Idaho AFS Logo

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:

  1. Continue to boost attendance at ICAFS functions from our aquaculture and fish health community.
  2. Continue producing continuing education workshops in conjunction with the annual ICAFS meeting each year.
  3. 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.
  4. Arrange for a student(s) to be mentored within one of the many state, Federal, Tribal or private hatchery systems in Idaho.

Recent Accomplishments

  • The ICAFS Aquaculture Committee hosted a CE workshop in Spokane in 2024 titled “Nutrition in “Aquaculture: What are We Feeding our Fish and Why?” The Workshop featured fantastic instructors from the commercial and academia sectors and was well attended by members of the Idaho and WA/BC Chapters.
  • The "Excellence in Aquaculture" award was presented to Neil Graham from CRITFC for his continued dedication toward improving the steelhead kelt reconditioning program at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery.
  • Committee co-chairs met with students from the College of Southern Idaho and BYU-Idaho to discuss career paths and opportunities.
  • The committee sponsored two young professionals to attend the Northwest Fish Culture Concepts Meeting held in Boise in December 2023.
  • Melissa Wagner and Tyson Fehringer volunteered to become committee co-chairs after the WDAFS meeting in Boise in 2023. They replaced Eric Pankau and Tom Lindenmuth, who both are recognized for their efforts toward committee improvement.