AFS Beneath the Surface

Hosted by American Fisheries Society

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Dec 2025

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A deep dive into the programs and people at the American Fisheries Society

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37 recent

December 18, 2025Episode 3744 min

AFS Executive Director - 2025 in review and 2026 preview

Today's podcast guest is AFS Executive Director, Jeff Kopaska. Jeff provides a recap of his first year in his position with the American Fisheries Society. Join as we look back at 2025 and forward to what's coming next in 2026! Episode guest: Jeff Kopaska AFS Executive Director jkopaska@fisheries.org Updates: AFS Membership 2026 AFS Annual Meeting - Call for Sessions Upcoming continuing education opportunities

November 14, 2025Episode 3641 min

Meet the 2025-2026 AFS President!

Today's guest is Gary Whelan, 2025-2025 AFS President. Gary stopped by the podcast recent to share insights on his plan of work for the coming year and offer advice for students and early-career fisheries professionals. Episode Guest: Gary Whelan gwhelan@fisheries.org AFS Updates: Webinar - November 19: Science Communication Through Emotionally Charged Extreme Events December Fisheries Community Check In December 16 at 1 pm ET In case you missed it - here are links to recordings of two recent online sessions! Advancing the understanding, appreciation, conservation, and management of native nongame fishes in the United States - recorded on November 12 AFS Certification Online Application Review and Q&A - recorded on November 6

October 10, 2025Episode 3529 min

AFS Section Roundup: Marine Fisheries Section

This week, we're making another stop on the tour of AFS Sections, and this time it's the Marine Fisheries Section (MFS). Susan Piacenza, the current president of the Section, stopped by the podcast recently to share updates about MFS activities - and to chat about her work with sea turtles! Episode guest: Susan Piacenza Oregon State University Marine Fisheries Section President https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/users/susie-piacenza susan.piacenza@oregonstate.edu Marine Fisheries Section: https://mfs.fisheries.org/ AFS Updates and Links: AFS Membership - renewals and new members Upcoming online sessions include: Fisheries Community Check In - October 14 Invasive Species Database Webinar - October 28 Higher-Level Thinking online course - October 30 AFS Certification - online application overview - November 5 Fisheries Community Check In - November 6

September 19, 2025Episode 3425 min

2025 Excellence in Public Outreach Award recipient David Shiffman

AFS is back with a new "Beneath the Surface" episode! This time, we're highlighting 2025 Excellence in Public Outreach honoree, David Shiffman. David shares insights on social media best practices and why sharks matter! Episode guest: David Shiffman https://davidshiffmancv.com/ David.Shiffman@gmail.com July 2025 Fisheries article: https://academic.oup.com/fisheries/article/50/7/316/8107657 AFS Updates:

July 14, 2025Episode 3327 min

AFS Section Roundup: Invasive and Introduced Species Section

The AFS Sections roundup continues today with an introduction to the Invasive and Introduced Species Section! Today's guest is Nathan Lederman, the Section's current president. Join us to learn about this section's history and current projects. To learn more, join their business meeting at the AFS Annual Meeting next month! Episode guest: Nathan Lederman nathaniel.lederman@wisconsin.gov Learn more about the American Fisheries Society and our upcoming Annual Meeting! Comments or suggestions? Submit via email to lmaza@fisheries.org

June 20, 2025Episode 3247 min

AFS Emerging Leaders (ELMA) program

What's an ELMA? To find out more, I went to Drew Holloway and Patrick Cooney, who are both former participants in the Emerging Leaders Mentorship Awards (ELMA) program. Drew and Patrick are currently serving as the ELMA committee chairs, working to mentor the current class of ELMAs and passing on lessons to the incoming class. Episode Guests: Patrick Cooney Drew Holloway Emerging Leaders Mentorship Awards Updates: San Antonio Annual Meeting registration-the early bird deadline has been extended through July 8 July webinar- Meeting Planning: A deep dive

June 6, 2025Episode 3142 min

Book preview - Fishes of Puerto Rico

Today's episode features a preview of the first open access book to be published by AFS! Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico authors Gus Engman and Wes Neal recently stopped by the podcast to recap the book's development and the authors' history of freshwater research in Puerto Rico. Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of Puerto Rico Authors: Thomas J. Kwak Augustin C. Engman Craig G. Lilyestrom J. Wesley Neal María de Lourdes Olmeda Episode guests: Gus Engman University of Tennessee Wes Neal Mississippi State University

May 16, 2025Episode 3027 min

AFS Fishbook - Coming Soon!

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

May 2, 2025Episode 2919 min

AFS Nominating Committee - candidate solicitation and vetting

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

April 18, 2025Episode 2827 min

2025 AFS Annual Meeting Preview

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.