NEWSLETTER Winter 2007
Message from
the President
Happy new year!
Of course, the
highlight for the Section in 2006 was the VIIth meeting of the International
Congress on the Biology of Fishes, which was held last July in St. Johns,
Newfoundland. The Congress was attended by 513 delegates (and 18 guests) from
32 different countries. Of the 513 delegates, 339 (67%) were students.
The Congress presented 24 symposia that ranged in scope from ecological
(“Telemetry:Tracking Fish in Nature”) to molecular (“Genomic and Proteomic
Approaches in Fish Biology”). A good time was had by one and all.
Student Awards
The Physiology Section of the American Fisheries Society was
able to award $33,000 US to students and post-doctoral fellows to attend the
Congress and present their research. The source of this largesse was a
generous $9300 allocation from the Executive Committee of the Physiology
Section and grants of $14000 and $10000 awarded to Jay Nelson from the United
States National Science Foundation and Department of Agriculture, respectively
(Jay is pictured above with Kurt Gamperl).
Travel award recipients included:
Amelie Gravel, Brian Sardella, Bruce Gavin Marshall, Caroline Mimeault,
Catarina Isabel de Matos Martins, Chelsie Estey, Christopher Cooper, Corey A.
Handelsman, Cory Suski, Damien Raingeard, Donald E. Portz, Eider Bilbao, Emily
Coolidge, Fumi Katoh, Haude Levesque, Jane Windfeldt Behrens, John William
Mandelman, Katherine I.R. Butts, Keith B. Tierney, Koji Murashita, Linda
Hanson, Martin Tresguerres, Mason Dean, Mélanie Dionne, Nathan Miles,
Neelakanteswar Aluru, Paul Ashley, Paul Craig, Rikke Birkedal, Rosalind A.
Leggatt, Steven J. L. Xu, Tracey S. Momoda, Wendy Tymchuk, William Tse Ka Fai,
Zerihan Desta.
Some of the travel award recipients pose for a photo with Jay Nelson.
In addition to the travel awards given to students, awards
were also given out to students who were judged to have the best students posters or
oral presentations. Award recipients (O indicates oral presentation, P
indicates poster) were and the symposium in which they presented were: Advances
in Fish Biology, Jason Treberg (O), Rainie Sharpe (P); Biomarkers of
Environmental Pollution in Fish, Bones and Teeth, Eider Bilbao (O);
Biomineralisation in Fish from Microscopy to Design of Materials, Mason Dean
(P); Capture and Discard/Release of Fish: Behavioural and Physiological
Aspects, John Mandelman (O); Cardiovascular Physiology, Erik Sandblom (O);
Early Life History Stages of Fish, Shaun Killen (O); Genetically Modified Fish:
Effects of Ectopic Gene Expression on the Biology of Fishes, Peter Raven (O),
Rosalind Leggatt, (P); Hypoxia Tolerance in Fish: Effects of Chronic and
Intermittent Hypoxia, Jane Windfeldt Behrens (O); Impacts of
Contaminant Exposure on Fish; Molecular Mechanisms to Ecotoxicology, Rainie
Sharpe (O), Andrea Lister (P); Integrative Physiology of Migrating Fishes,
Aurelie Vettier (O), Aurilie Vettier (P); Ion and Acid-Base regulation in
fish, Martin Tresguerres (O); Linking Fish Biology to Improved
Performance in Finfish Aquaculture, Mohammad Ali Nematollahi (O), Christine Verhille
(P); Molecular, Cellular and Neuroendocrine Responses to Stress in Fish, Russ
Carpenter (O), Amelie Gravel (P); North Atlantic Fish, Isabel Costa (O),
Marieve Desjardins (P); Olfactory and Chemosensory Communication in Fish: From
Mechanisms to Behavior, Jenifer McIntyre (O), Hiroshi Hino (P); Proteomic
and Genomic Approaches in Fish Biology, Kristina Vuori (O); Telemetry: Tracking
Fish in Nature, Matthew Windle (O); Tropical Fish Biology, Monika Patel (O),
Nishlanha Ana Dos Anjos (P); Welfare of Fish, Sofia Brockmark (O), Natalie
Newby (P).
Some of the student awardees take a moment and pose for a photo with Section President Alan Kolok.
The students were not the only individuals that received
honors at the Congress. At the AFS Physiology Section meeting, Jay Nelson
received the Distinguished Service Award, and the past president plaque was
awarded to Dr. Kurt Gamperl. At the Banquet Tony Farrell and Pat Walsh received
the Award of Excellence in Fish Physiology.
A meeting of the minds. Left hand photo. From left to right, incoming Physiology Section Secretary/Treasurer Matt Mesa, shares a beverage with 2008 Congress Host Alec Maule, ex-Secretary/Treasurer Terry Barry, and Distinguished Service Award recipient, Jay Nelson (right).
Award of Excellence in Fish Physiology award recipient Tony Farrell shares a moment with Chris Kennedy and Trish Schulte.
The position of secretary/treasurer is now in hands of Matt
Mesa, who began his tenure in the position this month.
Upcoming meeting and symposia that may be of interest include:
- The
Physiology Section will be co-hosting a research symposium with the Fish
Culture Section at "Aquaculture 2007" (March 1 & 2,
2007, San Antonio, TX). The title of the symposium is
"Physiological Insights Toward Improving Fish Culture". An
impressive group of scientists will be participating (~50 talks). See the
line up at http://www.fisheries.org/units/phs/papers.htm
- The Physiology section will be hosting a research
symposium at the 2007 annual American Fisheries Society meting in San
Fransisco (Septebmer 2-6) entitled “A tribute to Joe Cech “ (does anyone
have the exact title here?). Consult the AFS web page for details in
February.
- Details on the 8th International Congress on the
Biology of Fishes will be available soon, as will a call for symposium
titles. Consult the website listed below for details.
That’s all for now. Have a prosperous New Year and we look forward to seeing you in Portland.
Congress on the Biology of Fish
Portland, Oregon, USA
July 28 – August 1, 2008
Doubletree Hotel
Meeting Information &
Call for Symposium Proposals
available March
2007 via:
http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/congress/
