Putting Tools in the Hands of Fish Culturists—the Role of the Fish Culture Section

The American Fisheries Society began in 1870 as the American Fish Culturists’ Association, and has since grown to encompass a wide range of fisheries disciplines.  Today, the interests of fish culturists in the Society are served by the Fish Culture Section (FCS).  The FCS is concerned with advancing cultivation technology of aquatic organisms for food, recreation, habitat enhancement, and conservation. The Section disseminates information about fish culture to professionals and the lay public and strives to support and enhance fish culture programs of private, governmental, and international entities.  Whether you are engaged in propagation of endangered species in federal hatchery in the U.S. or subsistence aquaculture in a developing nation, the FCS is where you can go to learn, share, and interact with others doing what you do—fish culture.  To fulfill this mission, we have recently undertaken a number of outreach projects to serve our members and fish culturists everywhere.  In this presentation, the importance of the FCS and other professional organizations acting as conduits for information transfer will be discussed, and strategies to put tools in the hands of fish culturists will be explored.