American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
ASIH Meeting Minutes - 1996 SUMMARY OF THE MEETINGS 1996
As published in Copeia 1996(4):1079-1104
The 76th annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists was held in New Orleans, Louisiana from 13-19 June, 1996, in conjunction with the 12th annual meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, the 44th annual meeting of the Herpetologists’ League, the 22nd annual meeting of the Southeastern Fishes Council, and the 8th annual meeting of the Neotropical Ichthyological Association. The meeting was hosted by Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans. The Local Arrangements Committee was chaired by Bob Cashner.
Board of Governors Meeting - 13 June, 1996
The Board of Governors meeting was called to order by President Meg Stewart at3:35 PM in the Cabildo Room of the Hotel Intercontinental. She announced that there were no late reports to be distributed and that messages of regret had been received from absentee governors Jan Caldwell, Arnold Grobman, Harvey Pough, Cathy and Dick Robins, Richard Winterbottom, Dave Wake, and Tomio Iwamoto.
President Stewart called for a motion to approve the minutes of the 1995 meeting of the Board of Governors as published in COPEIA 1995(4). The motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
President Stewart then announced that the Resolutions Committee had been appointed and that those wishing to contribute resolutions should contact any of the committee members: Lynne Parenti (chair), Brian Crother, Herb Dessauer, or their assistants Gene Helfman and Aaron Bauer. President Stewart also announced that selection of the Stoye and Storer Award judges had also been finalized by the Student Awards Committee, chaired by Stu Poss, with committee members Ed Brodie III and Dawn Wilson. As customary, announcement of the names of judges was reserved for the banquet.
President Stewart called on Pat Gregory, chair of the Time and Place Committee, for a report on future meeting plans. He in turn called on Ted Pietsch (School of Fisheries, University of Washington, Box 355100, Seattle, WA 98195-5100, USA (206) 543-8923 E-mail twp@fish.washington.edu.), local committee chair for the 1997 meeting in Seattle, who reported that the 77th annual meetings of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) will be hosted by the University of Washington (UW), 26 June-2July 1997, in Seattle, Washington. The Herpetologists League (HL), the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), the Early Life History (ELH) Section of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), the American Elasmobranch Society (AES), and the Gilbert Ichthyological Society (GIS), will all meet jointly with ASIH. For more information see the World Wide Web page for the 1997 meeting. All paper and poster sessions will be held on the UW campus. Student dormitories, all in close proximity to the meeting rooms, will be available, as will several conveniently located hotel options. The official travel agency is: DIKMEN TRAVEL, INC. 1127 Pine Street, Suite 150, Seattle, Washington 98101. Telephone (206) 447-9535, ext. 309 Toll Free (800) 234-5636 FAX (206) 628-3509 E-mail: fdikmen@webtravel.com. Dikmen can provide substantially cheaper airfares (domestic or international) and can also provide complete hotel and bed- and- breakfast information and other information on local attractions. When contacting Dikmen Travel, ask for Lori and mention ASIH.
To have a paper considered for inclusion in a symposium at the 1997 meeting, contact the organizers immediately. The following symposia are planned, with participation by invitation only: “ Nuclear DNA and the Evolutionary Genetics of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles” - Andrew M. Shedlock, University of Washington, FTR, Box 355100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA E-mail shedlock@u.washington.edu; “ Ecological Processes: Insights from Field Experiments and Natural History. A Symposium Celebrating the Career and Contributions of Margaret McBride Stewart” - Kiisa Nishikawa, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5640, USA E-mail Kiisa.Nishikawa@nau.edu. “Comparisons and Current Uses of Phylogenetic Approaches to Ichthyology and Herpetology” - Mark Pyron, Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity, 607 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, USA (217) 333-5893 or Robert Espinoza, Department of Biology/314, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0015, USA (702) 784-4565 E-mail Pyron@uiuc.edu or espin_r@unr.edu Internet The Chemical Ecology of Predator/Prey Relationships: Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles" - Alicia Mathis, Dept. of Biology, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65804-0095, USA (417) 836-5699 E-mail sam477f@vma.smsu.edu or Debra Lancaster, Dept. of Biology, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, WA, 98226, USA (360) 676-2170 Ext. 3241 or Brian Wisenden, CEEB, T. H. Morgan School of Biological Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA (606) 257-8599 E-mail brian@CEEB.uky.edu. Internet ; “Four Decades of Research Excellence: The Scientists, Personnel, Equipment, and Natural History Collections of the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross (1882-1921)” a symposium to provide a forum for discussing many of the important aspects of the Albatross, especially the scientists, personnel, equipment, and natural history specimens collected by this famous vessel. If you would like to participate in this symposium, please send your name, title, institutional address, and a brief overview of your research to Mark R. Jennings, National Biological Service, 39913 Sharon Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA (916) 753- 2727 or Kurt W. Dunbar, 1652 Hillsdale Road, Bellingham, WA 98226, USA (360) 676-5181 E-mail Mark_Jennings@nbs.gov.
The following workshops are also proposed for the 1997 meeting: "Preservation and Curation of Early Life History Stages of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles" - Alexandra M. Snyder, Chair, ASIH Supplies & Resources Subcommittee, MSB Division of Fishes, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1091, USA; or Darrel E. Snyder, Larval Fish Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA E-mail amsnyder@unm.edu or desnyder@picea.cnr.colostate.edu ; “"Nomenclature for Novices" - Carl Ferraris, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA (415) 750-7050 E-mail ferraris@cas.calacademy.org. This will be an introduction to the rules of zoological nomenclature, with practical advice on how to avoid the most common mistakes. Another workshop on “Museum Computerization" is also planned, but details are not yet available.
Social events will include a graduate student reception, a general reception at the Seattle Aquarium, a salmon barbecue with live music, and a full service banquet. An optional evening of dinner and dancing aboard the "Spirit of Puget Sound," and a wide variety of field trips will also be offered.
President Stewart called for blanket approval of the reports to the Board of Governors, excepting those which had been removed for discussion by the Executive Committee as follows: Secretary, Society Historian, Committee on Book Length Publications, Committee on Special Publications, Committee to Revise the Careers in Herpetology Pamphlet, Environmental Quality Committee, and Long Range Planning and Finance Committee. Governor Don Buth requested that the reports of the Managing Editor and of the Editorial Policy Committee also be removed for discussion. The motion was made by Governor Jay Savage to approve those reports not exempted for discussion. It was seconded by Governor Lynne Parenti and carried unanimously. This report presents first all approved reports, followed by exempted reports with notes on discussion of them that took place at the meeting.
Approved reports to Board of Governors
Treasurer Lawrence M. Page read his report of the finances of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists which was based on audited financial statements for 1995 received from Clifton, Gunderson & Co., Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, Champaign, Illinois.
As the auditor’s report indicates, ASIH remains in good financial condition. Total assets of the society stood at $544,020 on 31 December 1995, compared to $538,074 on 31 December 1994 and $442,144 at the end of 1993. The steady increase in assets over the last several years is attributable primarily to the dues increase initiated in 1991, revenue from the 1993 and 1995 Annual Meetings, donations to the Endowment Fund, returns on investments, and the lower cost of printing COPEIA.
The Business Office was moved in 1995 from the Office of the Secretary in Austin, Texas, to Allen Press in Lawrence, Kansas. The complexity of the move resulted in a delay in deposits from memberships and subscriptions. Although revenues recorded for memberships and subscriptions are lower for 1995 than for previous years, memberships and subscriptions have not declined. Revenue in 1996 is expected to be high because of the delay in deposits for 1995.
The Endowment Fund and the Life Membership Fund were established constitutionally in 1993. On 31 December 1995, the Life Membership Fund contained $9,856, invested in Scudder Short Term Bond Fund and The Berger 101 Fund. On 31 December 1995, the Endowment Fund contained $25,350 (up from $15,059 at the end of 1994), invested in three funds of Fidelity Investments. The separate "Special Publication Fund" contained $24,040, of which $15,977 has been raised specifically for publication of Collection Building in Ichthyology and Herpetology, to be edited by T. W. Pietsch and W. D. Anderson, Jr. As of 22 April 1996, the Endowment Fund contained $26,623.
Publications Secretary, José Rosado informed that total revenue through his office for the period 1 January - 31 December 1995 from sales of COPEIA back issues was $1,377.50 and $1,045.00 from sales of the Phylogeny of Percomorpha Bulletin. Deduction of postage expenses of $87.19 resulted in net income of $2,335.31. Expenses do not include cost pertaining to ASIH publications that were disbursements of the Treasurer's Office (e.g., postage, handling, insurance and storage costs charged by Allen Press). Details of sales are tabulated as follows:
| YEAR | # ORDERS | # COPIES | REVENUE | REVENUE/COPY |
| 1982 | 47 | 729 | $2558.00 | $3.51 |
| 1983 | 84 | 4953 | $9881.39 | $1.81 |
| 1984 | 53 | 1730 | $4376.81 | $2.53 |
| 1985 | 59 | 562 | $3395.32 | $6.04 |
| 1986 | 35 | 329 | $1609.60 | $4.89 |
| 1987 | 53 | 615 | $2685.35 | $4.37 |
| 1988 | 55 | 294 | $1556.05 | $5.29 |
| 1989 | 42 | 470 | $2333.92 | $4.97 |
| 1990 | 110 | 14558 | $10440.59 | $.72 |
| 1991 | 65 | 7090 | $5019.03 | $.71 |
| 1992 | 12 | 83 | $985.00 | $10.78 |
| 1993 | 12 | 131 | $1639.60 | $12.52 |
| 1994 | 6 | 37 | $815.00 | $22.20 |
| 1995 | 6 | 92 | $377.50 | $14.97 |
| YEAR | # ORDERS | # COPIES | REVENUE | REV/COPY |
| 1993 | 11 | 13 | $435.00 | $33.46 |
| 1994 | 5 | 6 | $192.00 | $32.00 |
| 1995 | 31 | 34 | $1045.00 | $30.74 |
Carol Johnston reported that the Southeastern Division of ASIH will hold its 1996 meeting in conjunction with the ASIH meeting in New Orleans, LA 13-19 June, 1996. The business meeting will be held 14 June from 4:00 - 5:00. SEASIH plans to fund six student travel awards of $50 each this year. SEASIH best student paper awards are not given when SEASIH meets with the parent society.
To date, the SEASIH has 150 members on roll, including 31 student members; this includes 71 active members (those that responded to the 1996 membership notice), 14 of which are nonpaying student members. The treasury had $161.58 carryover from 1995 and $64.00 in expenditures (postage, checks). The current balance at time of writing this report was 575.84, and an expenditure of $300 for student travel awards was anticipated.
Chair Dawn S. Wilson reported the goals of the ASIH Committee for Graduate Student Participation (CGSP) are to represent the student membership of the Society and to consider how Society activities may best serve and attract graduate students. A number of continuing responsibilities exist with which the Committee is charged: 1) fundraising for student travel support; 2) distributing student travel awards; 3) planning and executing student activities at the annual meeting; 4) distributing completed evaluation forms for student award presentations; and 5) enhancing recruitment of new students and promoting the effective and efficient communication among existing student members. Additional tasks pertinent to student concerns may be handled as necessary by the CGSP membership.
Fundraising at the 1995- 1996 meeting in New Orleans - Once again Phillip Harris took charge of the raffle and once again did an excellent job of obtaining many great books from various publishing companies. The CGSP local committee representatives, Jeff Stewart and Chris Schieble, at the University of New Orleans also contributed considerable time and effort to the raffle. Money raised at the raffle provides travel funds for students giving oral and poster presentations at the annual meeting. The student committee acknowledges the following publishers/individuals for their generous donations to this years raffle: TFH Publications, SSAR, Univ. of Idaho Press, Saunders College Publishing, Univ. of Chicago Press, Virginia Cooperative Fisheries and Wildlife Research Unit, Cornell Univ. Press, Diversity Designs, Univ. of Alberta Laboratory of Vertebrate Paleontology, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Princeton Univ. Press, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Univ. Press of Florida, Univ. Press of Kansas, Chapman Hall, Amer. Fisheries Soc., Acad. of Nat. Sci. of Philadelphia, Academic Press, Sinauer Associates, Univ. of Texas Press, W. H. Freeman & Co., Univ. of North Carolina Press, Elsevier Scientific Publishing, Louisiana State Univ. Press, Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Dr. Gary Meffe, and Dr. David Etnier.
Student Travel Awards - Ten $200.00 travel awards were offered for the 1996 meeting in New Orleans: 5 in ichthyology and 5 in herpetology. This year, students could submit their applications/abstracts via e-mail. There were 82 qualified applicants that submitted materials by the deadline: 65 ichthyology and 17 herpetology abstracts. Adam Summers was responsible for handling award applications and their distribution. A notice was published in the ASIH Meeting Announcement and Call for Papers soliciting applications, outlining how winners will be chosen, and highlighting the important linkage between these awards and the CGSP raffle by inviting members to buy raffle tickets in New Orleans. A list of awardees and alternatives was mailed to Dr. Larry Page, Treasurer ASIH. The five herpetology awards went to James O'Reilly, Robert Reed, David Orange, Denise Plunk, and Chris Tracy. The five ichthyology awards went to David Martich- Hernandez, Jane Cleveland, Jave Hove, Kyle Piller, and Keith Bosley. In the event that one of the awardees cannot accept an award, the alternate for the Herpetology category is Tiffany Doan and the alternate for the Ichthyology category is Chris Braun.
Logistics for the Graduate Student Social at this Annual Meeting were arranged with the local committee by Carol Britson, Jeff Stewart, Chris Schieble and other student volunteers from the local committee at the University of New Orleans. The social was scheduled to take place at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 15 June. Cheerful greetings, free beer and snacks are reliable features of this event.
As part of an ongoing effort to offer useful services to and promote positive interaction among ASIH student members, the CGSP’s annual workshop was scheduled for Monday 17 June, from 12:00 to 1:30 PM. This years workshop, "How to be a graduate student today for the job you want tomorrow." was coordinated by Robert Espinoza and Cheryl Wilga. Bobby and Cheryl have organized a panel of speakers with various vocational backgrounds to speak with graduate students and answer questions concerning job possibilities after graduation.
Jackie Webb of the CGSP planned to distribute evaluation forms to the judges of the Stoye Award competition. These forms were to be filled out by the judges as a means of positive feedback to those students presenting a paper for the 2 Stoye Award competition. Forms were then redistributed to the students following the meeting.
The CGSP thanks the student local committee representatives, Chris Schieble and Jeff Stewart for help with all CGSP activities scheduled for the 1996 meeting in New Orleans and Robert Cashner, 1996 annual meeting host, for his continued support of the CGSP while organizing this year’s meeting. Jackie Webb’s role as faculty representative to the CGSP for 1996 is also gratefully acknowledged, as is Chris Tracy’s contribution as CGSP student representative on this year’s Time and Place Committee.
Chair Harold K. Voris reported that the Committee to Nominate a New Honorary Foreign Member was charged with the task of providing confidential nominations to allow the membership to select two new honorary foreign herpetologists. For each of the two vacancies the Committee was asked to provide at least two nominations, and for each nominee, a curriculum vitae (if possible), a short biographical statement, and career highlights. Lastly, the Committee was asked to prepare a ballot for use at the general meeting.
All committee members, after discussions with numerous colleagues, suggested possible nominees. From these suggestions a slate of the following four nominees was agreed upon: Harold G. Cogger (Australia); Neville Ian Passmore (South Africa); Eugenia del Pino (Ecuador); Er-mi Zhao(China).
Rebecca A. Pyles, Chair of the Committee to Revise the Herpetological Animal Care Leaflet , reported that, her report outlined the procedures planned to initiate revision of the current document and production of a new pamphlet on recommended procedures for the care and use of amphibians and reptiles in teaching and research. She anticipated that the bulk of the business of this committee can be conducted via E-mail, which should greatly reduce costs and time. In addition, postage, student help, and Internet access and World Wide Web home page maintenance are available through her institution.
GOALS/PLAN 1. Review of Existing Document - The document is extremely out of date. Each committee member will provide a separate review of the existing document following a review guideline. These reviews will then be used to provide a proposed new format for the pamphlet. On the basis of the recommended format, each committee member will be assigned a portion of the document as an area of primary responsibility. For each area/committee member, she intends to request (a) submission of pertinent article citations; (b) submission of appropriate questions to be used in the survey of herpetologists; and rewrite of the pertinent sections for the new document. It is expected that certain aspects of animal use (e.g., marking techniques) will be controversial. An additional concern of the Committee will be how to incorporate these concerns within the pamphlet. A major question is whether to publish this information as a separate pamphlet or simply to have it available electronically (via World Wide Web; 'WWW'). Because a considerable number of people do not have access to the WWW, there is still a need for some printed copies of this pamphlet, and the Committee will recommend a print order.
2. Compilation of Published Procedures - the committee hopes to compile a considerable literature citation section. The feasibility of publishing this section in entirety will be determined on the basis of its length, but electronic copy will be incorporated into a World Wide Web (WWW) page accessible from each societies’ home page. This format also would allow new citations to be submitted and added to the list, as appropriate.
3. Survey of Herpetologists: Concerns & Questions - the questionnaire will be designed to enable the committee to identify common problems , specific concerns, and potential sources of information within the herpetological community. For example, Chair Pyles cited her own personal experience as a member of her institution's animal care and use committee, where concerns about the length of time it is appropriate to maintain amphibians under low-temperature "hibernation" conditions were addressed, and cited her own research on specific dose-dependent data for salamanders on the use of MS222 as an anesthetic. The committee would like to distribute this survey both electronically (WWW) and in printed version (available by request), advertising it with a deadline date, in HL Communications and Herpetological Review and elsewhere.
4. Revision of Document - Individual submissions by members of the committee will be reviewed by at least one other committee member and the chair, who will also be responsible for final editing to ensure readability and consistency. A proposed final edited version then will be submitted both to the committee and to the officers/boards of all three societies for review and comment. These reviews will be discussed by the committee at a meeting held during the joint annual meetings in 1997.
TIMETABLE - With acceptance of participation by members sometime in May, 1996, acceptance of this plan, initial review of the existing document, and statement of preference for area by committee members should be accomplished by September, 1996. The Chair will then compile reviews and develop a proposal for format for approval by the committee and will write short articles about the planned survey (with dates of availability) for submission to HL Communications and Herpetological Review. In October, the new format proposal will be finalize, submission of questions for the survey will be requested from individual committee members, electronic & printed versions of the survey will be available by December 1, 1996, after review by the committee members. December also will bring submission of initial lists of literature citations by committee members. The Chair then hopes to receive initial rewrites of the various sections from committee members by February, 1997 for committee review and will compile the survey results for the committee. Review comments and survey results will be used in rewrites requested by April, 1997. The Chair will compile these sections and produce an initial final copy, which will be distributed to committee members and officers of the three societies for review and comment. The committee will meet at the June joint society meetings to consider reviews of the final draft. If all goes as planned, a final new version would be available in August, 1997 for posting to the WWW and for printing.
The Endowment Fund Committee , chaired by Marvalee Wake in 1995 and Jay Savage in 1996, continued to explore ways of generating a suitable endowment for the Society and its activities. The committee met during the annual meeting in Edmonton to discuss the current status of fund recruitment and management, and ways that we might increase our donation base. Several suggestions were made, and actions taken on these are described below.
Treasurer Larry Page reported on 19 January 1996 that $16,243 was contributed to the Endowment Fund in 1994, $5,075 in 1995, and $1550 in the first 18 days of 1996. A total of $17,793 has been contributed by 110 members. Clearly, the first request for donations drew a response from not quite 5% of the membership; subsequent donations have been few, but welcome. The funds are invested in a Fidelity Growth Plan, under the watchful eyes of committee member David Heins and Treasurer Page.
Several avenues have been pursued to diversify our approach to soliciting donations during the few months since our last meeting. The committee remains convinced that we must increase our donor base within the Society in order to show strong support for the Endowment before we can approach concerns outside the Society. To that end, the committee has:
1. Started negotiations with Allen Press to include a solicitation letter to all members in a COPEIA mailing. This will cost approximately $100 for printing, and $0.03 per copy to insert. This year’s committee will prepare the text of the letter.
2. An ad about the Endowment Fund and requesting donations will appear in each number of COPEIA. Copy was submitted in October, 1995, and the ad should appear in the upcoming number.
3. A check-off box for donations to the Fund on the dues notice will start with the 1997 notice.
4. Several efforts will be made at the annual meeting in New Orleans. A paragraph about the Fund and a request for donations will appear in the program. A table at which donations can be made will be set up and maintained in the Registration area for the meeting. Announcement of the opportunity to donate will be made in the Plenary session that opens the meeting (all thanks to the kind cooperation of Bob Cashner).
5. Dawn Wilson, Chair of the Graduate Student Committee, has written to each graduate student member, explaining the purpose of the Endowment fund and requesting contributions. She made clear the point that support by good numbers of members is essential, and that no donation is too small. The Endowment Committee is very grateful to her for her efforts and support.
Additional suggestions were made, and will be implemented this year. These include: notice on the ASIH Web page; a letter requesting donations from former and current members of the Board of Governors, and a letter to former winners of Gaige and Raney funds.
The Endowment Committee welcomes suggestions for additional ways to support the fund, as well as your donations.
The Equal Participation Committee was officially formed at the 1995 ASIH meetings in Edmonton. Dominique Didier was elected Chair. This year two activities are planned to promote equality among scientists. The Women's Lunch will be held the second day of the Annual Meeting, and at the same meeting a mentoring program will be initiated in which newcomers to ASIH and AES are matched with a mentor in their field. This program is open to anyone (not just women).
The Gaige Award Committee (Maureen A. Donnelly, Chair, Kiisa Nishikawa, and Steve M. Reilly) received 26 proposals. With $3000 available for 1996 the committee decided to make six awards of $500. These went to: Melissa D. Dills, Dept. Zoology & Wildlife Science, Auburn University, Auburn AL. Coloniality in the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus ; Robert E. Espinoza, Dept. Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno NV. The evolution of viviparity in Liolaemus alticolor : testing the cold-climate hypothesis; Matthew F. Meyer, University of California Los Angeles, Dept. Biology, Los Angeles, CA. The role of parasites in the maintenance of sexual reproduction; Steve Phelps, Dept. Zoology, University of Texas, Austin, TX. Androgens and aggression in the green anole; R. Mark Waters, Dept Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. The evolution of behavioral ontogeny in crayfish eating snakes; Tim Watkins, Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA. The genetic architecture of predator avoidance and escape traits in tadpoles of the Pacific tree frog, Pseudacris regilla .
Herpetological Information Coordinator John E. Simmons reported a total of 55 inquiries were received, 34 by regular mail and 21 by E-mail. Of these, 8 requested general information on reptiles or amphibians; 2 information on frogs; 18 information on lizards (6 of these concerned pet green iguanas); 19 requested information on snakes; and 8 information on turtles.
The geographic breakdown of the inquiries was as follows: USA 41 (Alabama 1, California 2, Connecticut 1, Florida 1, Georgia 2, Hawaii 1, Illinois 1, Massachusetts 5, Michigan 2, Missouri 3, Montana 3, New York 7, Ohio 1, Oregon 1, Pennsylvania 4, Rhode Island 1, Tennessee 1, Virginia 3, Wisconsin 1); Hong Kong 1; Italy 1; origin unknown (all E-mail) 12.
The Ichthyological and Herpetological Collections Committee (Brooks M. Burr, Chair) is made up of four subcommittees: Policies and Practices (Douglas W. Nelson, Subcommittee Chair); Supplies and Resources (Alexandra M. Snyder, Subcommittee Chair); Newsletter (H. J. Walker, Subcommittee Chair); Data Standards (Stuart G. Poss, Subcommittee Chair).
The Policy & Practices Subcommittee submitted a lengthy report last year (see COPEIA 1995:1019-1020) and had little to report this year. Some discussion had occurred regarding the make-up and domain of the various subcommittees and the committee plans to resolve some of these matters at the meeting in New Orleans.
The Supplies & Resources Subcommittee currently has 35 survey forms distributed to 29 museums or stand-alone collections of fishes or herps. In the Fall of 1995, 13 surveys were sent to various Canadian collections. The average return time on most surveys has been within 1.5 years and to date, 10 surveys have been returned.
With the assistance of Stuart Poss and Julian Humphries, the supplies list and vendors will be put on the ASIH Website and Cornell Biodiversity gophersite by late Summer 1996. It is hoped to submit the list for inclusion in the SPNHC supplies list in the near future.
The Subcommittee has been active in responding to various E-mail and telephone queries regarding wet collections supplies and practices. These queries come to members personally or through the two listservs TAXACOM or NHCOLL. Although most of the questions have centered on wet label production techniques and materials, other questions responded to have been on the availability of good quality pre-numbered tags, "Liqui-pak" shipping containers, formalin neutralizers, sources of daisy-wheel printers, museum database programs, and so forth.
This year the Subcommittee also conducted an informal survey over TAXACOM and NHCOLL to determine the needs of the wet collections community for Byron Weston Resistal paper. The response was very good (about 40 responses within a working week). As a result, Byron Weston will have the paper produced at another mill that meets OSHA regulations; production begins June 1996.
In summary, the survey project (started in 1994) to determine supplies used by fish and herp collections has met with a slow response and lack of enthusiasm by the collections surveyed. However, the small database will "go online" this Summer and the Subcommittee will continue its service to the wet collections community by disseminating information on supplies and products through the NHCOLL and TAXACOM.
Since the last report was submitted, the Newsletter Subcommittee has successfully published and distributed Curation Newsletter #11. It can be accessed through the ASIH home page on the Internet (or gopher://muse.bio.cornell.edu:/70/11/curation/ichs_herps) in three different formats thanks to Julian Humphries, and hard copies are still available from Susan Jewett. (Hard copies also were made available at the Edmonton meeting.) The Subcommittee has received numerous positive comments concerning this publication.
The major goal of the Subcommittee for 1996-97 is to publish Curation Newsletter (CN) #12. This issue may focus on inks, papers and printers, but will be open for contributions in all areas of curation. Preliminary ideas are to include results of a Supplies and Resources Subcommittee survey and editorial policy guidelines for CN production.
The Data Standards Subcommittee has been preparing a standard model which provides the basis for implementation, without forcing anyone into changing current practices too much. The model incorporates elements in common between the ASC and MVZ models and adds elements necessary to treat marine collections, which are not well incorporated into either model, since both are based on collections that essentially lack this component. The Subcommittee is hopeful of having an Internet implementation that individuals can use as they see fit before the meetings.
In New Orleans the entire Committee planned to hold an open meeting to discuss the Data Standards model, where agreement may exist to extend the model, particularly transaction processing, and to prepare for a common Internet mediated implementation that all can use at their discretion. Should collections prefer not to use a standard model, that would be up to them. However, where there is agreement collections personnel could move ahead to share data accessible under a single format (regardless of the language their particular program was written in). A standard Internet implementation would permit collections personnel who do not already have programs to manage their data to share immediately or upload into a common format as they see fit. It would also have the advantage of permitting us to create links to collections databases directly from the ASIH home page and the Collections Summary database, and Institutional Codes database which are already on line. A working program will be made available soon (perhaps summer 1996).
Stephen J. Walsh, Ichthyological Information Coordinator , reported receipt of eleven letters in the last year from individuals in six U.S. states and three unknown geographic points of origin. Among the letters were requests for information pertaining to diseases and spawning of aquarium fishes, systematics, behavior, biology of select species, fisheries issues, and careers in ichthyology. Most requests were received by the Secretary’s office via Internet correspondence.
The Joint American Fisheries Society (AFS)-ASIH Committee on Names of Fishes , Joseph S. Nelson, Chair, reported that 1) no Committee meeting was held for the 1995 conference in Edmonton. 2.) numerous queries and requests were received, and files are being kept on the new North American species described in the last year and on name changes of other species. 3) Agenda items for the 17 June committee meeting at the New Orleans conference included: (1) Confirmation of committee members’ ability to serve in producing the 6th edition (J. Nelson, E. Crossman, C. Gilbert, R. Hunziker, B. Lea, D. Stewart, and J. Williams), (2) format to use, (3) Committee members’ duties, and (4) discussion of names "jewfish" and "squawfish".
Chair Patrick T. Gregory submitted the report of the Nominating Committee with the following slate of candidates for election to ASIH offices at this meeting. Copies of more detailed information sheets on candidates were distributed to members in meeting registration packets. Eleven nominees for Board of Governors (Ichthyology) were presented rather than 10 because delays in responses to some queries resulted in the committee seeking additional nominees.
Candidates for 1996: President-elect: J. Whitfield Gibbons, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory; Alan H. Savitzky, Old Dominion University. Physiology and Physiological Ecology Editor, COPEIA: Richard G. Bowker, Alma College. Robert H. Gibbs Award Committee: Carter R. Gilbert, University of Florida; Robert E. Jenkins, Roanoke College; Joseph S. Nelson, University of Alberta. Board of Governors - Herpetology: James W. Archie, Robert L. Bezy, James P. Collins, William E. Cooper, Martha L. Crump, Thomas H. Frazzetta, David M. Green, Robert G. Jaeger, Alicia Mathis, Joseph C. Mitchell; Board of Governors - Ichthyology: Larry Allen, Henry L. Bart Jr., Jonathan N. Baskin, Thomas Dowling, Alice F. Echelle, Philip J. Motta, Ruth B. Phillips, Stuart G. Poss, Robin Waples, Kirk Winemiller, Robert M. Wood.
Robert K. Johnson reported for the Raney Fund Award Committee . The committee this year included: Dr. Dannie A. Hensley (University of Puerto Rico), Dr. Robert Karl Johnson (University of Charleston, SC; Chair) and Dr. George Sedberry, SC Marine Resources Research Institute. The call for applications was published in COPEIA 1995(4): 1012, with a cutoff date for receipt of applications of March 1, 1996. Twenty-five completed applications were received. With $4,000.00 in funds to disburse this year, the committee was able to fund eight proposals: Marcelo R. de Carvalho. Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History ($600), Systematic revision of the electric rays, order Torpediniformes (Chondrichthyes); Vicente P. F. Cassano, Department of Biology, University of California (UCLA) ($258), Morphospecies and genetic divergence in the shiner perch, Cymatogaster aggregata in the California Bight; David J. Eisenhour, Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) ($527), Revision of the western species of the Macrhybopsis aestivalis complex (Pisces: Cyprinidae); Tomas Hrbek, Department of Biology, Washington University (St. Louis) ($559), Rise of the Andes, and its implication for the phylogenetic relationships within the annual fish genus Austrofundulus ; Richard W. Julian, Department of Biology, San Francisco 3 State University ($336), Genetic analysis of year- class formation in shortbelly rockfish: Sebastes jordani; Thomas M. Orrell, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science ($500), Phylogeny of the sparid fishes of the superfamily Sparoidea (Perciformes: Percoidei) and relationships to other superfamilies; Jean C. Porterfield, Illinois Natural History Survey ($520), Phylogenetic relationships of snubnose darters (Percidae, Etheostoma), female mate choice, and the evolution of male breeding color; Jeffrey S. Shima, Department of Biological Sciences, University of California (UCSB) ($700), Assessing the relative importance of larval supply and post- settlement processes on regulation of reef fish populations.
In March and April 1996, the Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award Committee (Brooks M. Burr, Chair) evaluated four nominees for the 1996 award and arrived at a decision with the use of regular mail, e- mail, FAX, and telephone. The awardee was to be announced at the ASIH annual banquet. The committee intends to continue to announce and promote the award through publication of notices in scientific journals, including COPEIA. Following the annual ASIH meeting, the Chair will forward the announcement of the winner for 1996 to these journals along with a request for future nominations. Following the tradition of previous years, a full page in COPEIA, 1996(4), will be devoted to a plaque bearing the name of the 1996 awardee as well as a list of all former recipients of the award. This year's awardee and the former recipients of the award will be encouraged to submit a paper in systematic ichthyology to COPEIA to appear (following the normal editorial review process) in the second year following the award as the lead ichthyological article in the journal. So far, none of the previous awardees have submitted papers to COPEIA in response to the committee's request.
Chair Stuart G. Poss of the Student Awards Committee reported preliminary preparations for student awards at the annual meeting in New Orleans were complete, with a total of student 179 papers being received by the 1 April deadline for entry into the 11 separate student competitions. Six of these papers were entered into more than one competition. These competitions include the ASIH Stoye Awards for best oral presentation granted in five separate categories, the ASIH Storer Awards for best student paper granted in two categories, the AFS- ELHS Richardson Award, the AES Gruber Award, the Herp League Best Student Paper Award, and the Neotropical Ichthyological Association Best Student Paper Award.
A total of 123 student titles and abstracts were entered in the ASIH Stoye Award competition. Of these, 18 submissions did not meet the requirement that the presentation must be based on work done solely by the student, and were disqualified on this basis. Within the five award categories for the Stoye competition, eight applicants qualify for presentation in General Herpetology (one disqualification), 16 in General Ichthyology (two disqualifications), 32 in Ecology and Ethology (11 disqualifications), 10 in Genetics, Development, and Morphology (no disqualifications), and eight in Physiology and Physiological Ecology (four disqualifications).
Thirty-one titles and abstracts were received for the ASIH Storer Awards. Of these, six were in herpetology and 17 in Ichthyology, with an additional eight ruled ineligible (four herpetology and four ichthyology) because of multiple authorship.
At the time the report was written, the committee was checking to determine if all student competitors were members in good standing. All students not meeting this second qualification would be offered the opportunity to join, and if their dues were received by the Society prior to their presentation, they would be ruled eligible to compete.
The Committee recommended that the rules for the Stoye and Storer Award competitions be printed in upper- case letters and bold face type in all subsequent calls for papers to insure that potential future competitors are made more fully aware of the rules regarding the requirements of single authorship and membership in ASIH. This simple change may reduce the number of multi- authored submissions that must be disqualified, without otherwise discouraging student participation.
President- elect Pietsch, with the assistance of President Stewart and others, provided nominations of the student award judges to serve at this meeting. The following scientists evaluated the Stoye Award competitions in each category: general herpetology, David Good, Rebecca Pyles, and Mark Paulissen; general ichthyology, Mark Pyron (Chairperson), Christopher Taylor, Mel Warren; ecology and ethology, Larry Allen (Chairperson), Deanna Stouder, Susan Sogard, Mo Donnelly, Craig Guyer, and Carol Johnson; genetics, development, and morphology, Christopher Phillips (Chairperson), Robert Wood, and Susan Walls. In physiology and physiological ecology, Catherine R. Bevier (Chairperson), Steve Beaupre, and Steve Walsh.
The Storer Awards were judged by the following individuals in each category: herpetology, Brian Crother and Carlos Navas; ichthyology, Doug Markle, (Chairperson), Jan Hoover, and Tim Berra.
Additionally, 22 (21 oral presentations and 1 poster) papers were received for competition for the Richardson Prize offered by the American Fisheries Society - Early Life History Section. Of these, one was disqualified because of inappropriate subject material and the poster presentation was ruled ineligible because all competitors must orally present their results. Judging for these papers was being coordinated by Dr. Richard F. Shaw.
A total of 20 papers were submitted by members of the American Elasmobranch Society for competition in for the Samuel Gruber Award and this competition is being conducted in coordination with AES representatives. All submitted papers were deemed eligible by AES.
Five student papers were submitted in the competition for best paper of the Neotropical Ichthyological Association. We have additional information to report concerning this competition.
Eight oral and one poster contribution were submitted for competition in the Herpetology League Student Awards. Judging for these papers were scheduled as requested by the Herp League and judging in accordance with Herp League rules.
Instructions for judges, including schedules and standardized judging forms are being prepared. Also being prepared is a draft summary characterizing issues relevant to conducting these awards at future meetings. This draft will be presented to Dr. Robert Johnson, who is preparing similar guides for other committees at the New Orleans meetings. Efforts are in progress to facilitate liaison between the judges and the Committee on Graduate Student Participation, so that all student competitors will receive feedback on their presentations. Scheduling of rooms and times for deliberations by judges was underway at the time the report was written, as were preparations for presentation of the awards at the ASIH banquet.
The committee expressed its thanks to Dr. Maureen Donnelly, previous Chair of the Student Awards Committee, for her assistance in providing continuity and guidance, as well as to the members of the Local Arrangements Committee for their substantial help.
For the Time, Place and Program Committee, Chair Patrick T. Gregory reported that although the committee had brief, informal discussions about one possible future meeting site this year, they did not progress to any meaningful level. Thus, no further meeting venues were established in the past year. However, the immediate schedule of future meetings is well in hand, with meeting sites previously approved as follows: 1997 - University of Washington; 1998 - University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada); 1999 - Pennsylvania State University. The committee solicited invitations to host a meeting in 2000 (or beyond).
George H. Burgess reported as Representative to the American Elasmobranch Society that AES held its 11th Annual Meeting on 16- 19 June 1995 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, with 75 members meeting concurrently with ASIH. AES program chairman Joe Nelson organized the meeting with expert assistance from fellow members of the ASIH local committee. The meeting consisted of five sessions consisting of 40 contributed papers, seven posters, and the traditional open slide/video finale. The contributed sessions included papers devoted to physiology, age and growth, morphology, ecology, systematics and evolution, population structure, demography, reproductive biology, behavior; and feeding. Five presentations were made at the open slide/video session. William G. Raschi gave the Presidential Address, "The Chondrichthyes of the 90's: what's been lost and what's been gained,"during the ASIH plenary session. The AES sessions were well attended by AES and ASIH members. Two student workshops, "How to Give Good Presentations" and "The Finer Art of Grantwriting," also were conducted.
The AES Executive Board and Board of Directors met on 15 June, and the Business Meeting was convened on 17 June. Constitutional changes included a shift to mail ballot elections starting in 1996. Elections held at the Business Meeting produced the following results: President- elect: John F. Morrissey; Secretary: Sanford Moss; Treasurer: Franklin Snelson. Board of Directors: George H. Burgess and Gregor M. Cailliet (5- year terms), Tim Tricas (3- year term). Grant Fund Committee: Tim Tricas and Brad Wetherbee (3- year terms), Sonja Fordham and Phil Motta (2- year terms), Jim Gelsleichter and Alan Henningsen (1- year terms). Nominating Committee: Ken Goldman (chair), Ramon Bonfil, George Burgess, Gerald Crow, Ken Goldman, Lisa Natanson.
The AES Banquet was held on 19 June. At the banquet a selection committee composed of John Morrissey, Eileen Grogan, Dave Koester, and Sandy Moss awarded the Gruber Award for best student paper to Lara Ferry for her contribution, “How does the heterocercal tail function in leopard shark locomotion." The second place award went to Marcelo Carvalho for his paper, “Phylogenetic relationships of the Upper Jurassic shark Protospinax Woodward, 1919 (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii)." Third place awards were given to Jennifer Wyffels and Kimby Barton. The evening was highlighted by the Third Annual Elasmo Auction which raised over $2000 for the Student Travel Fund. An additional $975 for the Fund was garnered in t- shirt sales.
As always, AES is appreciative of ASIH for its continued support of joint meetings and planned to next meet with ASIH in New Orleans.
Melvin L. Warren, Jr., ASIH Representative to the American Fisheries Society (AFS), reported several activities within AFS of direct relevance to ASIH, particularly those concerning conservation of aquatic organisms. The AFS committee on North American Fisheries Policy (Lynn Starnes, Chair) published an AFS position statement on that topic (1996. Fisheries 21:26- 29), providing a holistic approach to fisheries within the context of biodiversity and sustainability of ecosystems. The AFS Fisheries Action Network "Stocks at Risk" focus group and the AFS Endangered Species Committee (AFS- ESC) (Kevin Richards, Chair) showed significant progress in several areas. The Crayfish Subcommittee (Chris Taylor and Mel Warren, Co- chairs) of AFS- ESC published "Conservation Status of Crayfishes of the United States and Canada" (1996. Fisheries 21:25- 38); the Marine Fishes Subcommittee (Jack Musick and Gene Huntsman, Co- chairs) of AFS- ESC is progressing toward a status assessment of coastal marine U.S. fishes; manuscripts on salmonid stocks at risk, projects of the Alaska and North Pacific AFS Chapters, are near completion; and proceedings of the Fisheries Action Network conference "Evolution and the Aquatic Ecosystem: Defining Unique Units in Population Conservation" (Jennifer Nielsen, editor) is now available. The AFS- ESC Reauthorization Subcommittee sent members to Washington D.C. in July 1995 where they visited with members of Congress and their staffs to advance the AFS position on reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act, a position fully endorsed by ASIH (COPEIA 1995:1043). The AFS- ESC sent letters to the House Resources Committee and all House members strongly opposing the Young- Pombo Bill (HR 2275) stating that this bill would "destroy many of the safeguards provided by the ESA." The ASIH membership was urged to participate in the reauthorization process by writing legislators; critically reviewing and providing comments on proposed principles and changes to be incorporated in the reauthorized Act; contacting Kevin Richards to express willingness to contribute to the efforts of the Reauthorization Subcommittee; and supporting AFS efforts to see the Act come through the debates intact. An excellent package on letter writing tips for the reauthorization of the Act was developed by the Western Division of AFS and is available upon request from Mel Warren (601\234- 2744 or e- mail fswarren@vm.cc.olemiss.edu). Kevin Richards can be contacted at 314\346- 2210 (e- mail esox99@aol.com).
Larry M. Page, Representative to the Association of Systematics Collections, reported ASC is developing a World Wide Web site with links to all ASC member institution and affiliate societies. A workshop on the WWW, databases and networking was the highlight of the 1995 Annual Meeting of ASC, held at the University of California at Berkeley. ASC also has a contract with the National Biological Service to develop databases on taxonomic experts and collection resources. The two databases will be available over the Internet.
ASC had a major impact in 1995 on improving the FWS regulations regarding the importation and exportation of specimens and continues to work with FWS to develop reasonable regulations. An agreement is being negotiated between ASC and FWS that would allow the transfers of donated collections to not- for- profit research and educational institutions with reasonable requirements regarding permit records.
ASC recently published guidelines on policies and planning in natural history museums and is helping several institutions to implement the guidelines. It is organizing, as a prelude to the 1996 meeting, a workshop to help members interact with policy makers and the press. The meeting will deal with the difficult issue of intellectual property and national patrimony as related to international research collections and the sharing of specimens around the world.
Representative to the Early Life History Section of the American Fisheries Society, Michael P. Fahay, reported AFS held their highly successful 19th Annual Larval Fish Conference in Sydney, with 217 registrants from 21 countries participating (70+ from the U.S.). The high scientific standards exhibited in recent meetings continued in eight symposia devoted to topical and interesting subjects including one taking a world- wide look at bluefish life history strategies. The Section's newsletter "Stages" has gotten a recent facelift. It includes chatty news items (who's doing what?), features on various facilities involved in early life history work, and erudite essays by respected fish ecologists. The Section accepts non- voting memberships sans membership in AFS. Affiliate membership includes subscription to "Stages". Send $10.00 to their Treasurer, Stanley Warlen, NOAA, NMFS, SEFSC, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516.
George Rabb, Representative to the International Union for the Conservationof Nature, reported that throughout IUCN, the need for the various programs and offices to work together is apparent, and significant progress in this direction is being made. In October 1995, IUCN held a regional members meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and for the first time ever, three Commissions held meetings in conjunction with this regional members meeting. The Riyadh Conservation Forum, as it was formally called, was a critical step in improving regional cooperation and developing an IUCN presence in North Africa, West and Central Asia. The SSC component of this meeting was organized and run by Dr. Abuzinada, both an SSC Steering Committee member and the Chair of the Arabian Plants Specialist Group, and the timing of it with the CNPPA and CEM meetings encouraged integration of the work of these three Commissions at a regional level.
As exemplified by the regional meeting in Riyadh, more of SSC’s work is being focused at a regional level. SSC is now lucky to have program officers based in IUCN regional offices in the following regions: South America, Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa. These officers are supporting the SSC Specialist Groups in the regions as well as promoting implementation of various Action Plan recommendations.
The National Biodiversity Conservation Groups, a cooperative initiative between SSC and CNPPA, continue to grow in South America. There are now groups up and running in Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. Additionally, Peru, Brazil and Paraguay have taken initial steps to organize groups. Using the SSC’s guidelines for the National Biodiversity Conservation Groups, although not officially part of the SSC, both the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have formed groups in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is hoped that the SSC can establish a recognized partnership with these two groups.
Also operating at a local level, the regional networks of the Sustainable Use Specialist Group are expanding to cover most of the globe. Three regions, Central America, Southern Africa, and Western Africa are advanced in their work and will present case studies at the World Conservation Congress in Montreal in October of this year. This month there will be workshops for representatives of the eleven established regions to come together and discuss issues. The aim of this workshop is to synthesize principles emerging from the various regions.
In addition to the restructuring occurring at IUCN Headquarters, at the last SSC Steering Committee meeting there was a strong call for a restructuring of SSC governance in a way that would devolve major management responsibilities to a number of Steering Committee members. The SSC network has grown and expanded to the extent where traditional means of operating are no longer effective enough. It is hoped that through restructuring, the Steering Committee members will be more directly involved in the daily activities of SSC at a variety of levels, including programmatic decisions, fund raising, and staff support, and therefore the SSC will be better able to fulfill its strategic plan.
Possibly ahead of the game, several SSC Steering Committee members have been working to establish a Marine Group that would oversee SSC’s marine conservation activities, provide support to the marine based Specialist Groups and coordinate cross-cutting programs. This group would also serve as a contact point for CNPPA’s Marine Protected Areas Program, and IUCN Headquarter’s Marine Program. Both of these programs have been involved in setting up this marine group, and together the three programs hope to build a comprehensive marine conservation network.
At the last Steering Committee meeting, the marine working group recommended a number of initiatives. Possibly the most exciting and challenging initiative was the call to develop a Red Data Book for fisheries. It is hoped that this Red Data Book, as other Red Data Books have done for a number of threatened species, will draw the world’s attention to unsustainable and thus threatened fisheries. Criteria will need to be developed before such a book can be assembled, but the initial concept received support from the whole Steering Committee.
Another initiative pertaining to fisheries has been the development of workshops to examine the application of the new Categories of Threat to a number of fish species, including those targeted by commercial fisheries. This has been a joint project between SSC and the Institute of Zoology in London. There has been some skepticism voiced as to the general applicability of these Red List categories to marine species, and thus the push to examine the issues in detail. The various Specialist Groups focusing on marine species will be asked to evaluate the usefulness of the criteria.
The other Specialist Groups have responded with great enthusiasm to the new Categories of Threat. For example, the Mollusc Specialist Group has undertaken the assessment of 1300 species with the new criteria. The assessments by the various Specialist Groups will be included in the 1996 Red List of 4 Threatened Animals, which will be launched at the World Conservation Congress in Montreal this October. In preparation for this Red List, all of the mammal species have been evaluated, which is a first time event.
The initiative to develop the Biodiversity Conservation Information System (BCIS) continues to develop at two levels, the Consortium level and the SSC component. At the Consortium level, a formal agreement of principles between the partner institutions has been negotiated, and will likely be signed within the month. Botanic Gardens Conservation International has joined the consortium, bringing with it a wealth of plant data. Additionally, an external case statement describing each of the partner institutions, the goals and the products of BCIS has been drafted, and it is being used to make initial approaches to donors.
At the SSC level, members of a BCIS working group have been talking with a sample of Specialist Groups to ascertain an idea of the various Specialist Groups’ needs and desires from such an information management system. This group will meet at the end of April to begin to design the basic system. The plan is to have a prototype up and running in time for the SSC Commission meeting in Montreal, which will be held immediately prior to the World Conservation Congress.
The Trade Program has also seen some interesting developments over the last year. To begin with, SSC welcomed a new head of the trade program, Alison Rosser. Over the past year, she organized a strategic planning workshop. The resulting Trade Program strategic plan is still being finalized, and will go before the SSC Steering Committee at its next meeting for adoption. While recognizing the importance of SSC’s work with CITES, the meeting participants additionally call for the trade program to focus on species in trade that are not covered by CITES. The strategic plan will prioritize the various objectives of the Trade Program.
Amie Brautigam, the former head of the Trade Program, has become one of two Animals Program Officers, and is responsible for Reptile, Amphibian, Fish and Invertebrate Specialist Groups. As the SSC expands its work in the marine realm, Amie will serve as a liaison to the Marine Working Group. She is operating from the Washington, D.C. office of IUCN.
The Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force continues to examine the possible effects of global factors on species. The Task Force now has 108 regional groups working in 90 countries, and 5 issues-based working groups. A number of the working groups contributed information to the traveling exhibit on declining amphibian populations, which has been developed by the Smithsonian Institution. On the fund raising front, SSC has continued to work with Flora and Fauna International to develop a global amphibian conservation marketing campaign which will benefit DAPTF as well as the Reptile and Amphibian Specialist Groups.
A number of SSC publications were released in the last year, including Pheasants: A Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan 1995-1999; Partridges, Quails and Francolins: An Action Plan for their Conservation; The Conservation Biology of Molluscs: Proceedings of a Symposium held at the 9th International Malacological Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1986; Polar Bears: Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, January 25-28 1993, Copenhagen, Denmark; and the last three educational booklets in the set of six on fur-bearing mammals (The Seals, Wild Cats and their Relatives, and The Red Panda, Olingos, Coatis, Raccoons and their Relatives). Additionally, an SSC Occasional Paper Assessing the Sustainability of Uses of Wild Species: Case studies and initial assessment procedure; the Cat Action Plan; and the Eurasian Insectivores and Tree Shrew Action Plan are all currently at the printers. Finally, the IUCN Re-introduction Guidelines, developed by the Re-introduction Specialist Group, have been adopted by IUCN Council. These guidelines are being printed, but the full text is currently available on the Internet at rocket.iprolink.ch/pub/iucn/ssc.
Under IUCN statutes, Commission Chairs may serve no more than two elected terms of three years. Thus at the Montreal Congress this October I will step down as Chair of SSC although I expect to continue to be involved in some capacity with both SSC and IUCN.
Representative to the National Biological Survey, M. L. Warren, Jr., reported, as had the previous representative for 1994, Walter Courtenay, that there was no activity during 1995. The charge given to this representative is vague. The current representative comments that the Society might review the mission of this representative and investigate the possibility of having NBS designate a contact person in the agency if an effective liaison is desired.
Arthur A. Myrberg, Representative to the Fish Behavior Group of the Animal Behavior Society reported the Animal Behavior Society had its 32nd annual meeting at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, July 9- 13, 1995, where 348 papers were presented, a decrease of approximately 19% in the number presented in 1994. Thirty- three papers dealt with subjects of direct interest to members of our Society: 19 (5.4%) dealt with fishes, 8 (2.2%) dealt with reptiles, and 6 (1.7%) dealt with amphibians. Papers, dealing with these three groups decreased their representation by 34%, when compared to the number contributed in 1994 and the % of total contributions slipped again: 9.4% (1995), 11.5% (1994), 12% (1993).
Relatively few families of fishes were represented at the '95 meeting, and their % of total representation continued to slip, as noted last year (5.5% [1995], 6.5% [1994], 8.1% [1993], 12.4% [1992]. The most popular families included the gasterosteids (8) and the poeciliids (4). The salmonids were the subjects of two papers and several families were the subjects of one paper each (cichlid, acanthurid, esocid, mormyrid, serranid).
Herpetological groups markedly dropped their representation at the meeting compared to that seen in 1994 and previous years: salamanders (4 papers), lizards and turtles (3 papers each), followed by frogs (2) and snakes (2).
Reports were divided among the following subjects (loosely defined)
| Subject | Fishes | Reptiles | Amphibians |
| Mating and courtship | 4 | 1 | |
| Pred.-prey | 3 | ||
| Social | 2 | ||
| Endocrine | 2 | ||
| Motivation | 3 | ||
| Locomotion | 1 | 1 | |
| Feeding | 2 | 1 | |
| Communication | 2 | ||
| Sensory | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Recognition-patterns | 1 | ||
| Learning | 1 | ||
| Behav. thermoregulation | 1 | ||
| Endocrine function | 1 | ||
| Ontogeny | 1 | ||
| Orientation | 1 | ||
| __ | __ | __ | |
| 19 | 8 | 6 |
The 33rd annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society will be held at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 3- 8 August, 1996. For additional information, contact Con Slobodchikoff: e- mail: con. slobodchikoff@nau.edu.
John E. Simmons, Representative to Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) reported that the 10th anniversary meeting of SPNHC was held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, from 2- 6 June 1995. The keynote speaker for the meeting was Dr. Stephen J. Gould, whose topic was "The Glory and Importance of Natural History Collections." Of particular interest to ASIH members were presentations on the evolution of natural history museums, preserving and cataloging fish illustrations as unique natural history records, the control of acidity in formaldehyde solutions, categories of collections as a collection management tool, studies of disaster recovery and disaster planning in natural history collections, and a review of the holdings of Canadian natural history collections. The Ichthyology and Herpetology Discussion Group toured the Royal Ontario Museum fish, amphibian, and reptile collections and enjoyed a spirited, wide- ranging discussion with the ROM collection care staff. Following the regular meeting, SPNHC offered a two- day workshop on "Managing the Modern Herbarium." SPNHC will meet in 1996 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia; and in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Alan H. Savitzky acted as Representative to the Society for Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists' League. He reported this year's major development was the agreement by all three herpetological societies to two successive joint meetings, in Seattle (1997) and in Guelph (1998). Following its meeting with SSAR in Athens, GA in 1994, HL has returned to regular meetings with ASIH into the foreseeable future. Some members of SSAR, however, continue to be wary of frequent joint meetings of all three societies, despite considerable support from many other members who have affiliations with all of the organizations. It now seems likely that HL will continue to meet regularly, and SSAR irregularly, with ASIH.
Among the other areas of mutual concern for the three societies is the proposed joint membership directory. SSAR has taken an increased role in the project, but the task remains of reconciling differing addresses for many individuals in the three societal databases. Although the availability of the online ASIH directory has rendered the project less urgent, there is still a need for a merged directory and for a printed edition, especially for many overseas members. Under the leadership of ASIH President Meg Stewart the three societies are again seeking funds from NSF to support travel by graduate students to the Third World Congress of Herpetology in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1997. Finally, conservation issues continue to be discussed jointly by the appropriate representatives of the three societies.
Discussion of other reports to Board of Governors
President Stewart moved to discussion of old business, beginning with the exempted reports. She called on Secretary Hendrickson, who reminded members of the existence of the ASIH membership directory on WWW. This and the printed version of the same are heavily relied upon by the Executive Committee, committees, and many members, to facilitate communications, but many members have not contributed their e-mail addresses, phone and FAX numbers. The Executive Committee encouraged members to contribute their complete contact information to Allen Press, using either the Web form, e-mail, or membership applications and renewal forms.
As reported last year by Secretary Dean A. Hendrickson, the Secretary's office moved to the Texas Natural History Collections on January 4, 1995. Society business was conducted from this office until October when Allen Press Business Management took over all ASIH Business Office functions under a contract approved by the Executive Committee at the 1995 meeting. All financial transactions of memberships, subscriptions, page charges, back issue and mailing list sales, are now handled by Allen Press, as are all inquiries about membership status, dues payments, address changes, COPEIA delivery inquiries, etc. Members should therefore now direct all such communications to the ASIH liaison at Allen Press, Ms. Karen Hickey (PO Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044-8897; tel. 1-800-627-0629; FAX (913) 843-1274; e-mail: khickey@allenpress.com). Karen is professional, helpful, and quick to respond to inquiries.
Functions of the ASIH Secretary's Office (Texas Natural History Collections / R4000, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1100; tel. (512) 471-0998; FAX (512) 471-9775; e-mail: ASIH@mail.utexas.edu) are thus reduced to coordination with Allen Press Business Management, management of correspondence, maintenance of Society files and archives, coordination of communications among officers, Board of Governors, committees, and representatives to other societies, maintenance and growth of the ASIH World Wide Web pages, keeping meeting minutes and reporting on meetings, and other routine secretarial tasks of the Society. Allen Press provides electronic copies of the membership database to the Secretary on a quarterly basis. These will be used for general communications with the membership and for updates of the membership directory on WWW.
On 31 December 1995 the number of members in the respective categories of the Society's mailing list included 1,285 regular, 547 student, 282 foreign, 200 life, 23 associate, 18 sustaining, and 32 honorary foreign members, for an overall total of 2,387 members. Overall totals for recent years are: 1985 - 2,199; 1986 - 2,241; 1987 - 2,151; 1988 - 2,215; 1989 - 2,325; 1990 - 2,407; 1991 - 2,442; 1992 - 2,389; 1993 - 2,410; 1994 - 2,449. As of December 1995 there were 705 domestic and 332 foreign institutional subscriptions, compared to 697 and 391, respectively in the previous year.
The total number of COPEIA 1995(4) mailed was 3,429, compared with 3,527, 3,460, 3,491 and 3,542 for the last (i.e., no. 4) issues of 1994, 1993, 1992 and 1991, respectively. Permission was granted on 9 requests to reprint 10 figures published in COPEIA, on five requests to make a total of 81 copies of each of five articles for use in formal courses on five campuses. One request was granted for use of two COPEIA articles in the annual Contributions volume published by the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayaguez Campus. Another granted permission for private distribution of 100 copies of a 1993 COPEIA article, and another granted permission for copying and distribution of selected papers from ASIH Special Publication 1, “The Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes” as part of a class. One request was granted for non-profit reproduction and distribution on CD-ROM of one article.
Two requests for COPEIA mailing list rentals were received for both the ichthyology and herpetology lists. One request was received for ichthyology mailing labels. Income from mailing list rentals for 1995 totaled $680
The Society realized $209.44 during 1995 in royalty payments from University Microfilms International from sales of microfilm and microfiche of COPEIA (compared to $294.71 during 1994). Herpetological and Ichthyological career pamphlets sent during 1995 numbered 270 and 267, respectively (compared to 284 and 259 in 1994).
The Secretary again solicits contributions and suggestions for improvement of the World Wide Web pages of the society, as well as offers to assist with management of portions of the system. Long range plans include posting of much of the society history recorded in files in the Secretary's office on the Web, as well as addition of careers pamphlets, some special publications (e.g. Utilization and Care of herps and fish in research, etc.) to the system. Improved search and data retrieval capabilities for the membership database are currently being worked on.
President Stewart explained that the Report of the Society Historian had been held for discussion to introduce a new project to record Society history as remembered by "Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern" members. The proposal was to establish a regional network of volunteers to interview senior members. Governor Bill Anderson was introduced by President Stewart as a coordinator of this effort, and requested that those interested in helping conduct interviews contact him.
Society Historian Mark R. Jennings reported that, during the past year, the President of ASIH (Meg Stewart) and he discussed the possibility of having regional support groups of ASIH members who would be willing to interview older members of Society with whom they had a working relationship (and who lived near by) in order to preserve important historic information about the Society. It was considered especially important to conduct oral history interviews of older members who are now on the "Endangered List". A call for volunteers received some favorable replies and a list of the names, addresses, and ages of over a 150 former and current ASIH members who were "Endangered" [80+ years old], "Threatened" [70- 79 years old], or of "Special Concern" [60- 69 years old] was compiled. The historian also put together a list of potential questions to ask during interviews, as well as some pointers on how to conduct interviews. This project will be an ongoing process for a number of years and will depend on how many members volunteer to conduct interviews.
A computer data base of ASIH members from 1916- present was compiled and is still undergoing modifications and data entry, but it will eventually provide information on every known member's vital records (e.g., sex, age, affiliation, years of membership, education, etc.). Information from this data base was used to generate the presentation by the Historian at Edmonton on the demographics of ASIH over the past 75 years.
Finally, a written suggestion and example was provided to the ASIH Endowment Committee for producing a guide on how a member (or former member) could make donations to ASIH via their will. This appeared to be an overlooked avenue of providing significant donations to the Endowment Fund in the future.
The Committee on Book- Length Publications, Richard L. Mayden, Chair, reported that the committee received no submissions or manuscripts for evaluation and consideration during the last year, so had nothing to report. President Stewart then explained that the Committee on Book Length Publications and the Special Publications Committee would be consolidated into a single committee taking the name of the latter. Its charge would be the publication of all non-COPEIA publications of the Society, such as books, pamphlets, and brochures as produced by other committees or independent authors/editors. This consolidation seemed appropriate since the decision made at last year's meeting not to publish a monograph series left the former Special Publications Committee without a charge, yet there are some pamphlets in preparation and no arrangements had been made for their publication. There was no objection to this proposal.
The Committee to Revise the Careers in Herpetology Pamphlet provided a draft of the new pamphlet and the Executive Committee requested that any Governors with comments on this draft direct them to John Simmons (jsimmons@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu), the Committee Chair and author, by September 30, so that his pamphlet may be finalized and published prior to next year's annual meeting. The draft is available as part of the Reports to Board of Governors, which are accessible via the ASIH Home Page.
The Executive Committee withheld the report of the Environmental Quality Committee to call attention to the workshop organized for this meeting by the committee. Governor Phil Pister indicated that the workshop would address conservation ethics and the sometimes difficult line between good science and advocacy.
Melvin L. Warren, Jr., Chair of the Environmental Quality Committee, reported several committee activities. In response to an approved society resolution (COPEIA 1994:1106), the committee on behalf of ASIH and in conjunction with the Desert Fishes Council petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior to add the robust blind salamander (Typhlomolge robusta), widemouth blindcat (Satan eurystomus), and toothless blindcat (Trogloglanis pattersoni) to the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to date has been unable to pursue or issue a finding on the petition because the congressionally imposed moratorium on listing of endangered species eliminated funding for such actions. The committee sent letters of endorsement for the American Elasmobranch Society's resolution regarding reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to the Chairs and members of both the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Resources. The House approved reauthorization of the Act with critical strengthening amendments; Senate action is pending. The committee provided 5 comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the proposed rule to list the copperbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta) and the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum). The Service was encouraged to take action and list both taxa as soon as possible.
The editor of Environmental Biology of Fishes was informed of the ASIH resolution on the Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirynchus suttkusi)(COPEIA 1995:1043) and the potential importance and impact that EBF may have for the conservation of this species in its pending publication of the International Symposium on Conservation and Biodiversity of Sturgeons and Paddlefishes. The committee also completed a survey for the Biodiversity Working Group of the Wildlife Society; a summary of survey results from responding societies and organizations is available from Mel Warren.
The report of the Long Range Planning and Finance Committee was next discussed. The committee reported that the principal charge addressed by Past- President Greenfield to the LRPFC this year is the production of an ASIH Procedures Manual that will clearly outline the responsibilities of each officer and committee in the Society and provide detailed information on term of appointments and operating procedures. Although the Constitution and By- laws define the officers, Board of Governors, and standing committee structure of the Society, the specifics relating to duties, timing of transitions of office and function exists largely as oral tradition.
WHEREAS this has worked fairly well in the past, the Society and its volunteer bureaucracy have grown sufficiently large that it is now appropriate to establish a written procedure statement. All Committee Chairs, Officers and Representatives were asked to deliver their contributions to the ASIH Procedures Manual to Robert K. Johnson, Chair of this committee, as soon as possible. This document promises to be extremely valuable in facilitating the business of the Society. Drafts will be posted on WWW as they become available.
Past-President Greenfield had charged the Committee to address these specific issues:
To request past committee chairs to develop a statement that clearly outlines the purpose of their committee, operating procedures and specific time lines.
To request past and present officers to develop a statement that clearly outlines operating procedures and specific time lines for their office.
To develop a synoptic history of constitutional and bylaws changes in the last 20 years related to duties and timing of actions of officers and committees.
To develop a detailed recommendation on terms of officers and committee members and the timing of transitions functions relevant to the calendar year, the Society fiscal year, and the annual meeting.
To review the committee structure of ASIH and as appropriate make recommendations for change, including the consideration of "sunset" rules for ad hoc committees.
To develop a detailed recommendation to the Executive Committee on matters that should be handled as they occur vs. matters that should await BOG consideration.
This charge has been confirmed by the past and present ASIH Executive Committee and by ASIH President Margaret Stewart.
This project involves a detailed examination of 19 currently held officerships and (at least) 34 committees and/or representatives of varying purview. Thus far the committee’s approach to dealing with this task was to develop a preliminary response covering the composition, purview and schedule for one committee. A draft statement for the Raney Fund Committee, which is probably representative in scope and purview of many of our committees, was developed as an example. The committee is developing a similar model for the officerships. This is intended to accomplish at least two purposes:
(1) It provides a feeling for the size of the task at hand and the probable magnitude of the finished manual. Based on the model developed (copy to be distributed at the BOG meeting), the committee estimates that the final Procedures Manual may well approach 150 pages in length.
(2) The example is intended to serve as an initial format model with which the committee will appeal to colleagues, past or present officers, past or present committee chairs and/or members, past or present representatives, and so forth, for their help in developing similar draft statements describing the functions and timings of their offices and/or committees.
It is estimated that a draft of the completed manual will be distributed to the Executive Committee by early in 1997 and will be ready for BOG examination by the Seattle meetings. The committee welcomes and urges input from any and all members on how to make this project most useful.
Governor Don Buth asked for clarification regarding numbers in the Report of the Managing Editor. Specifically he asked how the figures of numbers of manuscripts rejected and numbers received were computed. Managing Editor Douglas indicated that they were based on the calendar year, and Dr. Buth pointed out that because of the way manuscripts were processed, they could be misleading in the case of new editors. Such reporting makes it appear as though new editors were rejecting a far greater proportion of manuscripts than they actually were. Dr. Douglas had no suggestions as to how this possible misinterpretation might be prevented, or how the report might be improved. Governor Cannatella asked about the mandatory 6-month "in train" period required by Allen Press. This reflects the production time requirements of Allen Press and cannot be decreased. Editor Douglas confirmed that Allen Press will not reduce this time even with electronic submission of manuscripts. Governor Clark Hubbs indicated that the 6-month period was in place before he became Managing Editor. Governor Cannatella also asked about the raise requested for the Copy Editor, and inquired as to the current salary for this position. Dr. Douglas replied that the half-time position paid $10,000, and indicated that his university had suggested that it should be raised by $2,000. Limited discussion and comments followed and it was agreed that the raise be granted. Governor Jay Savage moved that the report (see below) be accepted. The motion was seconded and approved without objections.
The Managing Editor, Michael E. Douglas, had reported that, during 1995, 1076 pages of COPEIA were published over four issues: 15 February (270 pages), 3 May (254 pages), 18 August (248 pages), and 21 December (304 pages). These four issues comprised 77 major articles (783 pages or 73%) and 39 shorter contributions (129 pages or 12%). The remaining 15% was distributed as follows: 36 Book Reviews (54 pages), summary of the 1994 annual meeting (36 pages), 1995 index (27 pages), six obituaries (18 pages), four notes and news (13 pages), a list of reviewers (four pages), three award notices (three pages), a perspective (three pages), and instructions to authors (two pages).
Of the major articles published in COPEIA, 53% were in ichthyology (n = 41), while the remaining 47% were in herpetology (n = 36). Of the shorter contributions, 58% were in herpetology (n = 22), while 42% (n = 16) were in ichthyology. When major articles and shorter contributions were combined, both herpetological and ichthyological articles accounted for 50% (n = 58 and 57, respectively.
During 1995, 303 manuscripts were submitted to COPEIA, which represents a 21% increase over 1994. Of these, 90% (n = 273) were processed (a 23% increase over 1994). Some 68% (same percentage in 1994) (n = 186) were submitted from 42 different states of the Union: California (20), Michigan (15), Illinois (13), Florida (12), Arizona (10), South Carolina (9), New York (8), Washington (7), five states with five, eight with four, four with three, seven with two, and seven with one each. The remaining 32% (n = 68) of submissions were received from 24 different countries, distributed as follows: Japan (15), Australia (10), Canada (10), Brasil (nine), Spain (seven), Republic of China (four), South Africa (three), Germany (three), Mexico (three), Israel (three), Argentina (two), New Zealand (two), France (two), Sweden (two), Belgium (two), Austria (two), and United Kingdom, Bermuda, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Italy, Indonesia, and India with one submittal each.
Of the 273 articles processed, 21% (n = 57) were allocated to genetics, development, and morphology; 20% (n = 55) to general herpetology; 20% (n = 54) to general ichthyology; 20% (n = 54) to ecology and ethology, and 19% (n = 53) to physiology and physiological ecology; Rejection rates by section were as follows: Ecology and ethology, 74% (29/39); physiology/ physiological ecology, 72% (23/32); genetics, development, and morphology, 71% (27/38); general herpetology, 66% (21/32); and general ichthyology, 40% (17/43). The overall 1995 rejection rate for COPEIA was 64% (117/184).
The COPEIA backlog, discussed at previous annual meetings, is a non- issue. In fact, the 25% and 15% drops in submittals for 1993 and 1994, respectively (as compared to 1992) have pushed the envelope a bit with regard to the normal COPEIA "safety cushion" maintained for unforeseen editorial problems. As discussed in the 1994 managing editor's report, Allen Press requires a mandatory six- month, "in- train" period for processing of manuscripts (whether electronic or hard- copy format). This cannot be reduced by COPEIA staff for it reflects Allen Press production time. The COPEIA office also requires a three- month period to edit/compile an issue, and to correct copyediting problems (these usually stem from the fact that authors fail to read and/or implement "instructions to authors" (published in the first issue of each volume)). An additional two- month period is designated as the "safety cushion," to deal with unforseen editorial problems (this period is required because authors either fail to respond to editorial queries, or only respond differentially). Thus, the managing editor concluded in 1995 that time "in- train" should not be reduced below 11- months. The maximum time an accepted manuscript has been "in- train" for the last several issues of COPEIA is as follows: 1995(4) 9.94 months; 1996(1) 9.04 months. The safety margin is thus minimal. However, the 23% increase in 1995 submittals over that recorded for 1994 (stated above) will hopefully allow both normal security measures to be reinstated and the full allotment of 1200 pages per year to be published.
With regard to electronic publishing, the positive note provided at the 1995 annual meeting is again reemphasized. The society saved $8,086.50 in publishing costs during 1995. Savings were recorded as follows: 1995(1) $2,040.00; 1995(2) $1,920.00; 1995(3) $1,860.00; 1995(4) $2266.50. The savings per issue will climb even higher for 1996 in that our savings- per- published- page elevates from $7.50 to $8.50. It is anticipated that the society will accrue over $10,000. in savings for 1996. These savings result from the COPEIA copy editor imbedding all Allen Press printing commands into each manuscript. Given that the society is realizing considerable savings from electronic publishing, and given that this boon is the direct result of dedicated effort by the COPEIA copy editor (Ms. Jean Bann), the managing editor thus petitions the executive committee and the BOG to grant a $2,000. salary increase to Ms. Bann as a token of the society's appreciation of her efforts on our behalf.
The report of the Editorial Policy Committee was next discussed, with Governor Buth asking if the phrase "in review" in the first sentence of the third paragraph should not be changed to "in revision." Committee Chair, Michael E. Douglas, agreed that such a change was in order. Douglas had reported that the Editorial Policy Committee (EPC), also known as the Publications Policy Committee, convened at the Society's annual meeting in Edmonton (Canada) and, after reviewing old and/or unresolved business, initiated a discussion on the merits of acknowledging reviewers by sending them copies of all reviews (unsigned) and a copy of the letter to the corresponding author in which the disposition of the manuscript was discussed. This policy was first initiated after the 1994 EPC meeting (USC, Los Angeles) but some confusion resulted during its implementation, and questions emerged as to exactly what policy was in place. After reviewing pros and cons, the general consensus of the committee was that the policy was indeed beneficial and that COPEIA should continue with its implementation. Sectional editors were asked to solicit from a given referee four copies of the review to minimize xeroxing.
There was also much discussion involving manuscripts "appropriate" for COPEIA. Both managing and sectional editors have been rejecting as "inappropriate" those manuscripts deficient in subject matter and/ or methodology. A consensus regarding "appropriateness" was thus sought. For example, review papers are inappropriate for COPEIA unless they are either of general interest to all readers, or augmented with substantive new data. After discussion, it was decided not to formalize what is "appropriate" for the journal, but instead to continue as before with an undefined policy.
It was also decided that a manuscript should not remain "in revision" longer than six months. By this, it is meant that an author has six months to complete revisions on a manuscript and return it to the sectional editor. If revision extends beyond this time then the manuscript must be submitted anew. To facilitate this policy, sectional editors were asked to simply reject manuscripts that require considerable revision in order to be acceptable, even though these may be based on solid data. In this way, authors may revise/resubmit according to their own schedule, rather than be confronted with a deadline.
The committee was also unanimous in its feeling that corresponding authors should be notified when the review process lingers beyond three months from date the sectional editor receives the manuscript. Each sectional editor will thus devise a form letter to notify authors when delays occur in the review process.
The issue of "grey literature" was also discussed again, and sectional editors were adamant that current policy (i.e., not allowing such material to be referenced in "Literature Cited") should not be tampered with.
Concern was voiced at the 1995 Executive Committee meeting regarding those authors who use an incorrect institutional address on their manuscript. This often occurs when younger members submit dissertation research under the by- line of a post- doctoral (or other) institution. This topic was then discussed in the EPC meeting. As a result, sectional editors were asked to carefully read Acknowledgments to ascertain if a manuscript has been submitted under the wrong by- line. By the same token, Acknowledgments should also be scrutinized for evidence of (a) deposition of voucher specimens into museums, and (b) demonstration of state and federal collecting permit numbers.
Governor Jay Savage moved acceptance of all reports as discussed above, Treasurer Larry Page seconded the motion and it carried without objection.
President Stewart continued with other old business, and reported on the outcome of the mid-year vote of the Board of Governors on whether to contribute $5,000 to the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF). The governors had voted by e-mail to make this contribution and the funds were granted. She reported that since then she had received a letter from Ron Heyer, the Director of DAPTF, who reported that they had obtained funding to carry the project well into 1997. They are also soliciting foundation support and are confident of future funding. She suggested that members purchase "Frogs Leap Wine," since this Napa Valley Winery donates part of its profits to DAPTF.
President Stewart moved to new business, reporting that the Executive Committee requested abolishing the office of Publications Secretary. With the move of the Business Office to Allen Press in October, all duties of this office are being carried out by Allen Press. The inventory of Special Publications has been transferred to Allen Press, and the services of this officer are no longer needed by the Society. President Stewart read the motion that Article IV (Officers) of the Constitution be amended by deleting "Publications Secretary" in both Sections 1 and 6, and that Article V (Publications Secretary) be deleted from the by-laws, and the remaining articles (VI-XVI) be renumbered. Governor Clark Hubbs suggested that this amendment should be presented in writing to the Board. Discussion ensued, and Governor Vic Hutchison pointed out that the position is included in the Executive Committee. It was decided to delay the motion and present it in writing next year with the BOG reports.
President Stewart then reported that the Executive Committee had considered the increasing costs of back-issue storage, the nature of the inventory, and the demand for back issues. There are issues of which we have more than 1,000 copies in storage. Storage of the back issue inventory now exceeds $2,000 per year. The Executive Committee put forth the motion that the inventory storage costs be reduced by 50% or more by reducing the inventory of each back issue to no more than 300 copies. The reduction would be achieved by means of a "fire sale" at the next two annual meetings. All inventory in excess of 300 copies of any issue would be put on sale in Seattle at $2.00 each on a "cash and carry" basis. What is not sold in Seattle would be for sale again in Guelph, thus achieving sales in both the East and West. Proceeds of the sales would go to the Graduate Student Travel Fund. Future print runs would be set to result in about 300 copies of each issue for the back issue inventory.
Governor Allen Savitzky asked if the Executive Committee had considered distribution of excess inventory to other countries. Publications Secretary Jose Rosado indicated that 75-100 sets of COPEIA had been provided to foreign libraries at the time of the last inventory reduction. The Executive Committee would consider gifts of sets of back issues to deserving foreign institutions if Governors so suggested and provided addresses. Governor Julian Humphries asked if it was certain that the "fire sale" would save the Society money. Treasurer Page indicated that the Society would save $1,000 per year. It was reiterated that income from the sale would go to the Student Travel Fund. Governor Roy McDiarmid inquired how the over-run occurred. Governor Clark Hubbs responded that at one time storage of back issues was provided free at the institutions of officers, and that therefore large over-runs were economical and thought to be good investments since income from back issue sales provided much of the operating capital of the Society. Governor Collette indicated that 25% of the cost of printing COPEIA once came from back issue sales. Governor Gene Helfman asked if varied pricing of different issues had been considered. President Stewart responded that this was thought to be too complicated and there was nothing to indicate it would help attain the objective of inventory reduction. She requested a motion to approve this motion from the Executive Committee. The motion was made, seconded and approved.
Elections were then carried out, with Governors being asked to vote for a new member for the Gibbs Award Committee and new honorary foreign members. As subsequently announced at the banquet, new Honorary Foreign Members elected at this meeting are Harold G. Cogger (Australia) and Eugenia del Pino (Ecuador) and the new member of the Gibbs Award Committee is Joseph S. Nelson.
Governors were also asked to nominate candidates for election to the Nominating Committee. Alan de Quieroz was nominated as one of two needed herpetological representatives and Larry Allen and Jay Orr were nominated as candidates for the single ichthyological representative needed this year to complete the committee. Since a minimum of two candidates is required for each position, additional nominations would be required during the Business Meeting.
President Stewart called for a motion to adjourn. Governor Ed Wiley so moved, and Governor Jay Savage seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 4:48 PM.
Though in previous years the complete program of papers presented at Annual Meetings has customarily been published here, a decision was made by the Executive Committee to move to electronic publication only of the program to save publication costs. As such, the complete program for this year's meeting can be found on the WWW, or copies may be obtained by writing the ASIH Secretary's Office , Texas Natural History Collection, University of Texas/R4000, Austin, TX 78712-1100, USA.
Annual Business Meeting, 17 June, 1996
The meeting was called to order in the Pan American Amphitheater of Hotel Intercontinental by President Meg Stewart at 3:34 PM. President Stewart requested a motion to approve the minutes of the last business meeting as published in COPEIA 1995(4):1043-1045. The motion was quickly made and seconded and passed without objection.
The President called on Secretary Hendrickson to read the minutes of the Board of Governors meeting. After the minutes were read, Governor Hubbs noted a minor correction (which was made in the version of the minutes as published above). A motion was made to approve the minutes with the correction of Dr. Hubbs. It was seconded and carried unanimously.
President Stewart called on the Chair of the Resolutions Committee to read the resolutions. Chair Lynne Parenti came forward and read the following three resolutions:
1.
WHEREAS Richard Winterbottom, Sectional Editor for General Ichthyology has devoted years of dedicated service to the Society and to maintaining the high quality of the journal COPEIA, and
WHEREAS, Rick will this year be retiring from his duties as General Ichthyology editor, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists express its gratitude to Rick Winterbottom for his efforts on behalf of the Society.
2.
WHEREAS, Eugenia (Genie) Böhlke, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and David Wake, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, are cherished and long-standing members of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists and regular attenders of Society meetings, and
WHEREAS, Genie is recovering for recent cancer surgery, and Dave is recovering from a double by-pass, which has interrupted their regular attendance at our annual meetings, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that the ASIH expresses it support to Genie and to Dave and extends to each best wishes for a quick and full recovery.
3.
WHEREAS, Ernest A. Lachner, long-standing member of the ASIH, past President of the Society and friend and teacher to many of its members, and Curator Emeritus, Division of Fishes, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, died on January 7, 1996 at the age of 81, survived by his wife of 57 years, Anna Mary Lachner, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the ASIH extends to Anna Mary its deepest sympathy.
The acceptance of these three resolutions as written was moved by Dr. Bruce Collette. The motion was quickly seconded and carried without objection.
President Stewart announced the death in September, 1995 of Mel Rosen, widow of the late Dr. Don Rosen, esteemed former member of the Society.
Dr. Parenti presented a resolution concerning recent happenings regarding wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. An extensive discussion ensued. It was agreed that consultation with knowledgeable persons, particularly in Ecuador, should occur before action is taken. Dr. Jay Savage moved that the president contact recently elected honorary foreign member, Dr. Eugenia del Pino of Ecuador, and that the President revise the resolution in consultation with her and that following her approval, foward the resolution from the Society to the President of Ecuador. Dr. Gene Helfman seconded the motion. Further discussion occurred. Dr. Clark Hubbs asked to revise Dr. Savage's earlier motion to request that the Executive Committee revise the resolution in consultation with Dr. del Pino and other knowledgeable persons. Dr. Savage indicated that revision was acceptable to him. President Stewart asked for a vote on this revised motion that the Executive Committee revise the resolution and send it from the Society. The motion was passed without objection. President Stewart and the Executive Committee subsequently revised the resolution with the assistance of Dr. del Pino, and forwarded the following to the President of Ecuador:
WHEREAS, the Galapagos Archipelago of the Republic of Ecuador is unique, fragile, and deserving of its status as a National Park of Ecuador and a World heritage site, and
WHEREAS, the Galapagos archipelago is an invaluable scientific resource for all mankind, into the conservation of which Ecuador has invested considerable and commendable effort over a long period of time, and
WHEREAS, the Galapagos has provided Ecuador with sustained revenues through the development of managed tourism, and
WHEREAS, recent fisheries at Galapagos including, but not limited to shark fishing, pepino de mar fishing, and sport and commercial spearfishing have resulted in resource management conflicts and environmental destruction of nearshore underwater habitats (due to overfishing and habitat destruction) and the shorelines (due to the introduction of non- native pest species), as well as the degradation of life that is the basis of Galapagos tourism, and
WHEREAS, all scientific investigations, international and national, demonstrate the non- sustainability of industrial fisheries activities such as those currently taking place in Galapagos, and
WHEREAS, a Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve Management Plan exists but is not implemented by the government of Ecuador and is therefore ignored by fishermen in violation of the Plan, and
WHEREAS, our scientific membership is both able and willing to provide assistance and advice to support Ecuador in its efforts to protect the Galapagos and its sustainable resource management, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, an international organization of 2461 scientists and students, strongly advises the people of the Republic of Ecuador through their elected officials that they obtain the implementation of the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve Management Plan and seek support from the international scientific community to aid in developing a rational fisheries resource management policy that will conserve the marine biodiversity of Galapagos. Otherwise, ongoing unsustainable fishery activities described above will result in irreversible damage to the plants and animals of the Galapagos as well as economic hardship to Ecuador; actions that are not in the interest of the people of Ecuador and are unjustifiable to future generations.
Dr. Gene Helfman was then called upon to read the following resolution regarding spiny dogfish:
WHEREAS, the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias, is a slow- growing, late- maturing fish with female maturity at about 20 years and a very low reproductive potential of 2 to 15 pups every years. These life history characteristics make the spiny dogfish very vulnerable to overfishing, and
WHEREAS, instances of stock collapse have been well documented in the North Sea, and
WHEREAS, the spiny dogfish has recently become the target of a very intensive directed fishery, and
WHEREAS, the life history characteristics of spiny dogfish dictate that any dogfish fishery be closely managed from the outset because lack of management can lead to very rapid stock collapse that will take decades to recover, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists requests that the Middle Atlantic Fishery Management Council begin work immediately on a management plan for the spiny dogfish.
Dr. Helfman moved acceptance of this resolution as written and it was quickly seconded. President Stewart called for a vote. The resolution passed without opposition.
The next item of business was election of a new President-elect, a new Physiology and Physiological Ecology Editor, the class of 2001 of the Board of Governors, and new members of the Nominating Committee. Candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee and Board of Governors (see Nominating Committee report, and minutes of BOG meeting above) were included on the pre-printed ballot distributed to members, and President Stewart asked for additional nominations from the floor for each office in turn. Members nominated the following additional candidates: Nominating Committee - Herpetology representatives (2 to be elected): Dr. Aaron Bauer; Dr. Steve Werman and Dr. Brian Crother; Ichthyology representatives (1 to be elected): Dr. Scott Shaeffer; Board of Governors - Dr. Edie Marsh-Matthews.
Members voted and winners of the election were as follows:
President-Elect, Alan H. Savitzky
Physiology and Physiological Ecology Editor, COPEIA, Richard G. Bowker.
The 1997 Nominating Committee will be Steve Ross (chair), David Greenfield (automatic appointment as ex-president), Herpetology representatives Alan de Queiroz and Aaron Bauer, and Ichthyology representative Larry Allen. In addition the Board of Governors Class of 2001 elected at this meeting is included in the following list of the entire, current elected Board of Governors:
Class of 2001 - Larry Allen; Henry L. Bart; William E. Cooper; Martha L. Crump; Alice F. Echelle; David M. Green; Robert G. Jaeger; Joseph C. Mitchell; Stuart G. Poss; and Kirk Winemiller
Class of 2000 - W. D. Anderson, Jr.; J. P. Bogart; A. De Queiroz; W. N. Eschmeyer; H. W. Greene; G. S. Helfman; L. R. Parenti; E. P. Pister; A. H. Savitzky; and D. B. Wake
Class of 1999 - M. Benabib; M. A. Donnelly; R. Etheridge; D. M. Hillis; M. H. Horn; F. J. Irish; T. Iwamoto; S. L. Jewett; R. L. Mayden; and J. F. Webb
Class of 1998- E. D. Brodie, III; D. G. Buth; D. Cannatella; D. R. Frost; R. B. Huey; J. G. Lundberg; W. J. Matthews; T. W. Pietsch; J. W. Sites, Jr.; and M. L. J. Stiassny
Class of 1997 - A. M. Bauer; J. Caldwell; A. A. Echelle; O. Flores-V.; D. A. Good; P. T. Gregory; D. C. Heins; D. A. Hendrickson; S. P. Platania; and D. J. Stouder.
Officers continuing to serve or re-appointed by President Stewart are:
TREASURER -Lawrence M. Page
SECRETARY -Dean A. Hendrickson
PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY -José Rosado
COPEIA MANAGING EDITOR -Michael E. Douglas
SOCIETY HISTORIAN -Mark R. Jennings.
Committees and representatives appointed by President Stewart to serve from June 1996 to June 1997 are:
- COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS - Richard L. Mayden, Chair; Theodore W. Pietsch, Linda Trueb
- COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION - Adam Summers, Chair; Bobby Espinoza, Erik Gergus, Brad Hollingsworth, Kevin Jansen, J. Andres Lopez, Chris Schieble, Jeff Stewart, Duane Stevenson, Chris Tracy, Humberto Wong
- COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE A NEW HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBER - Tim Berra, Chair, Bruce Collette, Lynne R. Parenti, Douglas F. Markle
- COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE CAREERS IN HERPETOLOGY PAMPHLET - John E. Simmons, Chair
- COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE HERPETOLOGICAL ANIMAL CARE LEAFLET - Rebecca A. Pyles, Chair (HL Representative), Robin Andrews (SSAR Representative), R., Wayne vanDevender, F. Harvey Pough, Jos J. Schall
- ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE - Jay M. Savage, Chair (1993-1997), William N. Eschmeyer, Chair-elect (1995-2000), John M. Fitzsimons (1993-1997), David C. Heins (1995-2000), Robert J. Lavenberg (1996-2001), Aaron M. Bauer (1996-2001)
- ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE - M. L. Warren, Jr., Chair, Jonathan N. Baskin (NIA Liaison), Noel M. Burkhead, Salvador Contreras- Balderas, E. J. Crossman, Walter R. Courtenay, Jr., C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Alex Flecker (ESA Liaison), Thomas H. Fritts, Karsten E. Hartel, Selina Heppel (Student Representative), Richard L. Mayden, Frank McCormick (EQC Home Page Manager), W. L. Minckley, Joseph C. Mitchell (HL Liaison), Patrick T. Gregory, Henry R. Mushinsky (SSAR Liaison), John