Aquatic science is almost as diverse as the professionals that work in it. Like an intricate food web, each discipline has its specific niche, but the crossovers and interactions are nearly endless. Our area of expertise (endangered species, invertebrates, sportfish, limnology, etc.), our professional category (administrator, field scientist, educator, technician, etc.), and our employers (state, federal, private) all play a part in our role and our perspective in aquatic science. The one thing we all have in common is a concern for aquatic environments and a deep desire to conserve our natural resources. Yet more and more often it seems our differences are overshadowing our common goals. As we primarily interact with those whom we most closely identify, sometimes we begin to see our colleagues in other aquatic resource disciplines as adversaries. While it is very important for us to question our own ethics to maintain the integrity of our profession at the highest possible level, we’ve begun to concentrate largely on ‘in-house’ issues like species vs. ecosystems management and stocking of non-indigenous fish strains while activities like riparian destruction, inter-basin water transfer, exotic species stocking, and abuse of aquifers go almost unchecked. If we continue to separate into smaller professional factions, we’ll soon find ourselves as nothing more than a loosely connected group of fringe elements with only a fraction of the influence we carry as a whole.

Although many of us belong to one or more excellent organizations devoted to specific disciplines of aquatic science, the American Fisheries Society offers us the conduit we need to come together in a broad-based organization. By creating a place for everyone with interests from aquaculture to zebra mussels, AFS allows us to learn from each other and to present a united front to those who would abuse the aquatic resources we prize. So, if you have colleagues who are not AFS members, invite them to join us, and let’s make sure that as a reflection of the Parent Society, our chapter is a professional home for everyone. Then, using the strength of our diversity, we can show our constituents who have entrusted us with the stewardship of Texas’ aquatic resources that we really are in this together.