Skip to content

For sponsorship information, contact Jenna Hanks at [email protected]

Marine life of Kealakekua Bay 17425 - credit HTA - Heather Goodman

154th Annual Meeting

Honolulu, Hawai'i | September 15-19, 2024
Register now
HVCB 2021

154th Annual Meeting

Honolulu, Hawai'i | September 15-19, 2024
Register now
Afternoon shadows on Leahi aka Diamond Head - Vincent Lim

154th Annual Meeting

Honolulu, Hawai'i | September 15-19, 2024
Register now

Conserving Fishes and
Fishing Traditions through
Knowledge Co-Production

fishhook transparent

The American Fisheries Society (AFS), President Cecil Jennings, the AFS Western Division, and AFS Pacific Islands Chapter are excited to host the 154th AFS Annual Meeting, September 15-19, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawai’i. The theme “Conserving Fishes and Fishing Traditions through Knowledge Co-Production” will stimulate a wide range of sessions focusing on the past, present, and future of fisheries conservation and management as we bring together professionals from across North America, the Pacific Islands, and countries throughout the world. The Honolulu Program Committee invites proposals for symposia, workshop/continuing education courses, and innovative sessions that support the theme and look to advance the fisheries profession.

Register

Register by July 19 to save with early rates!

Conference Timeline

Session Submission Opens
Session Submission Closes
Abstract Submission Opens
Registration Opens
Abstract Submission Closes
Early Registration Deadline
Conference Begins
December 2023
February 23, 2024
March 25, 2024
April 2024
May 3, 2024
July 19, 2024
September 15, 2024

Welcome to Hawaiʻi:
A Guide to Being a Respectful Visitor

Aloha! As attendees of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, we must honor and respect the rich culture of Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) and the natural beauty of these islands. One aspect of our mission as the Respectful Meetings Working Group is to guide AFS meeting attendees to be respectful visitors, ensuring that our presence contributes positively to the local community and environment.

Learn more

Indigenous Networking Event

We are excited host a special event on Tuesday evening for Indigenous attendees to build community outside of the conference venue. This networking event will be hosted at an offsite location with limited capacity; therefore, we’re requesting that if you’re interested in attending that you RSVP through this form. 

exterior (1)
courtyard-pool
romer lanai
492381189

Explore Nearby Lodging Options

Whether you prioritize proximity to the convention center, beachfront access, great restaurants, or just a relaxed vibe, we have the perfect hotel for you at a great rate.

Book hotel

Continuing Education Courses

Come to Hawai’i a little early and take your fisheries career to the next level by gaining in-demand skills right in Honolulu! Sign up when you register for the meeting, or you can add-on classes later.

Browse courses
Data viz and storytelling (1)
plain simple concise writing
antenna data
genetics
decision making
Copy of Introductory GIS for Fisheries Biologists
bayesian jags
Copy of bayesian jags
Copy of R
science communication
side scan sonar
leading at all levels
reproductive histology

Maui Nui Strong

We at AFS are deeply saddened and concerned about the recent devastating wildfires on the island of Maui. If you would like to help, please see Maui Nui Strong for more information about how to contribute to Maui Wildfire Relief.

Sessions

Native Freshwater Nongame Fishes: Here, There, and Everywhere

Native freshwater nongame fishes are integral to aquatic ecosystems worldwide and provide ecological, cultural, and economic value. Despite the remarkable diversity of native freshwater fishes observed here (in Hawaii), there (where you work), and everywhere (in between), there are shared commonalities in many of the threats and challenges, importance, and
Read More

Views on Undergraduate Curriculum in Fisheries

Recent reviews suggest that undergraduate curricula in fisheries programs will need to adapt to produce students with the knowledge, competencies, and skills needed to promote management, conservation, and sustainability of fisheries resources through the work of state, federal, provincial and tribal agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. Undergraduate curricula are
Read More

To Citizen Science or Not: Building a CitSci Project for Resource Management

Many governments and organizations are encouraging the use of citizen science projects in fisheries. This session will help participants determine if and how to create a citizen science project with the potential to contribute to resource management. Questions that will be explored in this session include, is this project right
Read More

Setting Boundaries: Integrating Biocomplexity into Assessment-Management Paradigms

Ineffective fisheries management can result when the spatial scales of assessment and management are inconsistent, or do not reflect the spatial complexity of fish biology or fishery operations. Therefore, it is important to periodically revisit the spatial assumptions of assessment and management to ensure that the scales remain appropriate and
Read More

Collaborative Science through Fisher-Researcher Partnerships

Fishers have a wealth of knowledge and experience from the time spent on and under the water. Fisheries science is often enhanced by including the fishing community in data collection and research. It is important to continue to empower and equip fishers with tools and opportunities to participate in the
Read More

RespFest4: The Use of Respirometry as a Tool to Support Fisheries Conservation

Improving our understanding of how metabolic rates are regulated by the environment in the context of fisheries conservation involves exploring how energy is allocated for growth, reproduction, and considering how individual traits affect metabolism in aquatic organisms. This session aims to bring together studies that use respirometry as a tool
Read More

Evaluating Climate Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Fisheries and Fishing Communities

There is a critical need to better understand and anticipate changing climate and ocean conditions and how fish, fisheries and fishing communities can best adapt.  Integrated modeling systems that tie together climate models, oceanographic models, ecosystem models and human dimension models are a promising tool to evaluate options and strategies
Read More

Connecting Headwaters with Mainstem Rivers, Enabling Fish Movement, and Restoring Watershed Function

Connectivity to facilitate fish movements need a wholistic approach to ensure life history requirements for fish are met. Climate change especially can present challenging conditions considering fish may need access to a variety of habitat types to adapt. We invite case studies, and other perspectives with a watershed basis for
Read More

Pollution, Toxicity, and the Need for More Species-specific Data

Water pollution may result in toxicant exposures to fish species and habitat. These exposures have the potential to cause direct mortality, reduced growth, altered behavior, reduced fecundity, adverse modification of habitat, and reduction in prey. More data is needed to better understand the spatial extent of pollution transport, mechanisms and
Read More

Data-Driven, Community-Guided: The Future of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) considers interacting physical, biological, economic, and social processes within an ecosystem and aims to manage an integrated system that optimizes sustainable yields. EBFM is a more holistic management approach than single species management and may be particularly important in the face of climate change. Some
Read More

Emerging Threats to Northern Fish, Fishers, and Ecosystems

The Arctic and subarctic are warming at a rate up to four times the global average. This rapid environmental change has untold consequences for freshwater and marine ecosystems, the fish, and the fishers relying upon them. Examples of emerging threats include increased water temperatures (e.g., heat stress), declines in prey
Read More

Modern Advances in Age Estimation and Age Validation

Age is fundamental to population ecology and fisheries science. Age-structured stock assessments rely on accurate and precise estimates of age to estimate stock status and sustainable exploitation rates. Historically, age has been estimated by microscopic examination of growth zones in hard parts (e.g. – otoliths, scales, vertebrae) with the assumption
Read More

Co-production of Integrated Ecosystem-based Science for Management Decisions

There is a nationwide push for more holistic, ecosystem approaches to managing natural resources under changing conditions. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEA) provide an approach that integrates multiple components of an ecosystem, including human dimensions, directly into the decision-making process of resource
Read More

Advancing Sonar Techniques for Use in Research and Fisheries Management

This symposium will focus on the various types of acoustic sonar technologies, novel applications, and recent advancements that have enhanced efficiency. Presentations will be dedicated to discussing new techniques that will allow fishery biologists to conduct noninvasive surveys and effectively sample large volumes of water with minimal disturbance. We will
Read More

Putting Fisheries Science to Work: Innovative Ways to Bridge the Knowledge-Action Gap

A “knowledge-action gap” exists in natural resources management due to social, institutional, and cultural factors. Barriers on both the knowledge-generation and knowledge-action sides of the equation present challenges for fishery researchers to generate relevant and actionable information, and for managers to integrate the best-available knowledge into their decision-making. This symposium
Read More

Connecting Knowledges to Assess and Monitor Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change

On a rapidly warming planet, ecosystems are changing and aquatic species are responding by shifting ranges, phenology, and biological processes. These changes impact the people who depend on these resources to support their families, cultures, and lifeways. Considering all knowledges is essential to effectively assess and monitor these changes, and
Read More

ECR Membership Feedback Cohort

We are recruiting 20 late-stage Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career professionals to participate in a study about membership retention with AFS. See details below.
Read More

Preventing Harm from Abandoned, Lost or Derelict Fishing Gear from Capture Fisheries: Management, Policy, and Prevention

This session will explore successful management approaches to prevent and remediate harm from abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) from capture fisheries throughout the world’s fisheries. Adverse effects of ALDFG can include entanglement of and ingestion by animals, damage to sensitive marine and nearshore habitats, release of microplastics and
Read More

Emerging Challenges and Solutions in Marine Recreational and Non-Commercial Fisheries

Recreational and non-commercial hook and line fishing is a cornerstone for many coastal communities with an estimated 12.7 million participants in the United States of America in 2022. Non-commercial fishing, as defined in federal regulations, includes, but is not limited to, sustenance, subsistence, traditional indigenous and recreational fishing. As coastal
Read More

Inclusive Outreach and Education for Inspiring the Next Generation

The demographic makeup of the existing workforce is the legacy of hundreds of years of oppression, exclusion, and continued implicit reinforcement. Increasing diversity will not happen passively, but requires identifying and dismantling barriers in the system and transforming how we recruit and retain the next generation of fisheries scientists. This
Read More

NOAA Climate, Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched implementation of the Climate, Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI) to provide fisheries managers and fishing dependent communities with information to prepare for and respond to rapidly changing marine ecosystems.  The CEFI will build a nation-wide Decision Support System (System) that links
Read More

Interweaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Genetic/Genomic Approaches for Fisheries Conservation and Management

Effective fisheries management in the Anthropocene requires contributions from multiple knowledge sources, ways of knowing and perspectives. This session will showcase the transformative potential of interweaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and genomic data for fisheries management. TEK encompasses a collection of insights from diverse sources and perspectives, built on long
Read More

The Future of Visual Surveys of Fishes: Approaches, Lessons, Applications

Fisheries resources face numerous threats, including overfishing, habitat degradation, and climate-related changes. Accurately characterizing spatiotemporal distributions and status of these populations is crucial for sustainable fisheries management and ecological conservation. This symposium, organized by leading experts in the field, aims to address these challenges by exploring innovative approaches and technologies
Read More

Coastal Systems in Flux: Fish and Fisheries in a Multi-stressor World

Many coastal and estuarine ecosystems worldwide are becoming increasingly degraded. Several intertwining factors including warming, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, hypoxic events, ocean acidification, and habitat degradation and loss pose significant threats to the management and conservation of fish species. While the co-production of knowledge investigating these impacts by scientists, managers,
Read More

Developing an Effective Risk Reduction Strategy to Ensure a Safe Work Environment for Observers

This innovative session will explore the process of developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective risk reduction strategy to ensure a safe maritime work environment for observers. The risk reduction strategy developed by the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement Alaska Division is based on the Routine Activities Theory, which suggests
Read More

Innovations in Remote Sensing Technologies for Fisheries Assessment and Management

This innovative session will explore recent advancements in remote sensing technologies and their applications in fisheries management. From PIT tags and stream-based sensors to satellite imagery, innovative techniques are revolutionizing our ability to monitor fish populations, assess habitat conditions, and inform sustainable management strategies. Through lightning talks and interactive, small-group
Read More

Resource Surveys in a Changing Landscape

Resource surveys collect a wealth of information critical for use in stock assessment and fishery management.  Conducting surveys in the face of changing environmental and climate conditions as well as coastline and structural impediments can be challenging. Collection of environmental data can also be a challenge in terms of assessing
Read More

Beyond the Lab: How Can We Use Physiology to Inform Conservation?

Fishes face a wide array of anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., climate change, urbanization, and competition with human-introduced species) which invariably affects how they function in their habitats, with conspecifics, and within their community. These disturbances can affect an organism’s physiology, which dictates how it interacts with its surrounding environment. A mechanistic
Read More

Building Fisheries Science Partnerships between Fisheries Commissions and the U.S. Geological Survey

Presentations in this symposium highlight ways fisheries commissions, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and their partners are working together on fisheries priorities in the Great Lakes and on U.S. Coasts, foster inter-regional learning, and explore whether inter-regional approaches to common challenges are feasible. Regionally based fisheries commissions play a unique
Read More

Spawning Splendor: Exploring Fish Aggregations in Tomorrow’s Seas

Working with fish spawning aggregations (FSAs)? Come join this interactive session to learn what has been learned from FSA studies in the past, what remains to be learned, and what tools we need to accomplish this. In this session we ask participants to give rapid (2 minute) presentations related to
Read More

Husbandry, Health and Happy Fish:  Advances and Innovations in Aquaculture

Global aquaculture production continues to increase and is valued at nearly $7 billion in 2019 and grew by 2.7% in 2020 (FAO 2020).  Aquaculture has a highly important role in supplying a sustainable seafood source, thus taking the pressure from wild stocks, and is an important stock enhancement tool.  As
Read More

Sound Production and Soundscapes for Fisheries Conservation and Management

Aquatic animals rely on sound to understand their environment, including communicating with conspecifics. Many fish species have been documented to produce sounds, with 1,185 different species across 133 different families known to be soniferous. The ambient underwater soundscape has been changing due to the growing contribution of human-generated noise sources.
Read More

Advanced Statistical Solutions to Complex Fisheries Problems

Understanding how fish populations and their habitats respond and adapt to global change has become a fundamental challenge. With rapidly increasing data volume and expanding spatio-temporal extents of conservation and management problems, the role of advanced statistical methods for making valid inferences and predictions is more important than ever. Even
Read More

Investing in Communities, Science, and Restoration – NOAA BIL and IRA Funding

NOAA Fisheries is working with scientists, tribal nations and other community members to restore habitats and fish species via Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) investments. At this session, tribal and community partners will share how their traditional knowledge and practices—together with the NOAA investments—help achieve their
Read More

Effects of Land-based Pollutants and Water Quality on Fisheries and Habitats

Management action to address land-based pollutants can improve coastal health, thus mitigating the effects of climate change. Coastal development, wildfires, and associated runoff lead to sedimentation, excess nutrients, and chemical contaminants, which impact the recruitment, growth, behavior, and mortality of fish populations and their biogenic habitats (e.g., coral reefs, seagrass
Read More

Understanding How Multiple Stressors Interact and Impact Species for Place-based Management

Climate change is exacerbating existing environmental stressors through changes to the fundamental drivers of ecosystems. These changes in temperature, precipitation, seasonal cycles, biogeochemistry impact processes such as deoxygenation, nutrient and carbon cycling, respiration rates, stratification, ocean circulation, upwelling, and mixing. This leads to implications for the prevalence, severity, and duration
Read More

Toxic Waters: Investigating the Physiological Impacts of Pollutants on Aquatic Life

Our waterways are relentlessly affected by pollution throughout the year – from industrial waste to mining runoff to agricultural pollution and oil spills, all exacerbated by global warming. When toxins enter lakes, rivers, oceans, or groundwater, water quality and aquatic life suffers. Evaluating water quality is straightforward, but unraveling the
Read More

Knowledge Co-production in the Implementation of Closed Season and MPAs in Africa

As part of fisheries governance initiatives, conservation measures such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and seasonal closures have been deployed as important management strategies in the rebuilding of depleted marine fish stock. Whilst there is limited knowledge on MPAs in Africa despite its global popularity as an important marine conservation
Read More

Championing Underdogs: Managing Imperiled Species Despite Political and Social Challenges

Marine species around the globe face an array of natural and anthropogenic stressors that reduce their long-term population viability. When these species have perceived value, typically accompanied by a positive public image, galvanizing social and political interest to protect and restore them faces little resistance. For species with less clearly
Read More

Decision Analysis to Include Social and Ecological Values in Fisheries Decisions

Making decisions for fisheries conservation and management requires consideration of multiple, potentially competing objectives, accounting for and potentially reducing uncertainty that might hinder the decision, and using the best available science. Decision analysis (i.e., structured decision making and adaptive management) provides a framework for decision makers to work with stakeholders
Read More

Creative Communications To Raise Awareness and Appreciation for All The Fish

This symposium is inspired by the continued need to raise awareness about and appreciation for all the fish. Since people act on behalf of what they care about, we are hosting this session to congregate and celebrate creative and novel communication and public engagement approaches that are: changing perceptions about
Read More

The Future of Pacific Salmon

Total commercial catches of Pacific salmon by all countries are at historic high levels yet there are ominous signs of a declining abundance. Total Pacific salmon catches by Canada in the past five years are annually less than 10% of the catches from 1970 to 2000. Total commercial catches of
Read More

Surveying 2.0 – Novel Methods for Data Collection in Recreational Fisheries

Globally, recreational fishing is a socially and economically important activity but also affects fish stocks and aquatic environments. Therefore, robust recreational fisheries data are required to support sustainable management of fish stocks and aquatic ecosystems. Technological progress and digitization have led to the development of novel data collection methods such
Read More

Sustaining Aquatic Ecosystems with Holistic, Functions-based Approaches to Environmental Flows

Establishing quantitative criteria for environmental flows—water needed to sustain biodiversity and the services that healthy freshwater ecosystems support—is essential to reversing worldwide trends in freshwater ecosystem degradation. Yet, environmental flow programs tend to be narrowly focused on the habitat needs of threatened and endangered species. Flow programs are also often
Read More

Reshaping Research and Centering Indigenous Communities in Fisheries Management

As we continue to grapple with environmental, aquatic, and social challenges, we invite scholars to join us in a session that seeks to identify solutions and strategies to improve the health of our fisheries and fisheries dependent communities for future generations. We invite speakers to share their experiences and methodologies
Read More

The Future of the Western Division of AFS – Research Throughout the West

This symposium will highlight the research being conducted within each of the Chapters throughout the Western Division. Organizer: Laurie Earley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / Western Division AFS, [email protected] Supported by: Western Division AFS
Read More

Offshore Wind, Fish, and Fisheries – Emerging Knowledge and Applications

U.S. offshore wind development is expected to create 30 gigawatts of generation capacity by 2030, requiring more than 2,000 turbines. Commercial-scale offshore wind activity in U.S. waters includes 29 lease areas in the Atlantic, five in the Pacific, and one in the Gulf of Mexico, with four projects already connected
Read More

Valuing Fish Populations, Habitat, and Water Quality within Social-Ecological Systems

Managers must balance the economic costs and ecological benefits of water quality and habitat improvements to maintain conditions suitable for both aquatic life and human uses. Reliable estimates of costs and benefits can aid allocating resources and communicating the rationale for restoration planning. Tools and approaches are needed that link
Read More

Indigenous & Community Stewardship of Pacific Coastal Fisheries in a Changing Environment

Indigenous communities in and around the Pacific, including Kanaka Maoli, First Nations, Native Americans, Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Ryūkyūan, and additional Pacific Peoples, are united by deep, long-standing relationships with the ocean, but face common challenges when managing coastal fisheries due to globalization, colonialism, and climate change. This
Read More

Incorporating Movement and Space into Analyses of Fish, Fisheries, and Ecosystem Data

Multiple analytical tools are now available to incorporate spatially explicit habitat, movement, and mortality into models to understand the drivers of species distributions and test the effects of different management actions and/or climate change on fish distributions and population abundances. Furthermore, the amount of spatially explicit fisheries data and associated
Read More

Looking for the 2023 Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids?

Click here

Major Sponsors

Previous
Next