Aquaculture Committee
Chairpersons
Riley Brown
rbrown@idahopower.com
Melissa Wagner
mdwagner@csi.edu
Tyson Fehringer
tyson.fehringer@idfg.idaho.gov
Check out our History of Aquaculture in Idaho website!
Overview
The Fish Culture or Aquaculture Committee of the Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries society is primarily comprised of conservation and restoration aquaculturists and fish health professionals and students. We strive to provide fish culture and fish health related educational opportunities to our chapter members at our annual meetings and throughout the year. We also strive to foster professional growth and recruitment and promote fish culture not only as a conservation tool but also for what it was originally developed for, a reliable and sustainable food source.
Mission
The mission of the Aquaculture Committee is to promote the continuing development and enhancement of aquaculture and recognize its significance as an integral tool used in fisheries conservation and management.
Ongoing Goals
The committee will seek to accomplish the mission through the following goals:
- Continue to boost attendance at ICAFS functions from our aquaculture and fish health community.
- Continue producing continuing education workshops in conjunction with the annual ICAFS meeting each year.
- Provide outreach presentations annually for student chapters in Idaho focusing on the field of aquaculture and fish health. The goal of the presentation is to give students some background on the roles aquaculture plays in fisheries conservation and management. We will also talk about what kind of jobs are out there for those interested in pursuing a career in aquaculture or fish health.
- Arrange for a student(s) to be mentored within one of the many state, Federal, Tribal or private hatchery systems in Idaho.
Recent Accomplishments
- This year's CE course provided at the annual meeting "Diverse Perspectives on the Current and Emerging State of Aquaculture in Idaho" was successful. 45 people attended from a diverse set of career focuses.
- The "Excellence in Aquaculture" award was presented to the Idaho Fish and Game's Grace Fish Hatchery Staff. This was in recognition for exceptional research coordination and management achievements over the last year.
- Our 2022 annual committee meeting had good participation from a variety of federal, state, tribal and private agencies
- Outreach efforts were limited this year due to COVID restrictions.
- Funding efforts were discussed for student and young professional participation at upcoming aquaculture CE events around the state.
- Shawn Young stepped down as co-chair of the aquaculture committee after the 2022 annual meeting concluded. Shawn served with distinction on this committee for 4 years. His contributions are very much appreciated. Tom Lindenmuth will fill this vacant position starting immediately following the annual meeting.