2018 NCAFS Meeting

2018 Meeting of the NC Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

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Morganton Community House
Morganton, NC – February 20-22, 2018

Join us at the 2018 Meeting of the NC Chapter of the AFS in February.  Our host will be the Morganton Community House, located at 120 North King Street, Morganton, NC, 28655.  Email NCAFS President-Elect Tyler Black if you have questions or if you are interested in assisting with meeting execution.  Additionally, the Southeast Atlantic Slope Mollusk (SEASM) Working Group will be meeting in the same location on February 20th.

Schedule & Program

• Mon, Feb. 19th
  • 1:00 – 3:00 pm: SEASM Meeting Hatchery Tour (contact organizer for details)
• Tue, Feb. 20th
  • 8:00 am – 5:00 pm: Southeast Atlantic Slope Mollusk Meeting
  • 7:00 – 10:00 pm: Social
• Wed, Feb. 21st
  • 8:00 – 11:30 am: Climate Change Workshop
  • 7:30 am – 6:00 pm: Registration Open
  • 12:30 – 5:45 pm: Presentations
  • 7:00 – 10:00 pm: Dinner/Raffle
• Thu, Feb. 22nd
  • 8:00 am – 12:30 pm: Presentations
  • 1:45 -3:30 pm: NCAFS Business Meeting/Awards

View and download meeting program.   View and download abstracts.
Click here for live responsive abstract page

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2017 Business Meeting Minutes For Review – NEW

The minutes from the 2017 Chapter Business Meeting are available here for review prior to approval at our 2018 Business Meeting on Thursday, February 22nd.

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Abstracts

Abstracts accepted for oral & lightning presentations.  Topics addressing any aspect of fisheries and related aquatic sciences are welcomed, including, but not limited to, management, research, conservation, outreach and education.  Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes (including a question & answer period).  Abstracts limited to 300 words or less.

Lightning Talks

Returning for 2018: 5 minute talks, 3 minute question/answer for each (PowerPoint optional), for students and professionals to present new projects or programs, results from ongoing work, emerging issues, and other research or management briefs.

Submission deadline for all sessions: Now Closed.

Judges will be scoring all presentations for awards in both the professional and student categories.

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SE Atlantic Slope Mollusk Meeting Announcement

The Southeastern Atlantic Slope Mollusk Working Group will meet on February 20th in Morganton, NC prior to the NCAFS meeting:  Click here to read and download the final agenda.  If attending, please RSVP to organizer Rachael Hoch at [email protected] by February 9, 2018.  Note that meeting has been shortened to one day, with an optional tour of the Marion Conservation Aquaculture Center available on Monday afternoon.  Contact Rachael Hoch for details if interested.

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Registration

Meeting early registration is $80 for professionals, $50 for students & retirees.  Workshop registration is $15 for NCAFS members, $20 for non-members.  Please note the following reminders:

• You may join or renew your NCAFS membership as part of registration.  If you would like to pay your dues separately, visit our online membership form here.  Both allow either electronic or mail-in submission & payment.
• Deadline for early registration fees ended February 7, 2018.  A late fee of $10 has been added to all registration costs.

Register Now:

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Continuing Education Course

Topic:  Climate Change, Climate Models, & Best Practices For Using Them For Impact Assessments & Adaptation Planning
Instructor:  Ryan Boyles, Acting Director, DOI/USGS Southeast Climate Science Center
Workshop Fee: $15 (NCAFS Members)/$20 (Non-Members)

Ryan Boyles is a physical scientist with the USGS Southeast Climate Science Center.  As a former State Climatologist and extension faculty at NC State University, he has spent his entire career working to help other disciplines better use climate data and climate science.  In this workshop, he’ll cover some of the basics of what drives climate changes and how climate models work.  He’ll also review some best practices on how to actually use the science and models for natural resource management.  Workshop participants will interact with Ryan and each other to understand when and how climate science can be used to better understand habitat and species dynamics and make climate-smart adaptation.

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Lodging and Reservations

Accommodations will be provided at the Hampton Inn, 115 Bush Drive, Morganton, NC, 28655.  A block of rooms has been reserved under the name “NC American Fisheries,” with a nightly rate of $114 for a king or double room.  This rate will only be valid if reserved by February 5, 2018.  To book your stay using this rate, call the hotel  at 828-432-2000.

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Free Local Shuttle – NEW

There will be a free shuttle between the Hampton Inn and the Morganton Community House, available for meeting attendees during the socials on the 20th and 21st, provided by the Burke County Tourism Development Authority.  It will operate from 6:30 – 10:30 pm on both nights and holds 35 seated and standing.

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Meeting Day Parking Areas

Public parking lots (designated by blue parking signs at entrances) can be found:

• On your right just before the Morganton Community House
• On the left at the next light beside Calvary Lutheran Church (Queen St.)
• Directly behind the First United Methodist Church off of Queen Street.
• On-street parking is also available on King, Queen and Union Streets.

Click here for a searchable parking map of downtown Morganton.

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Meeting Sponsors

Many thanks to our generous sponsors:

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Presentation Scoring Criteria

Presenters:  To assist you in putting together an award-winning presentation, below are the judging criteria for both professional and student papers.  You may also download a .pdf version of the scoresheet.

In a 5-point category, judges award 3 points for average quality (even though average quality may be very good), 4 for above average, and 5 for outstanding.

A. Individual Components (5 points for each)

1. Title – Does it accurately describe the subject?
2. Introduction – Does it provide adequate background, a historical context, and justification for the study?  Were the objectives and purpose clearly stated?
3. Methods or Approach – Are they described with sufficient detail?

B. Content

1. Structure and Organization (15 points) – Is there logical development and integration of the presentation?  Is the presentation comprehensible by members of the audience not engaged in that particular specialty?
2. Originality (10 points) – How valuable is the presentation in communicating and presenting unique or innovative methods, concepts, or interpretations? How relevant and significant is it to fisheries science?
3. Analytical Merit (10 points) – Are the analytical methods and study design or approach adequate and appropriate?
4. Technical Merit (10 points) – Are interpretations consistent with the results or evidence presented?  Are limitations identified and evaluated?

C. Physical Presentation

1. Delivery (15 points) – Does the presenter employ good voice quality, enthusiasm, grammar, eye contact, posture and body language, pronunciation, and articulation?
2. Visual Aids (15 points) – Are the visual aids large enough, simple, understandable, relevant, and attractive?
3. Timing (5 points) – Does the presenter complete the talk within the allotted time, and leave time for questions?

D. Other Considerations (5 points)

1. Use this category to reward unique or attractive features which do not fit exactly into other criteria (e.g., judicious and effective use of humor).  It should be considered an extra and should not be awarded automatically.

E. Comments

1. Provide a brief evaluation of your impressions of each presentation.  Comments will be used to break ties.

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