Tidewater Chapter Annual Meeting Great Success

By Fred Scharf raising the bar for future stu- Volume 24, Issue 2 The 2009 American Fisher- dents. Friday closed with a late ies Society Tidewater Chapter afternoon Chapter business Summer 2009 annual meeting was hosted by meeting, and then everyone the University of North Caro- boarded water taxis for a re- lina Wilmington March 12-14 turn trip to the battleship, loca- Opportunities: in the heart of historic, river- tion also of the evening ban- Submit your papers to the new American front Wilmington. quet. Again, the beer was lo- Fisheries Society international, open- A poster social in the mess cal, as well as the seafood. access, online journal Marine and Coastal hall of the retired battleship Although cool weather pre- Fisheries. Submit new manuscripts and USS North Carolina kicked off vented set up on the ship’s associated correspondence at: the meeting Thursday evening. fantail, everyone enjoyed the mcf.allentrack.net. Or, you may also Attendees were shuttled opportunity to walk her decks access the manuscript submission site across the river in the charm of and envision daily and combat through the American Fisheries Society’s old trolleys, finding good food life the crew faced during Web site: www.fisheries.org. and locally brewed beer on CHAD SMITH I ECU World War II. In addition to the other side. There were 14 role of science in fisheries great food and camaraderie, posters presented, mostly by management given changes Ron Klauda, awards committee Inside this issue: students, and the quality of the made to the Magnuson-Stevens chairman, presented awards 2 science was again outstanding. Act during reauthorization. for best student oral and President’s Corner Friday morning’s technical Twenty oral presentations poster presentations (see in- session got started with in- followed, with 16 given by side award spread) and for UM-AFS Student Subunit News 2 vited plenary speaker, Dr. students. Echoing Past- Meritorious Service to Dr. John John Boreman, recently retired President Jack Musick, I be- Olney of VIMS for his long- 3 from NOAA Fisheries. Dr. lieve that each year it seems term involvement and excep- ECU-AFS Student Subunit News Boreman succeeded in chal- our student presenters im- tional commitment to Chapter lenging chapter members to prove in their ability to present programs (full story below). Duke-AFS Student Subunit News 3 think about the strengthening their science, continuously see ANNUAL page 4 Annual Meeting Awards Recap 4 Dr. Olney Wins Chapter Meritorious Service Award Setzler-Hamilton Scholarship 5 Awards; Officer Solicitations 5/8 By Ron Klauda The recipient of the award in Periodically, the Tidewater 2009 is Dr. John Olney. Chapter formally recognizes a On faculty at the Virginia In Memoriam: Dr. Loesch 6 member who has given un- Institute of Marine Science swerving loyalty, dedication, (VIMS) and the College of Wil- UNCW-AFS Student Subunit News 6 long-term involvement, and liam & Mary’s School of Marine exceptional commitment to the Science, Dr. Olney’s name is 8 programs, objectives and synonymous with assessment Treasurer’s Report goals of the chapter by pre- of American shad migration VIMS WEB SITE senting this individual with the and recruitment in the coastal John Olney (L) with partner Members List 9 Meritorious Service Award. see OLNEY page 8 Lee Larkin (R). Page 2 Tidewater Press

President’s Corner

By Fred Scharf financial health of the chapter. Specifically, lifetime Chapter membership for the one- Greetings every- the EXCOM voted on two items related to time fee of $150. This will ease the burden one! The Chapter annual Chapter dues. on annual dues collection, provide a more annual meeting in First, the annual membership dues will ready cash flow for meeting planning, and Wilmington, NC, was increase from $7 to $10 beginning Jan. 1, to our younger professionals, should pro- a great success! Talks 2010. The dues have not increased for as vide costs savings over average academic covered an array of long as I have been a member (7 years), tenure. None of these changes affect stu- estuarine and coastal and it is thought to be as long as 10 years dents, however, who currently do not have fisheries topics, and since the last increase. The costs associ- to pay Chapter dues to be a member if the presenters did an ated with hosting the annual meeting are associated with a formal student subunit. outstanding job. At the Awards Social, I often the primary expenses faced by the Last, we continue to update our mem- had the pleasure of presenting the Outgo- chapter, and these have risen considerably bership list and to evaluate the best way to ing President’s Certificate to Jack Musick. in the last decade. We make every attempt make sure that each member’s information Jack served as president-elect in 2007, to break even on meeting costs, but many is accurate and their payment of dues re- organized the annual meeting held in Vir- times this cannot be accomplished even corded. See page 9 of the newsletter for a ginia in March 2008, and then served as with sponsorships. The EXCOM also felt membership list to-date. The ―Treasurer’s president until March of this year. that with a larger dues base we may be Report‖ (p.8) outlines the process for pay- The Chapter’s executive committee able to offer at future annual meetings ing your dues, so please consider this a (EXCOM) also met during the meeting and more travel and presentation awards to gentle reminder to pay your annual dues to got much accomplished. The bulk of the students. help keep this the best chapter within the discussion centered on ensuring the future Second, the EXCOM voted to offer a American Fisheries Society. Thank you!

University of Maryland Student Subunit News

By Adam Peer software could substantially benefit any This spring our members have been fisheries student’s resume and portfolio. incredibly busy in the field, lab and class- Other projects and events to come in room; yet, have still managed to be quite 2009 include a workshop to educate gradu- productive in subunit activities. ate students on the keys to preparing and In March, our subunit was well repre- to applying for National Oceanic and At- sented at the Tidewater Chapter annual mospheric Administration fellowships and meeting in Wilmington, NC. Allison Chan- federal fisheries positions. In October, dler, Kari Fenske, Carlos Lozano, Adam members will volunteer at the Patuxent Peer and Rebecca Wingate gave oral pres- River Appreciation Days annual festival in entations of their research, and Maude Solmons, Maryland, and we will hold the Livings presented a poster. We are par- 5th Annual Bring-Your-Own-Species BBQ Robust, nonlinear regression with AD Model ticularly proud of Kari Fenske, who re- Builder, freely downloaded for Windows, Feast. ceived the third-place award for best stu- Linux and MacOS at: www.admb-project.org. If you are interested in getting involved dent oral presentation. Great job Kari! with the subunit, please feel free to contact The remainder of this spring has fo- based on numerical curve-fitting algo- me. New membership is always welcome! cused on helping Assistant Professor Mike rithms. The ADMB software offers numeri- Wilberg organize a three-day AD Model cal stability, fast and efficient computation, Adam Peer, president Builder (ADMB) workshop that will be and high accuracy parameter estimates. UM Center for Environmental Science taught at the Chesapeake Biological Lab in The ADMB has become the principal mod- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory August. The ADMB is a tool for the rapid eling tool used in fisheries stock assess- PO Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688 development and implementation of multi- ments by state and federal agencies, and Ph: 410-326-7373 Em: [email protected] dimensional, non-linear statistical models thus, proficiency in the use of the ADMB Volume 24, Issue 2 Page 3

East Carolina University Student Subunit News

By Katie Kleber & Cecilia Krahforst The subunit also continued to carry out D r . J o e This spring marked the ten-year anni- its mission of service and outreach with Luczkovich gets pied during the versary of the East Carolina University participation in the Grifton Shad Festival ECU-AFS subunit subunit (ECU-AFS), and we celebrated the where we provided for ―fishing‖ in our “Pie a Profes- event in January at our annual banquet. Dr. kiddy pool and answered questions about sor” fundraising Steven Cooke, professor of environmental fisheries science. event held in conjunction with science at Carleton University, presented, We once more participated in Barefoot the campus ―The Science of Recreational Fishing.‖ We on the Mall, an ECU student organization Barefoot on the had near 70 people in attendance from a fair. This afforded us an opportunity to Mall student variety of agencies, returning alumni, and fundraise. We raised over $200 for the union event.

current student and faculty members. subunit through ―Pie a Professor.‖ Seven JENNIFER CUDNEY-BURCH I ECU Budding young professors graciously volunteered to have delivered oral and poster presentations, anglers “fished” pies thrown at them. Our top three fund- participated in executive committee meet- in a kiddy pool raisers were Drs. Joseph Luczkovich, Reide ings, and in New Orleans, attended profes- provided by the Corbett, and Mary Farwell. Again, a big sional development workshops. ECU-AFS subunit ―thank you‖ to our willing professors! To wrap up another successful academic at the 39th Annual Grifton Shad Fes- Our fundraising efforts allowed us to year and to thank members for their help, tival held April 14 continue funding student members’ travel we held a shrimp boil. Special thanks goes -19, 2009, in Grif- to scientific meetings. Ten students at- to our graduating members: John Mohan, ton, NC. tended the AFS Southern Division meeting Jillian Osborne and Ryan Spidel! in New Orleans, and five students attended Please visit our Web site for details and the Tidewater Chapter meeting in Wil- photos of our goings-on and to subscribe mington, NC. At both events, our students to our Listserv: www.ecu.edu/org/afs. REBECCA DEEHR I ECU

Duke University Student Subunit News

By Nicholas Mallos a membership-based buying club in the efforts in the development of the CSF initia- The ―DukeFish‖ subunit is celebrating a Durham area for local seafood, furthering tive, DukeFish member Joshua Stoll was very productive spring semester and is our mission of promoting sustainable invited to serve as a student advisor on the anticipating an equally prolific fall. The coastal fishing communities and marine Carteret Catch Advisory Board. spring semester got underway with Duke ecosystems. As a result of his vision and As we enter our third year as a subunit, University Marine Lab (DUML) members DukeFish has many other activities hosting a DUML Aquaculture Lecture Se- planned for this fall. Alongside The Coastal ries. Held in February, the series featured Society, we are planning the 9th Annual five representatives from government, Neuse River Foundation Triathlon to be nonprofit and private sectors. Guest speak- held Sep. 5. As in previous years, we will ers successfully educated not only mem- participate in the North Carolina Seafood bers from Duke, but also, citizens from the Festival held Oct. 2-4 on the Morehead surrounding coastal communities. City waterfront. At the festival booth, In March, DukeFish hosted a Local Sea- DukeFish plans to sell locally harvested food Happy Hour at Fishmonger's Restau- fish tacos to educate festival attendees on UNKNOWN I DUKEFISH rant & Oyster Bar in Durham, NC, to kickoff the merits of purchasing local seafood. our new community-supported fishery (L to R) Nicholas Mallos, Clare Fieseler, Last, the great success of last year’s Aqua- (CSF) initiative. Modeled after community Alexis Ramirez, Joshua Stoll, Michelle Lo- culture Lecture Series has prompted plan- quine, and Kimberly Gordon promote con- supported agriculture, a popular way for sumption of local seafood at a Happy Hour ning for a second annual event. consumers to buy local, seasonal food di- event held at Fishmonger's Restaurant & If you are interested in learning more or rectly from a farmer, the CSF will establish Oyster Bar in Durham, NC, Mar. 26, 2009. see DUKE page 4 Page 4 Tidewater Press

Student Presentations Carry A Successful Chapter Annual Meeting

By Ron Klauda Student presentations again carried a “Some of the undergraduate successful AFS Tidewater Chapter annual posters were definitely graduate meeting. A total of 45 presentations—12 caliber. If these presentations posters and 16 oral papers— were evalu- are an indication of the quality ated and scored by six, volunteer judges. Criteria included importance to the fisher- of future AFS professionals, the ies profession (45 points), verbal presenta- future is indeed bright.” tion (25 points), audiovisual presentation (15 points), discussion stimulation (5 Delaware State University (Dr. Dewayne points), Abstract and Title (5 points), and Fox, adviser), for his poster entitled, ―Now other considerations (5 points). The judges we detect them, now we don’t: A descrip- scores were summed to determine the best tion of sandbar shark core habitat use presentation. while resident in Delaware Bay‖ JOHN COOPER I COOPER ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH Once more, the quality of all student Third Place and $25: Ian Lipton, Univer- (L to R) Kari Fenske, Hillary Lane, and Karen presentations was very high, making the sity of North Carolina Wilmington (Dr. Tom Capossela, third—, second-, and first-place judges’ task challenging and difficult. One Lankford, adviser), for his poster entitled, student oral presentation winners at the 2009 of the poster judges sent me this message ―Fish nursery function of surf zone habitat: Tidewater Chapter annual meeting in Wil- after the meeting, ―Thank you for the op- Response to human disturbance gradients‖ mington, NC, Mar. 12-14, 2009. portunity to judge such impressive student In the oral paper category, the judges First Place and $100: Karen Capossela, posters. Some of the undergraduate post- selected these winners: Virginia Institute of Marine Science (Dr. ers were definitely graduate caliber. If Mary Fabrizio, adviser), for her paper these presentations are an indication of the entitled, ―Physiological responses and quality of future AFS professionals, the tolerances of adult summer flounder to future is indeed bright.‖ hypoxia‖ In both the poster and oral paper cate- Second Place and $50: Hillary Lane, gories, the judges selected first-, second- University of North Carolina Wilmington and third-place winners. At the awards (Dr. Heather Koopman, adviser), for her presentation held in conjunction with the paper entitled, ―Ontogenetic, annual and Friday evening banquet aboard the USS seasonal variation in nutritional value of North Carolina, winners in the poster cate- Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the gory were announced: Bay of Fundy, 2005-2008‖ First Place and $100: William (Chip) Third Place and $25: Kari Fenske, Uni- Collier, University of North Carolina Wil- versity of Maryland ~ Chesapeake Biologi- mington (Dr. Tom Lankford, adviser), for JOHN COOPER I COOPER ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH cal Laboratory (Dr. Dave Secor, adviser), his poster entitled, ―Atlantic sturgeon, (L to R) Chip Collier, Naeem Willett, and Ian for her paper entitled, ―Demographics and Acipenser oxyrynchus, in the lower Cape Lipton, first—, second-, and third-place stu- parasitism by Anguillicola crassus in dent poster presentation winners at the 2009 Fear river basin: trials and tribulations‖ Tidewater Chapter annual meeting in Wil- Chesapeake Bay American eels‖ Second Place and $50: Naeem Willett, mington, NC, Mar. 12-14, 2009. A special ―thank you‖ to our judges!

ing the meeting, especially Cape Fear ANNUAL continued from page 1 DUKE continued from page 3 Community College for providing us use of The meeting ended at noon on Saturday their auditorium - just a short walk from the participating in DukeFish events, please after delivery of seven, non-student oral hotel—and to all of our generous sponsors visit our Web site (www.dukefish.org)or presentations and an invitation from Presi- who helped to keep our costs low. We look contact President Nick Mallos at 717-576- dent-Elect Mike Luisi to next year’s annual forward to seeing everyone next year in 1083 or email [email protected]. To sub- meeting to be held in Annapolis, Mary- Maryland! scribe, unsubscribe or learn more about land, March 18-20. the DukeFish mailing list, visit: https:// Many thanks to all who helped with host- lists.duke.edu/sympa/info/dukefish. VolumePage 5 24, Issue 2 TidewaterPage Press 5

Third Eileen Setzler-Hamilton Memorial Scholarship Available

By Ron Klauda tion and recommendation forms to: and publications in peer-reviewed jour- The Eileen Setzler-Hamilton Memorial nals. Scholarship is awarded periodically to an Ron Klauda, chairman 2) Outline your graduate research activi- outstanding graduate student currently Awards and Scholarship Committee ties, including field, laboratory and data enrolled in a fisheries or closely related AFS Tidewater Chapter analysis tasks. Clearly state the hypothe- curriculum who has displayed a commit- c/o MD Department of Natural Resources ses, goals and objectives of your research. ment to excellence in research, teaching, 580 Taylor Avenue, C-2 3) Include a list of graduate courses you professional endeavors and public out- Annapolis, MD 21401 have taken and the grade received for reach/community service. The award was each course. created in 2003 to remember Dr. Eileen For more information, contact Klauda, 4) Describe two courses you have taken Setzler-Hamilton—a long-time member of 410-260-8615 or [email protected]. that have been most important to your pro- the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and (NOTE: Proper forms must be requested fessional development and why. fourth president (1989) of the Tidewater from Ron Klauda or downloaded from: 5) Describe your teaching experience. Chapter. www.sdafs.org/tidewater. The following 6) Describe your professional endeavors, Eileen was committed to the preserva- questions showcase needed information.) including your involvement with AFS, the tion of marine fisheries resources and to Tidewater Chapter, and other scientific the science that supports Atlantic coast APPLICATION organizations. fisheries management. But, this award To be completed by student applicant: 7) Describe your public outreach and com- goes beyond recognition of scholarly ef- Name ______E-mail address ______munity service activities. forts and honors Eileen’s commitment and University ______Phone ______8) Provide any additional information you enthusiasm for teaching and outreach. Enrollment date __ Current degree held __ feel makes you an outstanding graduate Recipients receive an engraved plaque Next degree being pursued and student who deserves to win this scholar- and $250. The award will be presented at expected graduation date ______ship. the upcoming Tidewater Chapter annual AFS member? __Yes __No 9) Ask your adviser, another faculty mem- meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. Tidewater Chapter member? __Yes __No ber, and a fellow graduate student to fill Applications must be received no later 1) Send a current resume that includes out the respective recommendation form than Jan. 30, 2010. Please send an applica- your presentations at scientific meetings (A, B, or C) and e-mail to Ron Klauda.

Committee Seeks Nominees for 2010 Tidewater Chapter Awards

By Ron Klauda EXCELLENCE IN FISHERIES EDUCATION Please help the Awards and Scholarship The Awards and Scholarship Committee The Excellence in Fisheries Education Committee and your Tidewater Chapter by is seeking nominations for awards to be Award is given periodically to a Chapter nominating deserving individuals for these presented to deserving individuals at the member who has achieved excellence in awards. Send the names of your nominees, 2010 American Fisheries Society (AFS) teaching and in student advising in the plus a brief description of why you think Tidewater Chapter annual meeting March field of fisheries science (or closely- they deserve the award, no later than Jan. 18-20 in Annapolis, Maryland. related area), and who encourages student 30, 2010 to: Specific awards to be given are: participation at the Tidewater Chapter annual meetings. Ron Klauda, chairman MERITORIOUS SERVICE Awards and Scholarship Committee The Meritorious Service Award is given CONSERVATION AFS Tidewater Chapter periodically to a Chapter member for their The Conservation Award is given periodi- c/o MD Department of Natural Resources unswerving loyalty, dedication and service cally to a Chapter member, resource man- 580 Taylor Avenue, C-2 to the Tidewater Chapter over a long pe- agement agency, corporation or non-profit Annapolis, MD 21401 riod of time, and for their exceptional com- organization who has distinguished them- mitment to the programs, objectives and selves through notable fisheries or habitat For more information, contact Klauda, long-term goals of the chapter. conservation activities. 410-260-8615 or [email protected]. Page 6 Tidewater Press

In Memoriam: Dr. Joseph Loesch, VIMS Professor Emeritus

(VIMS remembers Loesch, reprinted from Virginia Ma- puters. ―We enjoyed hearing that gravely the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Web rine Re- voice with the thick Brooklyn accent, an- site: www.vims.edu/features/people/ s o u r c e s nouncing that Joe was here seeking advice loesch_j.php. Dr. Loesch was a long-time Commission and passing on bits of wisdom in return,‖ Tidewater Chapter member.) and various says Kiley. The faculty, staff and students of the federal fish- Dr. Loesch instructed graduate students Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) eries man- in the proper application of quantitative were saddened by the June 28 death of Dr. a g e m e n t analysis and population dynamics through Joe Loesch, emeritus professor of marine agencies. his annual offering of courses in biostatis- science. K e v i n tics, experimental design, and population Dr. Loesch, who retired from VIMS in Kiley, a long- dynamics. He was the major advisor and 1997, enjoyed a 28-year career at the Insti- time VIMS served on the advisory committees for 27 tute, contributing greatly to the under- e m p l o y e e graduate students in the School of Marine standing and management of Virginia's and friend of Science. fisheries resources, particularly the ana- Dr. Loesch, Dr. Loesch is survived by his wife of 56 dromous fishes that migrate from the sea to Dr. Joe Loesch, Professor says, ―Joe years, Marilyn Neff Loesch; two sons, Zach- fresh water to spawn. Emeritus, Virginia Institute was a won- ary and Matthew; one daughter, Jessica As head of the Anadromous Fish Pro- of Marine Science., and long- derful pro- Scotten; and one granddaughter, Victoria time Tidewater Chapter gram at VIMS, Dr. Loesch developed and fessor, hus- Ledbetter. member, passed away on initiated the annual monitoring of Virginia's June 28, 2009. band and shad, river herring and striped bass popu- father, and (Editor’s Note: In lieu of a funeral service, lations, assembled valuable historical data will be missed and remembered fondly.‖ family and friends gathered at Hogg Funeral on fishing effort and catch, developed long Kiley notes that Loesch was an accom- Home in Gloucester on July 2. Donations -term sampling programs to track variabil- plished photographer who often visited may be made to the Riverside-Walter Reed ity in abundances of juvenile anadromous VIMS following his retirement with ques- Hospice; or, to the VIMS student scholarship fishes, and provided critical advice to the tions on digital photography and com- fund.)

University of North Carolina Wilmington Student Subunit News

By Nikolai Klibansky and organizer Dr. Fred Scharf, and to the research. Other The University of North Carolina Wil- UNCW-AFS volunteers who helped during monthly meeting mington student subunit (UNCW-AFS) ex- and prior to the event and made the 2009 speakers included perienced unprecedented activity this TWC annual meeting a great success! locals like Fritz spring semester, both hosting the Tidewa- Within days of the TWC annual meeting, Rhode, author of mul- ter Chapter (TWC) annual meeting and a Dr. Hutchings arrived as this year’s tiple freshwater fish visit by Dalhousie University Professor of Lindquist Seminar Series speaker. Hosted guides. Biology, Dr. Jeffrey Hutchings. by both the subunit and the UNCW Biology In May, members In March, TWC members from all mem- Graduate Student Association, Dr. volunteered at the ber states converged on the Port City to Hutchings presented, ―Life history corre- 11th Annual Cape report on their most recent fisheries re- lates of population collapse in marine Fear Disabled WWW.GETTOKNOW.CA search, reconnect with colleagues and fishes: consequences for recovery.‖ The Sportsman Fishing Dr. Jeffrey Hutchings, build networks. The array of meeting pres- next day he attended a screening of The Tournament held at Professor of Biology at Dalhousie Univer- entations included talks given by subunit End of the Line, a documentary about the the Kure Beach Fish- sity, arrived at UNCW members Joe Facendola and Janie devastating effect of overfishing, since he ing Pier. as this year’s guest McAuliffe on blue crab predation by red helped with its making and so could field The UNCW-AFS speaker in the drum and the effects of coastal develop- questions afterward. Dr. Hutchings also would like to take Lindquist Seminar ment on fish nursery function, respectively. spoke at our subunit monthly meeting on this opportunity to Series. Thanks to all participants, to meeting host the roles of state and academia in fisheries see UNCW page 7 Volume 24, Issue 2 Page 7

Did you hear?

NEAMAP NEAR-SHORE TRAWL SURVEY population, from an estimated 120 million nearly half, or 32.9 million pounds, were Gloucester Point, VA—Since completing the to 223 million. Due to the significant suc- hard blue crabs, according to the Trip pilot cruise in 2006, the Northeast Area cess of last year’s regulations, the season Ticket data. Hard blue crabs also contrib- Monitoring and Assessment Program for female crabs has been lengthened to uted $25 million to the $87 million total (NEAMAP) Near-Shore Trawl Survey has end Nov. 21, a month later than last year’s dockside value of seafood in 2008, a $4 conducted four, full cruises (Fall 2007, Oct. 27 end date but still 10 days earlier million increase from the 2007 total. Spring 2008, Fall 2008, and Spring 2009). than the traditional season. Source: VMRC Though shrimp catches were steady, the Approximately 2.4 million specimens have Press Release 5/26/09. harvest declined by 1%. Yet, landings been collected, representing over 160 were still 64% higher than the previous species. While aggregate weights, counts VIRGINIA RECORD FOR TILEFISH five-year average. Commercial finfish and individual lengths measurements are Virginia Beach, VA—Virginia Saltwater landings, however, fell by 9% to 27.6 mil- recorded for all species on each tow, addi- Fishing Tournament officials recently certi- lion pounds. This included a 59% drop in tional information (including individual fied a 20-pound, 10-ounce blueline tilefish yellowfin tuna harvests, a 30% drop in length, weight, sex, maturity stage, diet as the state record. Kenneth Bowe of Ches- swordfish harvests, and a 17% drop in composition and age) is collected from ter caught the blueline June 28. He bluefish harvests. The number of recrea- those of management interest. To date, eclipsed the 20-4 fish caught earlier this tional finfish caught dropped about 18% to 22,000 specimens representing 27 species year by David Akridge of Virginia Beach 12 million, while the number of recrea- have been subjected to this full process- and tied a month later by Brook Ferguson tional fishing trips remained roughly the ing. While the data collected by this pro- of Richmond. Bowe caught his big tile in same, at 7 million, according to Marine gram have yet to be included in regional about 400 feet of water near the Norfolk Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey esti- stock assessments due to the relatively Canyon while fishing with a simple bottom mates. Dolphinfish remained the top rec- short time series available, it is anticipated rig using squid and ballyhoo. Bowe's fish is reational species with 3.6 million pounds that these data will begin to be incorpo- under consideration for the International caught, followed by groupers at 1.2 million rated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisher- Game Fish Association all-tackle world pounds and bluefish at 1 million pounds ies Commission (ASMFC), Mid-Atlantic record. Source: Virginian-Pilot 7/26/09. (1.3 million fish). Source: NCDMF Press Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC), Release 5/4/09. and New England Fisheries Management 30-ACRE MANMADE REEF UNDERWAY Council (NEFSC) in the near future. Cur- Morehead City, NC—Off the coast of Engle- rent funding for the survey is provided by hard, NC, 30 acres of Pamlico Sound bot- UNCW continued from page 6 the MAFMC Research Set-Aside Program. tom is being prepared for a manmade reef The Multispecies Research Group at the that will upgrade shellfish habitat while offer congratulations to Cassie Martin, who Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) also supplementing game fish popula- successfully defended her Master’s thesis, conducts all field, laboratory and data tions. The NC Division of Marine Fisheries and to thank Chip Collier, outgoing presi- analysis components of the survey, and the recently took the first steps in reef devel- dent, for his diligence and commitment in F/V Darana R, a commercial dragger oper- opment, laying out a tract of 7.5 acres that keeping the subunit going despite a full- ated by Capt. Jimmy Ruhle of Wanchese, will be developed during the summer time job with the NC Division of Marine NC, serves as the sampling platform. months as part of the 30-acre grid along Fisheries and PhD dissertation work. New Source: Jim Gartland, 804-684-7546. Gibbs Shoal. The project is being funded executive committee members are: Nikolai by a $445,000 grant provided by the Klibansky, Lara Jarvis, Brandi Salmon, and BLUE CRAB RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE Coastal Recreational Fishing License mon- Elizabeth Lange. Newport News, VA—Officials from the Vir- ies. Source: NCDMF Fish-Eye News 3/09. If you would like to become involved or ginia Marine Resources Commission have to check out upcoming events, visit: http:// voted to extend last year’s blue crab NC RELEASES 2008 LANDINGS REPORT student.uncw.edu/org/AFS. Or, contact: (Callinectes sapidus) fishing regulations Morehead City, NC—North Carolina com- that called for a 15% harvest reduction, mercial seafood landings rose by 13% in Nikolai Klibansky, president prohibited winter dredging of hibernating 2008, bolstered by the best hard blue crab Department of Biology and Marine Biology crabs, recreational pot limits, and a short- harvest since 2003. The increase ends a University of North Carolina Wilmington ened season. Since these sanctions were previous five-year decline for the state’s 601 S. College Drive imposed last year, the Chesapeake Bay has seafood industry. Of the 71.2 million Wilmington, NC 28405 seen a 43% increase in the spawning-age pounds of seafood sold to dealers last year, Em: [email protected] Page 8 Tidewater Press

Treasurer’s Report

By Stephanie After tallying all expenses for the annual Please do not forget to pay your 2009 McInerny meeting, the account balance was TWC dues! If you are not currently a mem- Almost all $7,574.46, a slight loss from the annual ber of the Chapter but would like to join, of the regis- meeting, but all in all, not bad budgeting! visit the TWC Web site at: tration fees The Chapter just received a portion www.sdafs.org/tidewater and click on the from the 2009 ($140) of its 2009 dues from the Parent So- ―Membership‖ tab. Or, you can e-mail me annual meet- ciety, which accounts for 20 of the 50 TWC at [email protected]. An- ing in Wilmington, NC, are in. We are wait- members that renewed both memberships nual dues for 2009 still are $7.00, and ing on one last check for $40. Based on at once. Thus, more money is still to come. checks should be made payable to what we do have, though, it looks like the At the annual meeting, I reported that ―Tidewater Chapter AFS.‖ Please mail pay- Tidewater Chapter (TWC) checking ac- the value of our mutual fund was down to ment to: count still is in good shape—above our an all-time low of $582.48. This was a 43% Stephanie McInerny operating budget of $4,500. decline from the original investment of TWC Secretary/Treasurer Before the meeting, the Chapter gave a $1,025. As of Jun. 1, 2009, the mutual fund 252 Wildwood Road contribution of $250 to the Northeastern is valued at $801.91. This is an increase of Newport, NC 28570 Division for help with publication costs of a 37% since March, which is great news for book entitled, Challenges for Diadromous the chapter. The TWC executive commit- Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment? tee still agrees that it would not be wise to that three TWC members (John Cooper, pull money out when we are at a loss, so Roger Rulifson, and Ron Klauda) are co- the mutual fund will stay open and continue All memberships are for a editors of. In addition, the Chapter do- to be monitored. calendar year. Any payments nated $300 to the Equal Opportunity Sec- received later than September 1st tion. We also received the Sales and Use Financial Report Summary: will be processed for Tax refund from our 20th annual meeting in Checking: $7,754.46* Atlantic Beach, NC. A minor expense was Mutual Fund: $ 801.91 membership beginning January the purchase of more checks ($29). This Total: $8,556.37 1st of the following year. Join the put our checking account balance before *Account total includes $40 outstanding from AFS Tidewater Chapter today! any annual meeting expenses at $8,121.36. the annual meeting registration .

OLNEY continued from page 1 Seeking Nominations for Chapter President-Elect rivers of Virginia. The Tidewater Chapter The Tidewater Chapter is seeking nomi- be at the March Chapter annual meeting. previously recognized John’s contributions nations for a Virginia member to serve as Send the name of your nominee, a brief to fisheries science by bestowing upon him President-Elect. This person chairs the bio, and a description of why they are de- in 2003 the Conservation Award, which Program Committee and would oversee all serving to be president, to Nominating goes to someone who has distinguished arrangements for the 2011 annual meeting Committee Chairman Jack Musick, jmu- themselves through notable fisheries or to be held in Virginia. The President-Elect [email protected], by Dec. 4, 2009. habitat conservation activities. assumes the presidency upon expiration of Chapter officers consist of President, John has been a member of the Ameri- the current president’s term, so nominees President-Elect and Secretary/Treasurer. can Fisheries Society for over 20 years. must be willing to serve if elected. The Secretary/Treasurer may hold office During this time, he has served the Parent Candidate bios and ballots will be in the for a period longer than one year, but the Society and the Tidewater Chapter in sev- winter newsletter. Officer installation will term of the other officers is one year. eral capacities. In 1999, John was elected Chapter president and organized a very it is also for this reason the Chapter hon- at VIMS, accepted the award on his behalf. successful annual meeting at VIMS in early ored him with an Excellence in Fisheries John now joins a list of only six Chapter 2000, and then led the chapter during the Education Award in 2005. members to have received this prestigious rest of that year. John and his graduate Since John was unable to attend the award, from earliest to latest: John Cooper; students have been consistent contributors Chapter annual meeting in Wilmington, Dr. Rick Eades; Bill Rodney; Fred Harris; James to ensuing Chapter annual meetings. And, Jack Musick, retired professor of fisheries Morris, Jr.; and Roger Rulifson. PageVolume 9 24, Issue 2 TidewaterPage Press 9

A Who’s Who For The Tidewater Chapter

By Stephanie McInerny The 2009 Tidewater Chapter membership currently stands at 175, including both stu- dents and professionals. At the time of newsletter printing, not all student subunits had fully tallied their membership, so numbers could be slightly inaccurate. Names are ar- ranged by mechanism of dues payment. If you paid dues through the Parent Society or at the Chapter annual meeting and also belong to a subunit, you will find your name under both categories. Please report errors to Stephanie McInerny, Chapter secretary / treasurer, at: [email protected]. Breakdown of all the 2009 Tidewater members under their appropriate category. >

East Carolina Chad Smith Bill Connelly Clare Fieseler Deanna Hanks Marek Topolski University Subunit Roger Rulifson Jennifer Barkman Joshua Stoll Jason Robinson North Carolina— Katie Kleber Anthony Overton Ryan Woodland Katy Sater North Carolina— Roger Rulifson Jenny Woodroffe Joseph Luczkovich Becca Wingate Matthew Poti Stephanie McInerny R. Wilson Laney Becky Deehr Donald Holbert Dave Loewensteiner Carmen Yeung Lindsay Glass Michael Street Cecilia Krahforst Jeff McKinnon Jason Edwards Jonathan Waters Cassie Martin Robert Herrmann Andrew Gross David Kimmel Maude Livings TyAnn Lee Tim Ellis Kyle Shertzer Chris Voss Patrick Harris Jason Robinson Matthew Bowers Alexandra Perillo Beth Egbert Ken Riley Adam Peer Cheston Peterson Joseph Smith Greg Meyer UNC Wilmington Delaware Affiliate Ian Lipton Warren Mitchell Nick Jones Subunit UMD - Eastern Dewayne Fox Kyle Adamski Douglas Vaughan Mark Keusenkothen Andy Ostrowski Shore Subunit Lori Brown Morrell Fox Thomas Thompson Justin Yeager Lara Jarvis Joe’ella Caddle Dennis McIntosh Raymond Mroch Chad Thomas Jennifer Cudney Nikolai Klibansky Nicholas Clemons Grant Blank William Smith Jeff Buckel David Cerino Brandi Salmon Lonnie Gonsalves Don Wujtewicz Zachary Martin Fred Scharf John Mohan Elizabeth Lange Tedra Booker Gulnihal Ozbay David Morgan Anthony Overton Ryan Spidel Chip Collier Joshua Newhard Marissa Brady Katie Kleber Wes Patrick Janie Mcauliffe Jhamyllia Rice Matthew Breece Virginia— Andy Danylchuk Samantha Binion Trey Sherard Eryn Kahler Mike Cinelli Leonard Machut Andy Ostrowski Ashley Burch Joe Facendola Rhea-Marie Ruiz Johnna Fay Karen Capossela Ryan Spidel Michelle Wilson John Vanderfleet Bernice Bediako Frank Marenghi Jennie Dean Heather Anderson Gregg Bodnar Jamila-Dawn Payton Johnny Moore Parent Society Jocelyn Kim Melinda Reynolds Fred Scharf Belita Nguluwe Keleigh Provost Delaware— Chip Collier Garry Wright Rosalind Booker Bellamy Reynolds Timothy Targett Rhema Bjorkland Kyle Regensburg University of Dan Cullen Naeem Willet Maryland Subunit Maryland— Nicholas Mallos Jillian Osborne Reginald Black Ernest Eierman Allison Chandler Jules Loos Rachel Ray Dan Lures Michael Everett Virginia— Kari Fenske Edward Houde Nick Creech Jacklyn James Aaron Gibson Jack Musick Andrea Johnson William Gardner Jennifer Hampton Marcel Montane Are you registered to the Chapter Listserv? Joseph Okoh Mary Phipps- Rebecca Lynch Mary Fabrizio To subscribe — E-mail to: Todd Christenson [email protected] and Dickerson Tyler Wyatt Jon Lucy Bill Goldsborough enter SUBSCRIBE TIDEWAFS in the body Joanna Donaldson Branson Williams Eric May of the e-mail. Annual Meeting Renee Reilly James Gracie To send a message — E-mail to: Duke University Maryland— Patrick McGrath [email protected]. Subunit James Uphoff Jennifer Barkman Nicholas Mallos Charles Poukish Miscellaneous— To unsubscribe — E-mail to: Adam Peer [email protected] and Kimberly Gordon Richard Bohn John Walter/FL Maude Livings enter UNSUBSCRIBE TIDEWAFS in the Jennifer Bruce Michael Wilberg Sarah Friedl/MI body of the e-mail. Allison Chandler Alexis Ramirez H. Ward Slacum Paulinus Chigbu/MS Kari Fenske If you have difficulties, contact Roger Michelle Loquine Daniel Cullen John Cooper/NY Rulifson at [email protected]. Carlos Lozano The Tidewater Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) Check out the new Web encourages the exchange of information by those residing, working site: www.sdafs.org/ in, or having a professional interest in the estuarine and coastal tidewater fisheries of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the States of Mary- land and North Carolina.

Tidewater Officers include: President—Fred Scharf; [email protected] President-Elect—Michael Luisi; [email protected] Past-President—Jack Musick; [email protected] Sec / Tres—Stephanie McInerny; [email protected] At-Large Members: MD—Bob Murphy; [email protected] VA—Kevin Spanik; [email protected] NC—Paul Rudershausen; [email protected] Student Subunit President(s): ECU—Cecilia Krahforst; [email protected], and Katie Kleber; [email protected] UNCW— Nikolai Klibansky; [email protected] Duke—Nick Mallos; [email protected] UM—Adam Peer; [email protected] UMES—Joe’ella Caddle; [email protected] DSU Representative—Johnny Moore; [email protected] UD Representative—vacant Newsletter Editor - Sara Mirabilio; [email protected] Annual dues are increasing to Webmaster - Chad Smith; [email protected] $10 beginning Jan. 1, 2010! A Awards & Scholarship Cmte - Ron Klauda; [email protected] lifetime membership will be offered for $150. Editors’ Note: We welcome comments on the new newsletter and Web site formats!

2010 Tidewater Chapter Annual Meeting Plans Underway

The 2010 Tidewa- the United States Naval Academy, or dine Information will be posted on the Chap- ter Chapter annual at one of the city’s many fantastic restau- ter web page as it becomes available: meeting will be rants. Everything you will need is within www.sdafs.org/tidewater. Or, contact held March 18 – 20 walking distance, including the Ram’s M i k e , 4 1 0 - 260- 8 3 4 1 o r at the Loews Anna- Head Tavern, a locally favorite brew pub [email protected]. See you there! polis Hotel in An- which sports great happy hour prices napolis, Maryland. made even better when enjoyed in the Our host, Pres- beer garden. Pres-Elect, Mike Elect, Mike Luisi, The Thursday night welcoming Poster Luisi, will be our host and the planning Social will be held at the Navy-Marine for the 2010 annual committee already Corps Memorial Stadium, located just min- meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. have been hard at utes from the hotel. This will be a great work scheduling opportunity to catch up with old friends events that will make the meeting one that and colleagues and read about some of the you will not want to miss! new and exciting fisheries research being The meeting’s central location in historic conducted by Chapter members. After a downtown Annapolis—the capital city of day of talks on Friday, the Awards Social Maryland— allows for an array of leisure will be hosted by the Chesapeake Bay The Thursday evening Poster Social will be experiences. You can take a boat tour of Foundation on the Bay’s shores at their held at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial the Chesapeake Bay, walk the grounds of Philip Merrill Environmental Center. Stadium - just minutes from the hotel.