AFS is excited to announce the launch of Fishbook - a fisheries collaborate network! In this episode, we're visiting with Beth Beard, to learn about the Fishbook project and how to join this online community.

Episode guest: Beth Beard AFS Senior Communications Manager

Fishbook is now online at https://fishbook.fisheries.org!

Update: AFS Annual Meeting Early Bird Registration deadline: June 4, 2025

Questions, comments, and suggestions for future podcast guests: lmaza@fisheries.org

Have you ever wondered how the AFS Second Vice Presidential candidates are selected each year? With the AFS election completed for 2025, we thought it would be a good time to reflect back on the candidate selection process. This week's guest is Eric Fetherman, who just completed his term as the Chair of the AFS Nominating Committee. Eric helps explain the candidate recruitment and vetting process for the AFS elections.

Episode guest:

Eric Fetherman

2024-2025 AFS Nominating Committee Chair

Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Updates:

Fisheries Community Check-in

May 7, 3 pm Eastern Time

Join the session!

Webinar - Great Lakes

May 13, 2 pm Eastern Time

Register Now

Webinar suggestion form

In this episode, San Antonio local meeting chair, Shaun Donovan, joins the podcast to preview the 2025 Annual Meeting. Learn about conference sessions and events, San Antonio travel tips, and more!

Episode guest:

Shaun Donovan

San Antonio River Authority

Local Chair, 2025 AFS Annual Meeting

https://afsannualmeeting.fisheries.org/

Interview recording date: April 2, 2025

2025 AFS Annual Meeting - abstract submission deadline:

Extended through April 22

2025 AFS Officer Election:

April 22 is the last date to vote! All members are encouraged to vote, via emailed instructions.

On today's episode, we're talking all about the AFS Awards program! Our guests are current AFS Awards Committee chairs - Jessica Mistak and Natalie Coash. Jess and Natalie stopped by to talk about current efforts to update to the awards program and this year’s schedule for announcing the 2025 award recipients. In addition, we spent a fair amount of time talking about how AFS committee leadership can positively impact career development.

Episode guests:

Natalie Coash

Missouri Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Unit

Jessica Mistak

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Updates:

Annual Meeting:

Abstract submission deadline: April 15 Registration is now open!

Upcoming Webinar:

Applied Genetics for Fisheries Management: April 16

AFS Election:

Now open through April 22, 2025 - members should vote via instructions sent through email

Comments or questions?

Email us at lmaza@fisheries.org

Join us for another stop on our tour of AFS Sections! In this episode, we're featuring the Student and Early Career Professionals Subsection of the Education Section. Hadley Boehm, the current president of the Subsection, joins Beneath the Surface to chat about the Subsection's projects, as well as the benefits of mentoring and getting involved with AFS.

Episode guest:

Hadley Boehm

President, Student and Early Career Professional Subsection

https://students.fisheries.org/

Email: hadley.boehm@state.mn.us

Updates and Deadlines:

2025 Awards nominations deadline: April 1

Spring webinars:

Applied Genetics for Fisheries Management: April 16

Annual Meeting:

Abstract submission deadline: April 15 Registration is now open!

AFS Election:

Now open through April 22, 2025 - members should vote via instructions sent through email

Interested in fisheries history? It's time to highlight another AFS Section - the Fisheries History Section! Section President Jeff Jolley joins the podcast to share updates on how this Section is working to reestablish itself and plan for the future.

Episode Guest: Jeff Jolley

Updates and Deadlines:

2025 Awards nominations deadline: April 1

Spring webinars:

Indigenizing Salmon Science and Management: March 19

Applied Genetics for Fisheries Management: April 16

Annual Meeting:

Abstract submission deadline: April 15 Registration is now open!

AFS Election:

March 20 - April 22 - members will receive voting instructions via email

Part 2 of 2 in the Second Vice President Candidate series!

The 2025 AFS officer election will be held March 20-April 22. AFS members will receive information via email regarding how to vote.

Today on AFS Beneath the Surface, get to know Second Vice President candidate, Jeff Heindel. Jeff shares his professional background and past involvement with AFS, as well as some ideas for the future.

Send questions, comments, and future podcast topics to lmaza@fisheries.org.

Editor's note: I added a new feature this week - "chapter" markers, which should help separate the different sections of the audio file.

This episode is part one of a two-part series!

The 2025 AFS officer election will be held March 20-April 22. Today on AFS Beneath the Surface, get to know Second Vice President candidate, Brent Nichols.

Brent stopped by Beneath the Surface to share his background and experience, so that AFS members and voters had a chance to "meet" him via this podcast episode.

Send questions, comments, and future podcast topics to lmaza@fisheries.org.