The American Fisheries Society has selected University of Vermont biologist Donna Parrish to become its 130th president. Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science organization.

Parrish is the unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and a research professor in UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Parrish assumed the new office on Aug. 20 at the AFS 144th Annual Meeting in Québec City, Canada.

Parrish identified her top goals as the president: “increasing educational opportunities for students and professional biologists, working on communication among AFS members, diversifying the fisheries workforce, increasing AFS involvement with other international fisheries societies, and increasing the transparency of the AFS Governing Board,” she said.

Parrish studies lake and stream fish populations looking to understand how they function and are organized relative to basic ecological principles of competition, predation, and predator-prey interactions. She and her students also work to better understand fish habitat requirements, especially salmonid fish.

“The aquatic research I conduct in Vermont is focused on addressing issues of particular interest to the Vermont Unit's state cooperator, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife,” she said. “Some examples of these projects include the distributions of prey fish species in Lake Champlain and how those prey interact within the food web.”

“Donna’s impressive track record of leadership speaks for itself,” said AFS Executive Director Doug Austen. “We look forward to working with her to address some relevant and pressing issues and expect to make headway on many of the ambitious goals set forth in our new Strategic Plan.”

Parrish came to UVM in 1991 after she earned her doctorate in zoology at Ohio State University in 1988, her master of science degree in biology at Murray State University in 1984, and her bachelor of science in biology at Southeast Missouri State University in 1974. “Her long and active role in AFS includes service as president of the Northeastern Division and the Education Section, along with work on numerous committees and symposia,” the society noted.

The mission of AFS is to “improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals,” and is a leading source of fisheries science and management information in North America and around the world.