mid-Year Meeting	Meetings of Interest
NCSU Student Subunit Report	Employment Opportunities
Education Committee	Valuable Links - Courtesy of AFS
Environmental Concerns Committee