2023 AFS-OC Annual Meeting

Theme: Expanding our view: Advancements in monitoring techniques

March 10–12, 2023, Bayview Wildwood Resort, Severn Bridge, Ontario

On March 10-12, 2023, the Ontario Chapter of the American Fisheries Society hosted our 2023 Annual General Meeting & Conference at the Bayview Wildwood Resort, on the shores of Sparrow Lake near Severn Bridge.

The conference was attended by a total of 41 participants including 23 professionals, 16 students and 2 exhibitors. Seventy-nine percent of attendees were AFS-OC members. Professional attendance included a full range of representatives including consultants, academic researchers, conservation authorities, industry, First Nations, Trout Unlimited, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Our day one Keynote speaker was Dr. Chris Vandergoot, director of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) and Associate Professor at Michigan State University, Centre for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Dr. Vandergoot’s talk entitled “Linking fish movements to environmental conditions in the Great Lakes basin” explained how the use of acoustic telemetry in the Great Lakes has revolutionized our understanding of fish movement and behaviour and contributed to fishery management and conservation around the globe.

Dr. Robert Hanner, Professor at University of Guelph and Director for the Biodiversity Institute for Conservation Synthesis provided the day two keynote talk titled “Molecular Biomonitoring with DNA Barcodes and Environmental DNA”. Dr. Hanner’s talk outlined the uses of DNA barcoding and eDNA for rapid sampling of communities and applications for fisheries management and conservation.

In addition to the keynotes, conference attendees enjoyed a total of 15 oral presentations and 5 posters, including the 2022 Outstanding Mentor Award winner, Dr. Nicholas Mandrak. Nick described changes in Canada’s freshwater fish fauna since 1973, including update on the taxonomy and nomenclature of Canadian fishes included in Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 8th edition. Gary Whelan, AFS Second Vice President provided an overview of the American Fisheries Society and an update on current engagements.

During breaks, attendees were afforded an opportunity to network and view exhibits courtesy of Lotek Wireless and Biotactic.

The business meeting was held on Saturday afternoon. The agenda included an overview of Chapter membership, treasurer’s report, updates from the Policy, and Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittees, Student Subunit, newsletter and social media, CARS, ExComm vacancies, and more.

A mentoring session and social took place Saturday evening that included a raffle to support the Student Subunit. The mentorship and social events were very cozy, with so many attendees participating in a much smaller venue. Students were randomly paired up with professionals to initiate one-on-one discussions about careers in fisheries. The raffle did not disappoint and with such a large number of prizes available to be won, individuals decked with strands of tickets was a common sight on Saturday night.

There were dual recipients of the E.J. Crossman Award for best student oral presentation. Erik Dean and Timothy Fernandes, from the University of Toronto, were judged equally deserving of the 2023 award. Erik’s presentation was titled “Bighead Carp overwintering under climate change — spawning, survival, and implications for invasion” and Timothy’s presentation was titled “A Fish out of winter: Winter energy acquisition and storage influence spring reproduction in a warm-water fish”. The President’s Award for best student poster was won by Amy Pitura from the University of Guelph. Amy’s poster was titled “Demographic history of cyprinid minnow species in anthropogenically disturbed environments”. Abstracts for all presentations can be found within the 2023 AFS-OC AGM Program. The 2023 Outstanding Mentor Award was won by Dr. Sigal Balshine, Professor Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, Faculty of Science at McMaster University.