The current chairs of each committee are listed below.
ABOUT COMMITTEES
The President of the Division is authorized to appoint from members of the Division in good standing such committees as may be necessary for the conduct of the business of the Division. These committees shall include Standing Committees (Audit, Awards, Ballot, Membership, Nominating, Program, Resolutions, and Student Affairs) and Technical Committees:
• Audit Committee of three (3) which shall audit the accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer and report to the Division at the annual Spring Business meeting.
• Awards Committee of five (5) shall review and recommend to the President candidates who, by their noteworthy and longstanding contributions to fisheries, aquatic sciences, and the Division, shall be considered worthy of the Division’s recognition for Outstanding Achievement, candidates who, by their outstanding contributions of time and energy for special projects or activities in the service of the Division, shall be considered worthy of the Division’s recognition for Distinguished Service, candidates who, by their communication of noteworthy contributions to fisheries and aquatic science research and management shall be recognized by the John F. Dequine Award for the best paper, and Division chapters who, through service to their members, communities and the profession shall be recognized as the Outstanding Chapter at the annual Spring Business meeting. See the Awards page for more details.
• Ballot Committee of three (3), not to include Division officers and members of the Nominating Committee, which shall receive and tally ballots for the elections for Division officers and the Student Representative to the Executive Committee and report the election results at the annual Spring Business meeting.
• Membership Committee comprised of one (1) member from each chapter and residing in each state in the Division and chaired by the Vice President. This committee shall undertake to maintain current membership and recruit new members from those eligible within the Division boundaries. The chair will also serve on the Membership Committee of the Society.
• Nominating Committee of five (5), including the Division Immediate Past-president, shall recommend a slate of candidates for specific offices of the Division, including a Division representative to serve on the Society Nominating Committee.
• Program Committee of five (5), including the President-Elect as Chair, which shall be responsible for establishment of program and local arrangement committees for the annual and mid-year meetings. In the event that the annual meeting is planned jointly with another group, this committee shall be the Division’s representatives to the joint program committee. This committee shall strive for high quality and provide instructions to speakers and authors in techniques of presentation. The Program Committee shall include the Vice-President who will succeed to the program chair in the following year.
• Resolutions Committee of five (5) which shall draft and recommend to the Division for consideration at its annual meeting such resolutions considered prudent and necessary in the furtherance of the purposes and objectives of the Division. The chair will also serve on the Resolutions Committee of the Society. The retiring chair shall be responsible for ensuring appropriate and prompt distribution of resolutions following their adoption by the Division.
• Student Affairs Committee of at least five (5) shall promote student involvement in all activities of the Division and identify concerns of students related to Society structure, function, and activities.
• Technical Committees (Alligator Gar, Aquaculture, Catfish Management, Morone, Pollution, Reservoir, Small Impoundments, Trout, and Warmwater Streams) of the Division shall provide a forum for the resolution of important professional problems within the Division. Each committee will elect a Chair, subject to approval by the Division President. Membership on Technical Committees is open to any AFS member. Contact the Committee chair to join that Technical Committee. Technical Committees typically meet at the annual SDAFS Spring meeting. Attendance at these committee meetings is open to everyone. Several Technical Committees have their own webpages which can be accessed by clicking on the committee name above on this page.
• Such ad hoc committees as are deemed necessary to carry out the work of the Division.
The Division committees shall not duplicate or conflict with the functions of the standing committees of the Society, although they may submit recommendations to such standing committees. The term of office for members of the divisional committees shall end upon the discharge of their appointed duties or at the next annual meeting of the Division, whichever comes first.