1997 Board of Governors Agenda & Report | ASIH - American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology

Reports and Agenda for the 1997 Meeting of the Board of Governors of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

The ASIH Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 26, 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the HUB Auditorium, located on the 1st floor at the south end of the University of Washington Student Union Building (= Husky Union Building or HUB). This is the same building in which you will find the meeting registration desk, which opens at 1:00 PM on the 26th. The chair plans to move blanket acceptance of all reports in the meeting agenda which is included in the report. Items that a Governor wishes to discuss will be exempted from the motion for blanket acceptance and will be acted upon individually.

Please remember to bring your agenda with you to the meeting.

Please contact the Secretary's office (asih@mail.utexas.edu or phone (512) 471-0998) with any questions you might have or to notify us of your inability to attend the meeting.

AGENDA

1. Call to order

2. Distribution of late reports or additions to reports

3. Messages of regret from absentee governors

4. Call for motion to approve minutes of 1995 meeting of Board of Governors as published in Copeia 1996(4):1079-1104

5. Announcement of appointment of Resolutions Committee

6. Announcement of appointment of Stoye and Storer Award judges (names to be withheld until banquet)

7. Future annual meetings

REPORTS

REPORTS OF OFFICERS

8. TREASURER - Page, Larry M.

9. SECRETARY - Hendrickson, Dean A.

10. PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY - Rosado, Jose

11. COPEIA MANAGING EDITOR - Douglas, Michael E.

12. SOCIETY HISTORIAN - Jennings, Mark R.

13. SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION - Cline, George R. (Secretary/Treasurer)

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

14. COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION - Summers, Adam, Chair

15. COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS - Mayden, Richard L., Chair

16. COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE A NEW HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBER - Berra, Tim, Chair

17. COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE CAREERS IN HERPETOLOGY PAMPHLET - Simmons, John E., Chair

18. COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE HERPETOLOGICAL ANIMAL CARE LEAFLET - Pyles, Rebecca A., Chair

19. ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE - Savage, Jay M., Chair

20. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE - Warren, M. L., Chair

21. EQUAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE - Britson, Carol, Chair

22. GAIGE FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Reilly, Steve M., Chair

23. HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR - Simmons, John E.

24. ICHTHYOLOGICAL AND HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE - Burr, Brooks M., Chair

25. ICHTHYOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR - Walsh, Stephen J.

26. JOINT ASIH-AFS COMMITTEE ON NAMES OF FISHES - Nelson, Joseph S., Chair

27. LONG RANGE PLANNING AND FINANCE COMMITTEE - Johnson, Robert K., Chair

28. NOMINATING COMMITTEE - Ross, Stephen T., Chair

29. PUBLICATIONS POLICY COMMITTEE - Douglas, Michael E., Chair

30. RANEY FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Sedberry, George R., Chair

31. ROBERT H. GIBBS, JR MEMORIAL AWARD COMMITTEE - McEachran, John, Chair

32. STUDENT AWARDS COMMITTEE - Brodie, III, Edmund D., Chair

33. TIME, PLACE, AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE - Gregory, Patrick T., Chair

REPRESENTATIVES TO OTHER GROUPS

34. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES - Leviton, Alan E.

35. AMERICAN ELASMOBRANCH SOCIETY - Burgess, George H.

36. AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Warren, M. L.

37. ASSOCIATION OF SYSTEMATIC COLLECTIONS - Page, Lawrence M.

38. EARLY LIFE HISTORY SECTION OF AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Fahay, Michael P.

39. FISH BEHAVIOR GROUP OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY - Myrburg, Arthur A.

40. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE - Rabb, George

41. SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS - Simmons, John E.

42. SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES and HERPETOLOGISTS' LEAGUE - Savitzky, Alan H.

43. APPENDICES

APPENDIX B

44. Call for blanket approval of Board of Governors Agenda items and reports of officers, representatives and committees, exempting those removed by BOG members for discussion

45. Discussion of reports exempted from blanket approval

46. Discussion of Old Business

47. Discussion of New Business

48. Election of Gibbs Award Committee

49. Call for nominations for election to the Nominating Committee

REPORTS OF OFFICERS

TREASURER - Page, Larry M.

The enclosed report on the finances of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (Appendix A) is based on audited financial statements for 1996 received from Clifton, Gunderson & Co., Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, Champaign, Illinois.

As the report indicates, ASIH remains in excellent financial condition. Total net assets of the society stood at $657,302 on 31 December 1996. Values for previous years were:

1995:	$544,020
1994:	$538,074
1993:	$442,144
1992:	$401,867
1991:	$366,142
1990:	$336,035

The steady increase in assets over the last six years is attributable primarily to the low cost of printing Copeia relative to revenue generated from memberships and subscriptions, returns on investments in mutual funds ($32,242 in 1996), donations to the Endowment Fund ($8,653 in 1996), and a large attendance at the 1996 Annual Meeting in New Orleans (revenue surplus of $21,682).

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. Revenues recorded for memberships and subscriptions were lower than average in 1995 and higher than average in 1996.

Total expenses, including awards, for 1996 were $205,756 compared to $182,424 for 1995, $194,287 for 1994, $215,559 for 1993, $193,670 for 1992, $209,899 for 1991, and $231,875 for 1990.

The Endowment Fund was established constitutionally in 1993. On 31 December 1996, the Endowment Fund contained $36,643 invested in mutual funds. The separate "Special Publication Fund" contains $24,000, of which $15,500 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. Revenues and expenses for 1997 are expected to approximate those for 1996.

SECRETARY - Hendrickson, Dean A.

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) in 1996 included 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 (http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih/), keeping meeting minutes and reporting on meetings, and other routine secretarial tasks of the Society.

An error at Allen Press in distribution of renewal forms with mailing of Copeia 1996(3) caused some confusion may have delayed renewals. To compensate, Allen Press did a special first class mailing (at their expense) to all members which included the renewal form and other materials, and followed with a standard set of reminder messages sent at intervals to those who failed to renew. By 31 December 1996 there was no evidence that the problem had impacted membership, since the number of members was the highest ever. On that date the Society's mailing list included 1,318 regular, 592 student, 286 foreign, 183 life, 49 associate, 29 sustaining, and 29 honorary foreign members, for an overall total of 2,486 members. Overall totals for recent years were: 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, 1995 - 2387. As of December 1996 there were 822 domestic and 260 foreign institutional subscriptions, compared to 705 and 332, respectively in the previous year.

The total number of Copeia 1996(4) mailed was 3,578, compared with 3,429, 3,527, 3,460, 3,491 and 3,542 for the last (i.e., no. 4) issues of 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992 and 1991, respectively. In 1996, permission was granted on 9 requests to reprint 16 figures, one taxonomic key, and one article published in Copeia and four requests to make a total of 95 copies of four articles for use in formal courses on four campuses. One request was granted for use of both the Herp and Fish Animal Care leaflets in a biological field station notebook. The Adopt-A-Pond program at the Metropolitan Zoo received permission to reprint a series of maps to be used in a student study in over 5,000 schools. Two requests by graduate students for a total of two figures and one article to be used in thesis work were granted. Additionally, permission was granted on eight requests for 18 figures, one table, and two articles to be used in textbooks and other bound publications. Requests for permission to reprint should be directed to the office of the Secretary.

Seven requests for Copeia mailing list rentals were received for both the ichthyology and herpetology lists. Requests came from Sea Challengers, American Fisheries Society, Oxford University Press, Academic Press of California, Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, University of New Mexico Press, and Cornell University Press. Income from mailing list rentals for 1996 totaled $1,660. The membership database of e-mail addresses was distributed without charge to three Committee chairs to facilitate communications with members, and to one society member conducting a survey determined by the Executive Committee to be of benefit to the society. Beginning 1 January 1997, all distributions of the directory data in any format will exclude those members who indicate a desire to be so excluded when returning the newly revised membership application and renewal forms, which were first used in the fall renewal season of 1996.

Royalty payments from University Microfilms International from sales of microfilm and microfiche of Copeia in 1996 totaled $717.26. Herpetological and Ichthyological career pamphlets sent during 1996 numbered 655 and 623, respectively (compared to 270 and 267 in 1995). In addition, both pamphlets are now available on WWW and an untold number of copies have been distributed via that medium.

The Secretary again solicits contributions and suggestions for improvement of the Society's World Wide Web pages, as well as offers to assist with management of portions of the system. Additional committee pages would be especially welcome additions. Long range plans for improvements in the Web offerings include posting of much of the society history recorded in files in the Secretary's office on the Web, and incorporation of the Society Procedures Manual now being developed by the Long Range Planning and Finance Committee. Improved search and data retrieval capabilities for the membership database are currently being worked on. The membership database continues to be maintained at Allen Press, which provides electronic copies to the Secretary on a quarterly basis. These are used for general communications with the membership and for updates of the membership directory on WWW. Members are asked to please update their address and e-mail data via the Web (http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih/info/how2upd.html) or via e-mail to khickey@allenpress.com.

PUBLICATIONS SECRETARY - Rosado, Jose

The Publications Secretary office has had no activity this year. Prior to the society's shift to Allen Press's Business Office service, no orders had been processed for back issues. All subsequent requests were sent to the ASIH Business Office as agrred upon last year and implemented by you. Consequently any sales generated in 1996 would be reported as sales from the Business Office.

COPEIA MANAGING EDITOR - Douglas, Michael E.

During 1996, 1144 pages of Copeia were published over four issues: 2 February (242 pages), 16 May (276 pages), 1 August (246 pages), and 27 December (380 pages). These four issues comprised 84 major articles (813 pages or 71%) and 51 shorter contributions (190 pages or 17%). The remaining 12% was distributed as follows: 31 book reviews (53 pages), a 1996 index (30 pages), a summary of the 1996 annual meeting (26 pages), 24 articles in "editorial news and notes" (12 pages), a 1996 volume contents (eight pages), 10 books received (four pages), a list of reviewers (three pages), three award notices (three pages), and instructions to authors (two pages).

Of the major articles published in Copeia, 52% (n=44) were in ichthyology, while the remaining 48% (n=40) were in herpetology. Of the shorter contributions, 63% (n=32) were in ichthyology, while 37% (n=19) were in herpetology. When major articles and shorter contributions were combined, 56% (n=76) were ichthyological, while 44% (n=59) were herpetological.

During 1996, 258 manuscripts were submitted to Copeia, a 15% decrease when compared to 1995. Of these, 93% (n=240) were processed. Some 63% (n=150) were submitted from 40 different states of the Union: California (18), Illinois (9), Ohio (8), Texas (8), Florida (7), Michigan (7), Mississippi (7), Virginia (7), and New York (6). Four states had five submissions, five others had four, three states had three each, five had two, and 14 had one submittal each. The remaining 37% (n=90) of submissions were received from 24 different countries, distributed as follows: Australia (19), Brazil (10), Canada (8), Japan (7), Spain (6), Germany and Republic of China (5 each), South Africa (4), France, Mexico, and United Kingdom (3 each), Belgium, Italy, India, Israel, and New Zealand (2 each), and Dominican Republic, Panama, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela with one submittal each.

Of the 240 articles processed, 21% (n=51) were allocated to genetics, development, and morphology; 21% (n=51) to ecology and ethology; 20% (n=48) to general ichthyology; 20% (n=48) to general herpetology; and 18% (n=42) to physiology and physiological ecology. Rejection rates were calculated by section as number of manuscripts reviewed and eventually rejected during 1996 divided by the number reviewed in 1996 and either rejected or accepted. These figures were as follows: Physiology/physiological ecology, 81.3% (13/16); ecology and ethology, 68.4% (13/19); general ichthyology, 58.6% (17/29); general herpetology, 56.3% (9/16); genetics, development, and morphology, 52.6% (10/19). The overall 1996 rejection rate for Copeia was 62.6% (62/99).

With regard to electronic publishing, the positive note provided at the 1996 annual meeting is again echoed. The society saved $9,740 in publishing costs during 1996 as a result of electronic copy editing. Savings were recorded by issue as follows: 1996(1) $2,108.00; 1996(2) $2,380.00; 1996(3) $2,142.00; 1996(4) $3,110.00. Numerous changes have also been implemented with regard to Copeia format, and these are discussed in the report submitted by the Editorial Policy Committee.

SOCIETY HISTORIAN - Jennings, Mark R.

As mentioned during the previous annual report, the President of ASIH (Meg Stewart), myself, and others in the Society put together an oral history project that deals with older members of ASIH. We have now begun the process of interviewing individuals around the country and hope to get another 10 people interviewed this year. The Society Historian is extremely grateful to those individuals who volunteered to conduct interviews.

SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION - Cline, George R. (Secretary/Treasurer)

The annual business meetings was held on 14 June 1996 in New Orleans, LA with President Mary Freeman presiding. After hearing any announcements, the recipients of the student travel awards were announced (Chris Skelton, David Eisenhour, Elena Amesbury, Elizabeth Smithson, Kyle Piller, Bernard Kuhajada, and Kenneth Cook).

Minutes of the 1995 meeting were distributed by then Secretary/Treasurer Carol Johnston. A motion was made, seconded, and passed approving the minutes as printed. Secretary/Treasurer Carol Johnson presented the Treasurer s report after copies of the report were distributed to the members present. A balance of $161.58 was transferred from the 1995 budget. Income received from voluntary dues during 1996 totaled $541.00 Expenditures included $64.00 for postage, $350.00 for student travel awards (7 @ $50 each), and $22.74 for bank service charges. The balance after the meeting was $265.84. A motion was made, seconded, and passed approving the Treasurer's report as printed.

No Old Business was brought forward for discussion. Under New Business, Secretary/Treasurer Jonhston passed out a SEASIH mission planning statement for approval by the membership. The statement was generated as a result of a request by the ASIH Long Range Planning and Finance Committee for information necessary to develop an ASIH Procedures Manual. Secretary/Treasurer Johnston suggested that the statement might be included in the ASIH home page. No comments or objections about the mission statement were made by the members present at the meeting, and Dr. Johnston asked that if anyone would like to submit comments later, to please send them to her.

President Freeman announced the nominee for Secretary/Treasurer, George Cline (Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL). A motion was made and seconded that he be elected. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Members were reminded that the next meeting would be with ASB (Association of Southeastern Biologists) in Greenville, SC.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDENT PARTICIPATION Summers, Adam, Chair

Members: Adam P. Summers, Chair, Dr. Jackie Webb, Faculty Advisor, Robert Espinoza, Erik Gergus, Brad Hollingsworth, Kevin Jansen, Andres Lopez, Chris Schieble, Duane Stevenson, Jeff Stewart, Chris Tracy, Humberto Wong

SUMMARY

The goals of the ASIH Committee for Graduate Student Participation (CGSP) are to represent the student membership of the Society and to consider ways that the Society 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 1997 MEETING IN SEATTLE

Jeff Stewart and Chris Shieble 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, Andres Lopez and Duane Stevenson, at the University of Washington 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 would like to acknowledge the following publishers/individuals for their generous donations to this year's raffle: TFH Publications, SSAR, Univ. of Idaho Press, Saunders College Publishing, Univ. of Chicago Press, Princeton 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, and Elsevier Scientific Publishing, Johns Hopkins Press, University of Texas Press, Dr. David Etnier, University of Utah Press, and Ichthyological Explorations of Fresh Waters.

STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS

Ten $200.00 travel awards were offered for the 1997 meeting in Seattle: 5 in ichthyology and 5 in herpetology. This year, students could submit their applications/abstracts via email. There were 98 qualified applicants that submitted materials by the deadline: 52 ichthyology and 46 herpetology abstracts. Kevin Jansen 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 would be chosen, and highlighting the important linkage between these awards and the CGSP raffle by inviting members to buy raffle tickets in Seattle. A list of awardees and alternatives was mailed to Dr. Larry Page, Treasurer ASIH. The five herpetology awards went to Pamela Rutherford, Jason Evert, Erica Wildy, Jason Irwin, and Kevin Palmer. The five ichthyology awards went to Jeffrey Buckel, Jonathan Keiser, Glenn Johns, Catherine McVay, and Jeffrey Streelman. In the event that one of the awardees cannot accept an award, the alternate for the herpetology category is Barry Campbell and the alternate for the ichthyology category is Thomas Near.

THE ANNUAL MEETING:

STUDENT SOCIAL

Logistics for the Graduate Student Social have been arranged with the local committee by Andres Lopez, Duane Stevenson and other student volunteers from the local committee at the University of Washington. The social is scheduled to take place at 6:00 pm on Saturday, 26 June in the McMahon Residence Hall. Cheerful greetings, free beer, snacks and a live band will be featured.

1997 CGSP WORKSHOP On Friday, June 27, from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, the CGSP will be conducting its annual workshop in a continuing effort to foment practical and constructive discussion amongst ASIH student members. This workshop, entitled "Communicating with the Press and Public," will feature eight panel discussion speakers from diverse backgrounds in order to adequately cover this important aspect of research. The speakers include distinguished members of the herpetological and ichthyological community as well as prominent reporters from television and print media (including a Pulitzer Prize winning science journalist). The organizers for this event are Bradford D. Hollingsworth and Humberto Wong.

TIME, PLACE, AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Chris Tracy is the student representative on the TPP committee and will be attending this years TPP meeting in Seattle.

STUDENT ORAL PRESENTATION FEEDBACK

Evaluation forms will be distributed to the judges of the Stoye Award competition by Jackie Webb. These forms are filled out by the judges as a means of positive feedback to those students presenting a paper for the Stoye Award competition. Forms are then redistributed to the students following the meeting.

CGSP RECRUITMENT AND COMMUNICATION

As with every meeting it is the local committee members of the CGSP that greatly facilitate the organization of student events. I would like to thank the student local committee representatives, Andres Lopez and Duane Stevenson for their help with all CGSP activities scheduled for the 1997 meeting in Seattle, and Ted Pietsch, 1997 annual meeting host, for his continued support of the CGSP while organizing this years ASIH meeting. I would like to thank Jackie Webb for her role as faculty representative to the CGSP for 1996.

COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS - Mayden, Richard L., Chair

The Committee on Special Publications has had no publications submitted or accepted over the last year. Some ideas/plans have been discussed regarding a revision of the previous ASIH document on careers in ichthyology and herpetology.

COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE A NEW HONORARY FOREIGN MEMBER - Berra, Tim, Chair

The Committee (Bruce Collette, Doug Markle, Lynn Parenti, Tim Berra) was charged with the task of providing four nominations for two vacancies created by the deaths of Dr. F. Marshall (England) and Dr. T. Abe (Japan).

A call for nominations was placed in the Newsletter of Systematic Ichthyology for 1996, Copeia 1997(1), and e-mail was sent to all ASIH ichthyologists who had valid addresses on file with the secretary's office.

The information circulated stated: "The definition of 'foreign' is exclusive of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Criteria include: 1) distinguished record of accomplishment in ichthyology, 2) cooperation with North American ASIH members, 3) national representation (When other considerations approach equality, preference would be given to a person from a country not already represented on the list of Honorary Foreign Members.)"

Nine candidates representing seven countries were received. After deliberation, the Committee nominated the following: Kunio Amaoka (Japan), Peter H. J. Castle (New Zealand), Maurice Kottelat (Switzerland), Robert M. McDowall (New Zealand). A short biographical sketch of each nominee is given below. Complete Cirriculum Vitae for these candidates may be obtained from hte Secretary's office (asih@mail.utexas.edu).

Short biographical statements and career highlights:

Kunio Amaoka (Japan)
-Current Title: Professor, Laboratory of Marine Zoology
-Institutional Affiliation: Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Japan
-Previous Positions: Associate/Assistant Professor Hokkaido University
-General Areas of Interest: 1. Systematics of flatfish. 2. Taxonomy of deep-sea fishes. 3. Taxonomy of larval and juvenile fishes. 4. Conservation of freshwater and marine fishes.
-Editorial Posts: Member of editorial boards of Japanese Society of Systematic Zoology and Ichthyological Society of Japan
-Publications: 102+ research articles, 10 co-authored or co-edited books, 77 popular articles.

Dr. Amaoka has, for 35 years, been a distinguished researcher and teacher in Japan. He has published widely on taxonomy and systematics of flatfishes and deep-sea marine fish, been involved in numerous faunal works, early life history stages, chromosome studies, paleontology, decapods, marine algae and aquatic insects. He has been involved in virtually all of the fish books in the last 20 years that have made the Japanese ichthyofauna so accessible. His 25 Masters and 20 Ph.D. students have taken influential positions in Japanese museums and universities. Currently President of our sister organization, the Ichthyological Society of Japan, Dr. Amaoka has been an active member of ASIH who has reached out to colleagues around the world. His stature as researcher and teacher as well as his active collaboration with international colleagues exemplify the qualities deserving of the title Honorary Foreign Member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

Peter H. J. Castle (New Zealand)
-Current Title: Associate Professor of Zoology
-Institutional Affiliation: Victoria University of Wellington
-Previous Positions: Anglo-American Corporation of South Africa Advanced Research Fellowship in Ichthyology at the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology (1966-1969).
-General Areas of Interest: 1. Systematics, life-histories and biogeography of eels (Anguilliformes), particularly of the Indo-Pacific. 2. Correlation of larval forms (leptocephali) with adult eel genera and species. 3. Integration of larval and adult eel systematics. 4. Spawning locations of adult eels, early life-histories and larval dispersal.
-Publications: 80+ research articles, including monograph on eel larvae.

Peter Castle is THE modern pioneer in the description, identification, and taxonomy of eel larvae, and was among the first to integrate larvae into systematic ichthyological studies. Most work on larval eels (leptocephali) before Castle's time involved the description of larval "species" with no attempt to link them with corresponding adults. In a series of seminal papers in the early 1960's, Castle managed to characterize leptocephali at the family level for all families in the southwestern Pacific. These papers were the key that enabled subsequent workers to extend the study of leptocephalus taxonomy to other parts of the world. Despite a full load of teaching and administrative responsibilities, Castle has maintained a steady record of research and publication and is currently preparing an "Eel Atlas," a major reference to the 14 families and 165 genera of eels. Castle is an active and enthusiastic member of the international ichthyological community and known as much as a generous and reliable colleague as the ichthyologist who put the study of leptocephali on firm scientific footing. Castle has been a long-term member of ASIH, published numerous papers in Copeia, and attended several meetings despite the great distance he must travel.

Maurice Kottelat (Switzerland)
-Current Title: Independent consultant
-Institutional Affiliation: None
-Previous Positions: Curator of Ichthyology, Zoologische Staatssammlung, Munich, 1989-1992.
-Editorial Posts: Managing Editor, Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters, Verlag F. Pfeil, 1989 to present; editorial boards of Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 1990 to present and South Asian Journal of Natural History, Colombo, 1992 to present.
-General Areas of Interest: 1. Systematics and zoogeography of southeast Asian freshwater fishes, particularly loaches, catfishes, and minnows. 2. Asian freshwater biodiversity.
-Publications: 150+ scientific and technical publications including a major book, 37 non-technical articles on aquarium fishes, 22 abstracts, and 86 minor book reviews.

Maurice Kottelat has made some of the greatest contributions to our knowledge of southeast Asian freshwater fishes since Pieter Bleeker. He has collected extensively throughout the area, described innumerable new species, founded a journal to publish papers on these and other freshwater fishes, and contributed material to a long list of other investigators, including many Americans. He was the stimulus behind the multi-authored bilingual 1993 book "Freshwater fishes of western Indonesia and Sulawesi", an ambitious field guide to 960 species of fishes with 840 color plates. Not content with only the diverse southeast Asian fauna, he has also focused attention on the freshwater fishes of Europe and has produced an up-to-date checklist of these fishes which have been under studied for many years. Maurice is a member of ASIH and has collaborated with several American ichthyologists.

Robert M. McDowall (New Zealand)
-Current Title: Scientist
-Institutional Affiliation: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
-Previous Position: Scientist, Freshwater Fisheries
-General Areas of Interest: 1. Ecology, natural history, and taxonomy of New Zealand & Southern Hemisphere freshwater fishes. 2. Diadromy in fishes.
-Editorial Posts: Zoology editor of The Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand for 5 years in the 1980's.
-Publications: 93 refereed articles, 9 books, 37 book chapters, 32 conference papers, 7 book reviews, 24 substantial reports, 109 popular articles.

Robert McDowall's research is known to anyone who works on the freshwater fishes of New Zealand and Australia through his books Diadromy in Fishes (1988), New Zealand Freshwater Fishes (1990) and Freshwater Fishes of South-eastern Australia (1996). His contributions to the understanding of the taxonomy, ecology, and natural history of galaxiid fishes have filled a 36-year career that began with a Stoye Award in Ichthyology from ASIH in 1966 and a Harvard Ph.D. in 1968. His Southern Hemisphere research includes South America as well as Australasia. His papers have many implications for ichthyogeography and are widely cited by biogeographers on both sides of the vicariance/dispersal question. McDowall's meticulous field work has revealed which galaxiid species are confined to freshwaters and which have marine or brackish larval stages. His major monographs on Australian and New Zealand galaxiid species serve as the starting point for testing phylogenetic relationships with molecular techniques. In recognition of his scientific achievements he was awarded the Whitley Medal of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales in 1980, and he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1984. He has been an ASIH member since 1966 and has attended ASIH meetings of 1966, 1981, 1991, and 1996. His hospitality and helpfulness to ASIH members who request specimens, information, and advice further recommend him for this honor.

COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE CAREERS IN HERPETOLOGY PAMPHLET - Simmons, John E., Chair

The "Careers in Herpetology" pamphlet was revised with the assistance of comments from members of the Board of Governors and several other ASIH members. The text is now available on the ASIH web page at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/asih/pubs/herpjobs.htm. Those lacking internet access may obtain a copy of the text by contacting the Herpetological Information Coordinator or the Secretary's office.

COMMITTEE TO REVISE THE HERPETOLOGICAL ANIMAL CARE LEAFLET - Pyles, Rebecca A, Chair

No report received at time of printing.

ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE - Savage, Jay M., Chair

The principal activities of the Committee involved solicitation of the membership for contributions to the Endowment in any amount. A letter requesting contributions from President Stewart, President-Elect Pietsch and the chair of the Committee was mailed to all members with their dues notice in September 1996. In addition, dues notices now have a check-off for contributions to the Endowment.

A total of $8,778 was received from 155 members during 1996, a smaller total amount than from the initial Endowment Fund raising in 1994, but more individuals contributed. Total funds contributed in 1994 through 1996 were $30,321. With accrued interest, the Endowment stood at $35,183 at the end of 1996.

The Committee appreciates and thanks all who have contributed but remains surprised that many present and past officers and members of the Board of Governors have failed to make even a minimal contribution. The Committee is currently exploring other sources of funding for the Endowment with emphasis during the coming year on bequests to the Endowment as part of estate planning by members and corporate giving.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE - Warren, M. L., Chair

Melvin L. Warren, Jr., Chair of the Environmental Quality Committee, reported several committee activities. The committee prepared two letters, several months apart, for President Stewart that supported closure of gypsum mining in the designated protected areas of Cuatro Cienegas valley, Coahuila, Mexico. As a result in part of ASIH (and others) continued and strong support, Mexican authorities did rule ultimately for closure of the mines in recognition of the biological significance of this small, spring-fed desert valley ecosystem. Jack Musick, EQC member, drafted a statement on reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of the United States of America that was approved by the Executive Committee and forwarded by President Stewart to key Senate leaders. The reauthorization, hailed by the Marine Fish Conservation Network as a significant and strengthened improvement over the status quo, was passed in mid-September by the Senate. A letter that commented on the proposed Saxton bill, an amendment of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, was signed by many EQC and ASIH members and sent to key congressional members. The letter was initiated by Gary Meffe to provide comments on the role and use of science in the Endangered Species Act. To date, we still await Congressional action on the reauthorization of the strongest environmental law on Earth! The Committee prepared a letter for President Stewart to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service commenting on shark species being considered for CITES listings. The letter strongly supported recommendations of the Shark Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and applauded the Service for their efforts and vision in attempting to bring the trade in sharks under the purview of CITES. A special subcommittee, lead by Selina Heppel and Phil Pister, has organized a symposium for the 1997 ASIH meeting in Seattle entitled "Scientists and Conservation: Tales from the Front" featuring a stellar cast of nine presenters addressing conservation advocacy, ethics, and conservation considerations for herps and fishes.

EQUAL PARTICIPATION COMMITTEE - Britson, Carol, Chair

The ASIH Equal Participation Committee sponsors activities that increase and support the role of women in the society by involving all interested members of ASIH. At the 1997 meeting in Seattle, Washington, the committee coordinated a mentoring program, and held a panel discussion during the lunch meeting. The mentoring program is designed to match mentorees (e.g., students and/or young professionals new to the society(ies) and the annual meeting) with established researchers in their field. Program participants were introduced during the mentoring program breakfast held on 27 June 1997. The lunch meeting was held on 29 June 1997 at Ivar's Salmon House and was financially supported by the University of Washington. A panel discussion and question and answer session was held on topics of interest for women in science. Carol Britson (chair), Dominique Didier, and Karen Wartenkin served on the committee during the 1996/1997 period.

GAIGE FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Reilly, Steve M., Chair

The Gaige Committee has deliberated and come to a decision. We received 24 complete proposals. Another 11 applications were incomplete as of the deadline and were not considered. These applicants were notified of this. We decided to make 6 awards of $500 each to expend the $3000 available this year. The winners are:

Louise M. Armstrong, Biology Department, Morrill South, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-5810. Patterns and processes of speciation in desmognathine salamanders.

W. Anthony Frankino, Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, IA, 47405-6801. Endocrine basis of alternative morphological development in amphibians.

Nathan J. Kley, Biology Department, Morrill South, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-5810. Comparative swallowing kinematics on the Florida kingsnake, Lampropeltus getula: bulky versus elongate prey.

Matthew Klukowski, Department of Biology, Jordan Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IA 47405. A test of testosterone-mediated immunosupression in the fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus.

Dusti K. Timanus, Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 n. University, Edmond, OK 73034. Phenotypic correlates of male reproductive success in the eastern collared lizard, Crotophytus collaris, using DNA fingerprinting.

Stephanie M. Welter, School of Biological Sciences, 101 T.H. Morgan Bldg., University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0225. The phenotypic and genetic integration of antipredator traits in different selective environments.

Larry Page has been notified in writing. I will be at the banquet to present the awards. Kiisa Nishikawa will rotate to chair the committee next year. I am rotating off the committee after three years of service and another person will be appointed by the new president to replace me.

HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR Simmons, John E.

Replied to 61 total inquiries (23 received by letter and 38 received by email). The geographic origin of questions was: USA 30 (California 1, Colorado 1, Connecticut 1, Idaho 2, Illinois 2, Maryland 2, Massachusetts 1, Minnesota 1, Montana 1, New Hampshire 1, New Jersey 2, New York 4, North Carolina 2, Ohio 1, Oregon 1, Pennsylvania 1, Virginia 3, Washington 1, Wisconsin 2); ARGENTINA 1; CANADA 1; GERMANY 1; PERU 1; PORTUGAL 1; UNITED KINGDOM 1; Origin unknown 25.

Questions were asked in the following categories: general reptile and amphibian questions 12; careers in herpetology 1; colleges and universities with herpetological programs 4; salamanders 3, frogs 5; lizards 13; snakes 18; turtles 3; crocodilians 2.

ICHTHYOLOGICAL AND HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS COMMITTEE - Burr, Brooks M., Chair

The Ichthyological and Herpetological Collections Committee (Brooks M. Burr, chair), the largest committee in the Society, has been made up of our 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). In consultation with President Theodore W. Pietsch, the committee at-large, and other Society officers, the "Supplies and Resources" and "Policy and Practices" subcommittees have been combined to form a single "Supplies and Practices Subcommittee." In addition, the "Data Standards Subcommittee" has been split to form an "Ichthyological Data Standards Subcommittee" and a "Herpetological Data Standards Subcommittee." These changes will be formalized at the 1997 meetings and will be in effect by late summer of 1997.

The Policy and Practices Subcommittee did not file a formal report this year, in part because of the impending reorganization of the overall Collections Committee. Many issues are in discussion and will be reported to the membership in 1998.

The Supplies and Resources Subcommittee submitted an abbreviated version of the supplies database for inclusion on the ASIH Website under "Curation." This will be a gopher searchable database, much like the ASIH membership list. The database will provide users with names of vendors for basic collection items such as jars, lids, tanks, or chemicals. Each item and vendor has a museum acronym and date associated with it so users can determine who uses the product and vendor. Updated information and more survey information will be added this summer. The Subcommittee continues to respond to queries regarding wet collection supplies and practices. Ongoing dialogue with such places as the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazona (INPA) in Manaus and the Monterey Bay Aquarium research collections have resulted in the committee providing lists of supplies and vendors as well as details on accessioning and cataloguing practices. Other frequently asked questions involve collection database structures and availability of cataloguing software. The Subcommittee refers these questions to the appropriate sources.

The Newsletter Subcommittee solicited contributions for the publication of Curation Newsletter #12. As of March 1997 there were only two potential submissions. A "call for papers" announcement is in the process of being prepared for the ASIH Homepage. The announcement is expected to generate a sufficient number of contributions to publish Curation Newsletter #12 before the 1998 ASIH meeting.

The Data Standards Subcommittee is working with Stan Blum and ASC in developing collection standards. Stuart Poss and Stan Blum have been discussing the emerging cross-discipline standards and their usefulness to ASIH members who help manage collections. Work continues on the editing of symbolic codes and data relating to the status of collections. Much of this work will be completed by the time of the 1997 meetings.

Thanks to the efforts of Mike Taylor, Tulane University Museum of Natural History, the entire committee has a listserv address to facilitate better communication among members and the ASIH Collections Committee Chair. Mike will continue to manage the list.

ICHTHYOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR Walsh, Stephen J.

Twenty-one inquiries were received in the last year, 16 by e-mail, four by snail mail, and one by phone. Requests came from 13 U.S. states, two foreign countries (Belgium and Sri Lanka), and six of unknown origin. Questions were from grade-school students and the general public (12), university staff and students (7), and museum or government employees (2). Responses covered the following topics (some requests addressed more than one category): general ecology, life history, or anatomy (7); aquaculture, aquarium management, or game fishing (6); career opportunities (3); taxonomy or nomenclature (3); electrofishing, animal care, or experimental protocols (2); museum exhibits (1), and; "do fish really sleep?" (1, representing a long-standing wager). Most requests were received directly by the ASIH business office.

JOINT ASIH-AFS COMMITTEE ON NAMES OF FISHES Nelson, Joseph S., Chair

The fish names committee and advisory subcommittee met Monday 17 June, 1200-1330 hrs at the 1996 ASIH conference, New Orleans. The following committee members were present: J. S. Nelson (Chair), E. J. Crossman, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, D. Stewart, and J. D. Williams. Several subcommittee members, including new member H. Espinosa-Perez replacing Ray Hunziker, attended and actively contributed to our decisions. A draft manuscript was circulated. Some results of the meeting are as follows: a) Intention confirmed to include Mexican fish fauna with Spanish (and English?) names and French names for species in Quebec. The title of the new list will thus be: Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. b) Format and codes confirmed as previously given. Outline map to be added. c) Cephalochordates to be added with help of Drs. H. Boschung and S. Poss. d) Pros/cons discussed of having all common names treated as proper names and beginning in upper case. Most committee members favor using lower case. e) Dr. Jim Williams will research the possibility of revising Appendix 2 (Exotic Fishes). Appendix 3 (hybrids) will be revised. Appendix 4 (re publication dates) will be deleted. f) Retention of the common names jewfish and squawfish was favored (our mandate is to reflect usage). However, this decision will be re-examined.

LONG RANGE PLANNING AND FINANCE COMMITTEE - Johnson, Robert K., Chair

This document constitutes the report of the Long Range Planning and Finance Committee for the period July 1996 through March 1997. It will be supplemented by two documents:

(1) Proposed emendations to the ASIH Constitution and Bylaws presented as a motion from the Committee and attached to the present document; (2) a draft version of a proposed ASIH Policy and Procedures Manual to be distributed to the Executive Committee and to various committee chairs and society representatives at the annual meetings in Seattle in June, 1997. The draft Policy Manual will be edited to reflect actions taken by the Society on the proposed emendations and will be distributed in draft to the full Board of Governors prior to the 1998 annual meetings.

The principal charge addressed by Past-Presidents Greenfield and Stewart to the LRPFC is the production of an ASIH Policy and 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 (in part) the 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.

This document shall address these specific issues:

We welcome and urge input from all members on how to make this project most useful.

See Appendix B for the proposed changes to the constitution.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE - Ross, Stephen T., Chair

PRESIDENT-ELECT

_____Robert C. Cashner, Graduate Dean and Professor of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA. Research: Systematics of cyprinodontid and centrarchid fishes; ecology of stream fishes in North America and Australia. ASIH service: Southeastern Division of ASIH-Secretary-Treasurer, 1987-88; Vice President, 1988-89; President, 1989-90. Index Editor for Copeia, 1986-1994; Nominating Committee, 1987-90 (Chair 1989-90); Stoye Award Judge 1992-1993; Editorial Policy Committee, 1986-1994; Resolutions Committee (Chair) 1990-1994; Time and Place Committee, 1992 to present; Local Committee (Chair), New Orleans, 1996.

_____Walter R. Courtenay Jr., Professor of Zoology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL. Research: taxonomy, anatomy, and ecology of fishes; distribution, biology, and environmental effects of introduced nonindigenous fishes. ASIH service: Board of Governors 1971-1975, 1980-1984; Environmental Quality Committee, Chair 1976-1980, 1982-1995, member 1981, 1995-present; Committee on Public Affairs, 1986-1987; ASIH Liaison Officer to National Biological Service, 1993-1995.

COPEIA EDITORS

Herpetology Book Review Editor

_____Kentwood D. Wells, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CN. Research: Social behavior and communication of anuran amphibians, including territoriality, mating systems, the structure and function of acoustic signals, parental care, and the energetics of calling in frogs. ASIH service: Organized ASIH symposia on social behavior of anurans for 1978 and 1987 annual meetings in Tempe, Arizona and Albany, New York. Resolutions Committee, 1988 annual meeting; regular reviewer for Copeia.

General Herpetology Editor

_____Andrew H. Price, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Austin, TX. Research: competition and parthenogenesis in Cnemidophorus; gene flow and isolation in small mammal populations; biogeography and evolution of the southwestern U.S. herpetofauna; evolution of sexuality and optimality in evolution; conservation biology of North American freshwater fishes; biochemical phylogenetics of Phrynosoma; molecular and biochemical systematics of freshwater turtles and plethodontid salamanders; congruence of morphological and biochemical data sets in phylogenetic systematics. ASIH service: frequent reviewer of Copeia manuscripts; Other service: Associate Editor for Herpetology, The American Midland Naturalist 1994-1997; Sauria and Amphisbaenia Section Editor, Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (1986-present).

THE ROBERT H. GIBBS MEMORIAL AWARD COMMITTEE

_____E. O. Wiley. Senior Curator of Fishes, Natural History Museum and Professor, Department of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KA. Research: Relationships of major fish groups; systematics and relationships of North American freshwater fishes; theory of phylogenetic systematics. ASIH service: Member, Board of Governors, 1977-1981, 1983-1988, 1991-1996. Member, Ichthyological Collections Committee, 1981-1983. Chair, Nominations Committee, 1983. Chair, Resolutions Committee, 1985.

_____Richard Winterbottom, Curator, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, and Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Toronto. Research: phylogeny, taxonomy, biogeography, macroevolutionary exploration of microevolutionary phenomena of fishes, especially those of the Indo-Pacific coral reefs. ASIH service: Board of Governors, 1978-1983, 1987-1992; General Ichthyology Editor (Copeia), 1991-1996; Gibbs Award Committee, 1989-1991; Stoye Award judge (General Ichthyology), 1975; nominating committee for Honorary Foreign Membership (Ichthyology), 1993.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS BALLOT, 1997

HERPETOLOGY

_____Ellen J. Censky, Assistant Curator and Head of Section, Section of Amphibians and Reptiles, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA. Research: behavioral and evolutionary ecology, systematics and zoogeography of Neotropical herps, especially West Indian reptiles. ASIH service: Time, place, and program committee (1996-); Stoye Award Judge in Ecology and Ethology (1996).

_____Linda S. Ford, Curatorial Associate, American Museum of Natural History, Department of Herpetology, New York. Research: systematics and diversification of amphibians, especially related to anurans. Collection conservation, systematic theory, and information database systems. ASIH service: Board of Governors, Data Standards Committee, Local Committee of the ASIH 1991 meetings, and Storer Award Judge.

_____L. Lee Grismer, Associate Professor of Biology, La Sierra University, Riverside, CA. Research: Systematics and biogeography of Latin American and Southeast Asian reptiles and amphibians and eublepharid geckos.

_____Anna Graybeal, Assistant Curator, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL. Research: Systematic concepts and approaches; phylogenetic relationships and evolution of macroevolutionary (patterns of character evolution, biogeography) and microevolutionary (population differentiation and speciation) diversity in frogs (especially toads), using molecular and morphological characters.

_____Craig Guyer, Associate Professor, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Science Auburn University, Auburn, AL. Research: Regulation of population density in anoline lizards; demography of threatened and endangered species of the southeastern U.S.; reproductive phenology of hylid frogs; Neotropical biogeography; adaptive radiation. ASIH Service: Gaige Fund Committee (1988-91; 1995-96), Judge forStoye Award (1996).

_____Joseph R. Mendelson III, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT. Research: Morphology, systematics, biogeography, and natural history of amphibians and squamates; special emphasis on bufonid and hylid frogs and colubrid snakes. Morphology, evolution, and behavior of fragile-tailed colubrid snakes. Ecological effects of habitat disturbance on amphibians and reptiles, and distribution of disturbed-habitat specialists.

_____Tod W. Reeder, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. Research: Squamate systematics and evolution; evolution of limb reduction, phylogenetic systematic theory and practice, and molecular evolution. ASIH Service: Served on local committees for the 1993 ASIH/HL meetings in Austin, TX; reviewer for Copeia.

_____Michael Sredl, Ranid Frogs Projects Coordinator for Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ. Research: Effects of non-natives on native amphibian populations; understanding and facilitating natural population dynamics in changing landscapes; endangered species recovery planning; and Southwestern United States Working Group Coordinator for Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (1994-present). ASIH service: reviewer for Copeia manuscripts.

_____Susan C. Walls, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS. Research: Behavioral mechanisms of ecological interactions in amphibians (especially larval salamanders of the genus Ambystoma). Specifically, the roles of aggression and cannibalism in kin discrimination; the influence of feeding ecology on plasticity in trophic morphology; and the behavioral mechanisms of coexistence in a guild of larval Ambystoma. ASIH service: reviewer for Copeia manuscripts; Stoye Award judge in Genetics, Development and Morphology.

_____John J. Wiens, Assistant Curator, Section of Amphibians and Reptiles, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, University of Pittsburgh. Research: Phylogeny and systematics of reptiles and amphibians, especially phrynosomatid lizards, Neotropical frogs, and salamanders; phylogenetic studies of morphological character evolution, especially sexually-selected and paedomorphic traits; and theory and methods of phylogeny reconstruction, especially the analysis of polymorphic characters and the combined analysis of diverse data. ASIH service: reviewer for Copeia.

ICHTHYOLOGY

_____Stephen A. Bortone, Professor of Biology, Unive rsity of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, and Visiting Research Associate, Florida Center for Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Research: artificial reefs; reproduction and life history; visual assessments of fish populations; statistics. ASIH service: Member since 1969, attended every meeting since then except two; member of BOG - 1990-1995; member of Resolutions committee - three occasions, served as Chair once; Chair for the Carter R. Gilbert Bounds of Decency Award Committee, 1996.

_____Brooks M. Burr, Professor of Zoology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL. Research: Systematics, life history, and conservation biology of New World fishes. ASIH Service: Secretary (1990-1994); Executive Committee (1990-1994); Robert H. Gibbs, Jr. Memorial Award Committee (1994-96), Ichthyological and Herpetological Collections Committee (Chair), 1995-present.

_____Philip A. Hastings, Assistant Research Scientist and Assistant Curator of Fishes, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona. Research: Pattern and process of phenotypic evolution of fishes, especially tube blennies (Chaenopsidae). Interests include, alpha taxonomy, osteology, morphometrics, phylogeny reconstruction, biogeography, developmental biology, behavioral ecology, and descriptive ethology, hermaphroditic fishes; marine biogeography; and the diversity and conservation of fishes of the Gulf of California. ASIH service: Member of ASIH since 1974, reviewer of numerous manuscripts for Copeia.

_____Edie Marsh-Matthews, Senior Research Associate, Oklahoma Biological Survey and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Research: Life history of freshwater fishes with emphasis on egg/embryo size variation; and community ecology of freshwater fishes, with emphasis on variation and long-term change in structure of local fish assemblages. ASIH service: member since 1977; Public affairs committee 1987-1991; Storer Award judge, 1991; Local Committee member 1993 (co-chair T-shirt committee; co-chair Clark Hubbs Symposium).

_____Amy R. McCune, Associate Professor and Curator of Ichthyology, Acting Curator of Herpetology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Research: evolution and systematics of fishes; in particular, the evolution (speciation, colonization, morphological change, systematics, ecological context) of semionotid fishes from Mesozoic rift lakes; comparisons of semionotid evolution to the evolution of living species flocks of fishes; development and evolution; relationships between ontogeny and phylogeny in cichlids, belonids, poeciliids, and cyprinids. ASIH service: Board of Governors; Stoye Awards and Resolutions committees.

_____Joseph S. Nelson, Professor of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. Research: Classification of fishes of the world; systematics of trachinoid, psychroluted, and gasterosteid fishes; evolution of pelvicless brook sticklebacks. ASIH service: Chairman, ASIH/AFS Committee on Names of Fishes (1991-present); Member, Time, Place, and Program Committee (1990-present); Member, Environmental Quality Committee (1995-present); Member, Robert H. Gibbs Jr. Memorial Award Committee (1996-present); Co-Chair, local Committee for Annual Meeting (1995); Board of Governors (1986-1991).

_____Peter C. Wainwright, Associate Professor of Biological Science, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Research: Evolution and ecology of functional morphology in fishes. ASIH service: 1987-89 Member of Graduate Student Affairs Committee; 1993, co-organized (with Kiisa Nishikawa) symposium on ecology and evolution of feeding in lower vertebrates.

_____Mark W. Westneat, Assistant Curator of Zoology, Division Head of Fishes, Field Museum of Natural History; Lecturer, Organismal Biology and Anatomy, and Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Research: systematics and evolution of tropical marine fishes, with a focus on the phylogeny of labrids and correlated evolution of structural, functional, and ecological features; functional morphology of vertebrates, with emphasis on biomechanics and muscle physiology during feeding and locomotion. ASIH service: membership (1987-88) and chairmanship (1989-90) of the ASIH Committee on Graduate Student Participation, and judging of the Stoye award in Genetics, Development, and Morphology (1991).

_____E. O. Wiley. Senior Curator of Fishes, Natural History Museum and Professor, Department of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KA. Research: Relationships of major fish groups; systematics and relationships of North American freshwater fishes; theory of phylogenetic systematics. ASIH service: Member, Board of Governors, 1977-1981, 1983-1988, 1991-1996. Member, Ichthyological Collections Committee. 1981-1983. Chair, Nominations Committee, 1983. Chair, Resolutions Committee, 1985.

PUBLICATIONS POLICY COMMITTEE - Douglas, Michael E., Chair

Members: T. Berra; R. Cashner; F. Cashner; D. Cundall; M. Douglas (Chair); W. Gibbons; J. Gold; F. Irish; R. Mayden; J. McEachran; J. Orr; J. Rosado; S. Ross; J. Spotila; R. Winterbottom.

The 1996 Copeia Editorial Policy meeting was convened at noon, 21 June in the Downtown Center, University of New Orleans. Editors in attendance were: Tim Berra, John McEachran, Steve Ross, and Fran Cashner. Those sending regrets were: Bob Cashner, John Gold (late arrival), David Cundall/Fran Irish, Jim Spotila, and Rick Winterbottom. Whit Gibbons had a prior commitment at the Herp League Executive meeting, while Rick Mayden and Jim Orr were absent without leave.

Marlis Douglas transcribed notes during the meeting and our committee was alternately visited by president Meg Stewart and president-elect Ted Pietsch. Both contributed to the ongoing discussions and their presence was appreciated.

Topics addressed at the meeting were as follows:

(1) Author/reviewer problems cropped up a few times during the past year and these were discussed in a general sense at the meeting. It was decided that sectional editors would add to their "request-for-review" letter a statement on professional conduct. Meg Stewart suggested the following (modified from Ecological Society of America): "If you do agree to review the manuscript, please remember to criticize 'science' and not 'scientist.' Harsh words in a review may cause author(s) to doubt your objectivity. This, in turn, weakens your review even though it is scientifically correct. You must convince author(s) you are qualified to provide an expert opinion about the research in question and that your criticisms are objective. They are offered as a means of improving the paper and are not merely differences of opinion." Placing such a paragraph into the request letter eliminates the need to send an additional "instructions to reviewers." In a previous editorial policy meeting, it was decided that dictating too greatly to reviewers could cause them to return the ms. without review.

(2) Given that we are now deep into electronic publishing, several problems have occurred recently with regard to length and format of tables. Since the Copeia copy editor only codes text for publication, it is up to sectional editors to ensure that tables are not only necessary but done correctly. It is fallacious to think that moving such issues on to the managing editor will speed up the publishing process. Manuscripts do not fall "in train" for publishing until these problems are dealt with. If it requires additional time to force an author to amend a "fat" table, then by all means take that time.

(3) Format changes for the journal were also discussed and approved. These are:

The last format change (above) in particular has a multiplicity of effects. For instance, it makes life simpler at both Allen Press and the Copeia editorial office. Previously, an entire issue had to be processed by Allen Press as a single unit, because the termination of many manuscripts ran onto the same page as the following article. With this change in format, an issue can now be sent in fragmented form to Allen Press for processing. This keeps the work load at both ends both manageable and less deadline-oriented. It also eliminates the problem of having a second article trailing the first on thelast page of a reprint. Other benefits are that authors receive proofs of articles much faster now (given that manuscripts are processed immediately upon receipt at Allen Press), and that proofs are now in 8.5 x 11 inch format rather than the large, unwieldy double-page format of previous proofs.

(4) Discussion also focused on the issue of abstracting shorter contributions. They could then be indexed in those publications which review abstracts, and thus might make this genre more appealing to authors. However, differences between shorter contributions and major articles would blur if the former were abstracted, particularly given the format changes implemented above. A second suggestion to abolishing shorter contributions was then discussed. Many felt this type of contribution has considerable merit, both in theory and practice. Many articles are just too short to be anything else but a note; in addition, the existence of this category allows sectional editors to reduce an overwritten major article to fit physical dimensions of the shorter contribution (as noted in Instructions to Authors), rather than simply to demand that an article be "shortened." It was then decided to revisit this issue at next year's EP meeting, when (hopefully) a greater contingent of editors would be present.

RANEY FUND AWARD COMMITTEE - Sedberry, George R., Chair

The committee this year included: Larry G. Allen (California State University), Dannie A. Hensley (University of Puerto Rico) and George R. Sedberry (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; Chair). The call for applications was published in Copeia 1996(4): 1077, with a cutoff date for receipt of applications of 1 March 1997. Because of an error on the part of the Chair, the cutoff date posted on the web site was 15 March, and applications were accepted through that date. Twenty-two applications were received. With $3500 in funds to disburse in 1997, the committee was able to fund six proposals:

Sparisoma

Gasterosteus aculeatus

ROBERT H. GIBBS, JR MEMORIAL AWARD COMMITTEE - McEachran, John, Chair

During March of this year, the Gibbs Award Committee evaluated the nominations for the 1997 award and arrived at a decision by mail, e-mail, and telephone. This year's winner will be announced at the annual ASIH Banquet in Seattle, on Tuesday July 1, 1997.

We will continue to announce and promote the award through publication of notices in scientific journals, including Copeia. Following the annual ASIH meeting, the chairperson will forward the announcement of the winner for 1997 to these journals along with a request for future nominations. As was done the last several years, a full page in Copeia, 1997 (4), will be devoted to a plaque bearing the name of this year's winner as well as a list of all former recipients. This year's winner 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 paper of the journal.

STUDENT AWARDS COMMITTEE - Brodie, III, Edmund D., Chair

A total of 184 papers were entered into the Stoye and Storer award competitions before the deadline of March 15. Of these, 85 were declared ineligible because they did not meet the requirement that the student be the sole author and presenter. As in previous years, failure to meet this one criterion prevented a large number of students from competing and receiving the constructive feedback associated with the competition. It is the belief of the committee that many of these multi-authored submissions are in fact primarily the work of students and could be eligible. The committee again recommends that the eligibility criteria be printed prominently, perhaps in uppercase or bold text in future calls for papers to reduce the number of contestants that needlessly disqualify themselves. The committee also suggests that announcement include the information that 30 minute symposium presentations can not be included in the Stoye Award competition because of the difficulty in comparing presentations of different lengths.

Thirty-three abstracts were submitted for the Storer Award competition. Of these, 10 will be entered in the Ichthyology category, 5 in Herpetology, and 18 were disqualified for multiple authorship (10 in Ichthyology, 8 in Herpetology).

A total of 151 abstracts were submitted to the Stoye Award competition in 5 different categories (General Ichthyology - 26, General Herpetology - 18, Genetics, Development, and Morphology - 23, Ecology and Ethology - 63, Physiology and Physiological Ecology - 21). Of these submissions, 56 were declared ineligible because of multiple authorship, and an additional 11 could not be judged because they will be delivered as 30 minute symposium presentations. Seven abstracts were submitted in inappropriate categories, and were transferred to a more appropriate category (2 from General Herpetology to Ecology and Ethology, 2 from General Ichthyology to Ecology and Ethology, 2 from General Ichthyology to Genetics, Development, and Morphology, and 1 from Genetics, Development and Morphology to Ecology and Ethology). A total of 84 abstracts were entered into the Stoye Awards competition (General Ichthyology - 16, General Herpetology - 11, Genetics, Development, and Morphology - 14, Ecology and Ethology - 38, Physiology and Physiological Ecology - 9).

At the time of this report, student standing and membership of all competitors is being verified. As in the past, students not in good standing will be notified and given the opportunity to join ASIH. If their dues are received prior to their presentation, they will be ruled eligible to compete.

President-elect Savitsky, with the assistance of a number of others who shall remain nameless for their own safety, provided nominations for the student award judges. At the time of this report, the majority of judge slots have been filled.

The judging packet, including schedules of presentations, standardized judging forms and location of prescheduled meeting rooms for deliberation are currently being prepared.

Finally, at the suggestion of Gene Helfman, the committee has undertaken consideration of a new category of Stoye Awards in "Conservation Biology". Such a category would reflect the rapid increase in research in conservation biology, and the importance of the fields of ichthyology and herpetology in this arena. Based on a cursory inspection of the abstracts, 10 of the 151 Stoye Award submissions this year would be appropriately included in a "conservation biology" category. The actual number is likely much higher. This topic has been sent to the Executive Committee for action.

TIME, PLACE, AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE - Gregory, Patrick T., Chair

Members: Patrick T. Gregory, Chair, James P. Bogart, Robert C. Cashner, Ellen J. Censky, Robert J. Lavenberg, Joseph C. Mitchell, Sanford A. Moss, Joseph S. Nelson, Theodore W. Pietsch, Jay Stauffer, and Christopher Tracy

The TPPC's main task this year has been to find a meeting site for the year 2000. Although we have not yet concluded this task, we have had strong interest in hosting a meeting in 2000 from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico (local chair would be Carlos Villavicencio). Committee members generally agree that, assuming our normal requirements can be met, this would be an excellent opportunity to meet in Latin America. We hope to have more information available by the time of this year's meeting in Seattle and perhaps even a recommendation to the Board of Governors.

With respect to a meeting in 2001, there is a strong feeling that we should undertake an odyssey to the U.S. Midwest. In the coming year, we will be approaching potential meeting hosts in that region, but we welcome any invitations from the Midwest in the meantime. Naturally, we also will be pleased to entertain any other invitations for subsequent years from other parts of the hemisphere. Don't miss the opportunity to experience the thrills, excitement, and real-life education of organizing an annual meeting of ASIH.

The next two ASIH meetings will be held at the University of Guelph (Ontario) in 1998 and Pennsylvania State University (1999).

REPRESENTATIVES TO OTHER GROUPS

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES - Leviton, Alan E.

AMSIE'97, the 163rd general meeting of AAAS, was held in Seattle, February 13-18. Because of conflicting obligations and schedules, I was unable to attend several functions held expressly for affiliated society representatives. However, I did attend the Section on Biological Sciences meeting as ASIH representative.

At the Section meetings, those items that, on balance, would be of general interest to the ASIH membership were (1) continued discussion on the subject of the Fellow's nomination process and (2) planning for the Philadelphia meetings next year (12-17 Feb.) on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of AAAS. The latter was of particular interest because several symposia topics were advanced of likely concern to ASIH, namely (a) Taxonomy in crisis: Prospects for the 21st century; (b) From the limited to the unlimited: A history of conservation biology; (c) The history of and changing roles for museums and living collections and the impact on the public's awareness of the biological sciences; (d) Evolution and society; (e) Progress at the interface of evolution and development; (f) Natural History: Exploration and expeditions, old and new; and (g) The history and future of women in science. Although by title these may seem to dwell too heavily on the historical components, this is not the case. Rather, an effort is being made to incorporate historical overviews in all programs scheduled for the Philadelphia meetings because of the anniversary, and the titles listed above are merely first approximations and assuredly will change to some degree during the coming months. A large number of other proposals were put forth and discussed both in the Section meeting and at the follow-up Planning Meeting, most of which I had to miss because of other commitments.

With respect to the Fellows' nomination procedures, apart from changes made last year and the general procedures outlined in the AAAS Handbook, the Section clarified one point that earlier seemed to have been overlooked, notably that henceforth "the nominee must be a member of the AAAS and must have designated membership in the Section on Biological Sciences." Although these seem obvious, if the nominee is to be considered by the Section on Biological Sciences and by AAAS (Fellows are advanced through the nomination process by the Sections, but the Council actually votes on the nominations), names of people have been advanced through the nomination process who were either not members of AAAS at the time of nomination and/or were not members of the Section which was being asked to recommend their nomination. As an aside, it is nice to report that ASIH members Theodore Pietsch, Brian W. Bowen, Joseph J. Cech, and Gary Thorgaard were among the nominees elected this year as AAAS Fellows.

The Board of Directors of AAAS met just before the meetings, but mostly routine matters were discussed and reports filed. The AAAS is now comfortably established in its new headquarters building at 1200 New York Avenue NW (Washington, DC 20005) and plans for the development of the public areas on the first (ground) floor are proceeding as quickly as funding allows. Also, one item of more than passing interest was the report by the Directorate of International Programs on the success of the Kyrgyzstan initiative, a conference on high altitude science held in Bishkek. The conference attracted only a handful of North American scientists, largely because of the expense of travel, but nearly 400 Russian, Asian, and European scientists did attend. The conference dealt with a broad range of problems focusing on high altitudes, from ecology to seismology, conservation and the environment, as well as communication and education. The matter of communication was especially important to insure that the local scientific community could keep in contact with colleagues elsewhere. The conference was sponsored by the AAAS, the University of Kyrgyzstan and the central government. For ASIH members interested in AAAS initiatives in countries of the Former Soviet Union, contact Dr. Elizabeth Kirk, International Programs, at AAAS (ekirk@aaas.org).

The Council of AAAS held a reasonably well-mannered meeting (your reporter attended Council meetings in the 1970's when they were not always so tame, especially during the tenure of such activists as Margaret Meade, who held positive views on many subjects and was not shy about voicing them, often to the chagrin of those trying avoid discord and maintain an orderly flow to the agenda) Sunday morning at which it considered a number of proposals. Among those that generated some discussion were (1) a proposed change to the Constitution to permit the Board to appoint (thus bypassing the current constitutional mandate for election by the membership at-large) up to two Directors to serve three-year staggered terms, and (2) initiation of a new program, a dialogue on science and religion.

Of the two matters, the first occasioned some discussion and dissention, including an objection to the Constitution change by the ASIH representative, but when the vote was taken, the majority supported the Board-generated recommendation. The second item, initiating a dialogue on science and religion led to a short-lived but heated discussion, with the middle-of-the-roaders being concerned that a balance in presentations be maintained and that such a program does not wind up being dominated by any one denominational perspective. It was clearly stated that all papers would be reviewed by scientists for their objectivity and balance and that this would not turn into a forum for the advancement of religious dogma.

The meetings themselves were well attended. The track (AAAS organizes its sessions in tracks, i.e., clusters of symposia that look at one or more closely related themes) on Biological and Genetic Diversity included several theme sessions of interest to ASIH members: (a) Global Biodiversity Assessment: The Importance of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning; (b) Valuing Biodiversity; (c) Africa's Marine Resources as Potential Economic Assets; and (d) The Nature and Value of Ecosystems. A session on Columbia River salmon restoration and two relating to the Pacific Northwest ecosystems, one coastal marine and one wetlands, were presented under the track rubric "Natural Resources Issues in the Pacific Northwest." Apart from these selected programs, there was a potpourri of others that would easily have attracted the attention of individual members of ASIH, for instance (a) Early Maritime Adaptations in North America, 10,000 to 4,500 yr BP; (b) Priorities for Environmental and Natural Resources Research; (c) Scholarly Publishing on the Internet: What does the Future Hold.

AMERICAN ELASMOBRANCH SOCIETY - Burgess, George H.

Meeting concurrently with ASIH in New Orleans, LA , the American Elasmobranch Society (AES) held its 12th Annual Meeting on 13-19 June 1995, with more than 120 members attending. The assistance of ASIH program chairman Bob Cashner, AES liaison Bruce Thompson, and other local committee members was exceptional and duly appreciated. The meeting consisted of six sessions consisting of 80 contributed papers, seventeen posters, and the traditional open slide/video finale. An excellent symposium addressing the biology of skates was organized by Carl Luer and Bill Raschi. The contributed sessions included papers devoted to age and growth, shark attack, behavior, demography, ecology, energetics, evolution, feeding, fisheries and management, morphology, paleontology, parasitology, physiology, reproductive biology, and systematics. Numerous presentations were made at the open slide/video session. A special meeting of the IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group was held on 18 June to discuss CITES issues. The Presidential Address, Diversity of Elasmobranchs and Elasmobranch Biologists, was given by John Morrissey during the ASIH plenary session on June 14. The AES sessions were well attended by AES and ASIH members, with standing room-only houses of 200+ people present at most sessions. Larger venues will be required for future meetings. A student workshop on finding jobs also was conducted.

The society's Executive Board and Board of Directors met on 13 June, and the Business Meeting was convened on 17 June. For the first time elections were held by mail ballot, with results of balloting announced at the Business Meeting as follows:

A record crowd of 170 attended the AES Banquet on 17 June. At that time a selection committee composed of Dave Koester (chair), Todd Hopkins, Charles Manire, and John New awarded the Gruber Award for best student paper to Ken Goldman for his paper, "Swimming depth and space utilization of white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, at the South Farallon Islands, California." Karen Maruska received the second place award for her presentation, "Ecological morphology of the peripheral mechanosensory lateral line in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina." "Phylogenetic relationships of the skates and rays inferred from the mitochondrial encoded 12S rRNA gene" earned Kathy Dunn the third place award. As in the past three years, the evening was highlighted by the Elasmo Auction which raised over $1200 for the Student Travel Fund. An additional $1884 for the Fund was garnered in apparel sales and raffle tickets.

AES extends it appreciation to ASIH for its continued support of joint meetings and will next meet in Seattle, Washington on 26-30 June 1997 in association with the 1997 ASIH annual meetings.

AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Warren, M. L.

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 Marine Fishes Subcommittee (Jack Musick and Gene Huntsman, Co-chairs) of the AFS Endangered Species Committee (Tim Modde, Chair) is assessing the status of coastal marine fishes off U.S. waters with a projected publication date of early 1998. For the 1997 AFS meetings in Monterey, Jack Musick has organized a symposium entitled "Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals" that will provide valuable input into coastal marine fish status assessments and Cindy Deacon Williams has organized a symposium entitled "Protecting Vulnerable Species: On the Edge Between Biological Need and the Demands of the Real World" to address the gap between legal mandates and biological needs for species recovery. The AFS published a special issue of Fisheries [1996. 21(10)] on status of southeastern Alaska and British Columbia salmonid stocks at risk. The AFS published its final Advocacy Guidelines policy [1997. Fisheries 22(2):12-15], a document that should be scrutinized for applicability to ASIH. The AFS Resource Policy Committee published an AFS position statement on biodiversity [1997. Fisheries 22(3):16-23] that recommends international cooperation, landscape-scale planning, and increased funding for long-term monitoring and research on biodiversity.

ASSOCIATION OF SYSTEMATIC COLLECTIONS - Page, Lawrence M.

Minutes of the 1996 Annual Business Meeting in College Park, Maryland, contained the following information. The ASC Board has decided to establish a Leadership Council of Affiliated Societies. The council is intended to identify issues and develop grass-roots action to increase the visibility of collections-based research. The ASC Database Committee has been reactivated, and ASC is developing a taxonomic resources expertise database (TRED) and is conducting a survey of biological collection resources. Funding requests to the National Science Foundation of about $50 million in the past year for collections support far exceeded the $6.47 million available. Both the number of requests and the levels of funding are increasing. NSF will not support long-term computer projects.

A report on the Organization of Biodiversity Information (OBI) was included. OBI was formed to address needs for information on biodiversity. Included in their objectives are plans to electronically map the flora and fauna of the U.S. at the county level, and to electronically map the biota of Hawaii at a more precise level of detail.

EARLY LIFE HISTORY SECTION OF AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY - Fahay, Michael P.

Once again, the annual meeting of this society will be held in conjunction with that of ASIH. In addition to general papers and posters on early life history studies, the section is soliciting contributions for four symposia:

A special session on larval fish preservation and curation is also planned for this year's meeting. There is also an effort being made to compile a list of reference, research, voucher or teaching collections of fish eggs, larvae and early juveniles. Members of ASIH (who are not members of the ELHS section) may wish to contribute to this effort which will eventually appear on the ASIH Collections webpage. Contact Darrel Snyder, Colorado State University.

Membership in this section of the AFS now includes workers from around the world. The semi-annual newsletter, "Stages" contains contributions from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America, as well as from four U.S. regions. Affiliate, non-voting membership includes a subscription to this informative newsletter and is available for $10.00 a year. Contact Stanley Warlen, NMFS, Beaufort, NC 28516-9722.

FISH BEHAVIOR GROUP OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY - Myrburg, Arthur A.

The Animal Behavior Society had its 33rd annual meeting at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, August 4-8, 1996. Three hundred thirty-two papers were presented, a decrease of approximately 10% in the number of contributions presented at the ABS meeting in 1995. This continues the gradual decrease in the number of papers presented at the annual meeting of the ABS. Fifty-one papers dealt with subjects of direct interest to members of our Society. This was an increase, by 54%, in the number presented in 1995 (yeah!): 23 (6.9%) dealt with fishes, 15 (4.5%) dealt with reptiles, and 13 (3.9%) dealt with amphibians. Papers, dealing with these three groups increased their representation to 15.3% of the total papers presented at the meeting, thereby reversing the progressive loss of representation of contributions in the last several years, i.e., 9.4% (1995), 11.5% (1994), 12% (1993).

Few families of fishes were represented, however, at the '96 meeting. Their % of total representation increased slightly over the preceding two years (6.9%) (i.e., 5.5% [1995], 6.5% [1994], 8.1% [1993], 12.4% [1992]). The most popular families included the poeciliids (8) and the cichlids (6). Freshwater bass and the gymnotids were the subjects of two papers each and one paper considered a percid.

Herpetological groups markedly increased the number of their contributions over that provided at the 1995 meeting by more than 200%: lizards (11 papers), frogs and toads (7), salamanders (6), turtles (3) and snakes (1).

Reports were divided among the following subjects (loosely defined):

Subject	Fishes	Reptiles	Amphibians
Mating and courtship	10	4	3
Parental behav.	3	1	1
Aggression		1	2
Pred.-prey	4	2	2
General Social	5	6	1
Locomotion			1
Feeding			1
Learning		1	1
Orientation	1		1
Totals	23	15	13

Howard Elliot Winn, a dear colleague and friend of many members of our Society and a renowned ichthyologist and behavioral scientist, passed away August 13, 1995. Howard was honored by the ABS by naming its Society's Founder Memorial Poster Award in his honor. The ABS is also collecting autobiographical materials, particularly from its long-term members, which will be housed at the Smithsonian Institution, for scholarly research on the history of the ABS. The 34th annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society will be held at University of Maryland/National Zoological Park at College Park, MD, June 21-26, 1997; web site: http:/www.bsos.umd.edu/cebh/abs97.

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE - Rabb, George

Much has happened since my last report in April 1996, including the World Conservation Congress which took place in Montreal in October 1996. The Congress is an opportunity for all of IUCN's members to come together. In October, nearly 2,700 representatives and observers attended the ten streams of technical workshops and the several plenary sessions of the Congress. The 55 workshops covered numerous topics, including conservation communications, sustainable use, and regional conservation initiatives. During plenary, more than 100 resolutions were considered, and many of them were referred to small discussion groups before IUCN members acted on them. The resolutions included broad ones dealing with trade and the rights of indigenous people, as well as specific ones concerning wildlife such as dugongs, and harmful practices such as current long line fishing techniques. In conjunction with the Congress, there was an exhibition with displays from a number of conservation organizations. Advised by DAPTF and Chair Ron Heyer, the Smithsonian Institution had a cosponsored exhibit on declining amphibian populations and the work of DAPTF.

Also during the Congress, IUCN members elected new officers. Yolanda Kakabadse of Ecuador was elected the new IUCN President, replacing Jay Hair, and David Brackett, Director General of Wildlife Canada, was elected to succeed me as volunteer head of SSC. Among Regional Councilors of IUCN, Dan Martin of the MacArthur Foundation, David Smith of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, and Pierre Marc Johnson of McGill University were elected as the three for the North American region.

Preceding the IUCN Congress were meetings of the Species Survival Commission, starting with a SSC staff meeting generously hosted by the Granby Zoo. A SSC Steering Committee meeting and two days of Commission meetings followed. At its meeting, the Steering Committee discussed the re-appointment of Specialist Group Chairs for the upcoming triennium, further discussed plans for restructuring the governing body of the SSC, and adopted the SSC Trade Program Strategic Plan.

During the Commission meeting, 27 Specialist Groups reported on their activities, and there were also intensive training workshops on communications and on the use of the Red List categories and criteria. Additionally, talks were given by John Hart, Andrew Spalton, and Schwann Tunhikorn about SSC's work in the various regions, and by several SSC and TRAFFIC members about work with CITES and other major conventions.

Another major event during the last year was the release of the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, which was launched in Washington in early October 1996. This publication is significant, because it represents the first time the new Categories of Threat had been put to use and the first time that all of the known mammal species had been assessed. The results were astonishing. Before the 1996 Red List, the birds had been the only vertebrate class to be completely evaluated in terms of degree of threat of extinction, 11% of the species being threatened. The results of the complete mammal assessment shows that almost 25% of all mammal species are threatened with extinction. Of the fishes, amphibians, and reptiles reviewed, the proportions of threatened species are closer to the mammalian figure.

Despite this major finding, the news media at the World Conservation Congress were attracted to another new aspect of the Red List. This was the listing of a few commercially important marine fish species such as the cod and the blue-fin tuna, because of the rate of decline of their populations over the last ten years. The Canadian Ministry of Fisheries as well as the Japanese delegation protested the use of the rate of decline criterion for such widespread fecund species. The applicability of the criterion will be reviewed further in a special expert meeting, but the topic had been reviewed earlier in the year at a workshop at the Zoological Society of London, convened by Dr. Georgina Mace, the principal architect of the new listing process and its criteria.

Also in October was the release of the first-ever Action Plans focusing on plants. The following plans have been published in the last year: Orchids: Status Survey, and Conservation Action Plan; Palms: Their Conservation and Sustained Utilization; and Conservation of Mediterranean Island Plants, Strategy for Action, as well as African Primates: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (Revised Edition) and The Cranes: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Appointed at the October Steering Committee meeting, David Given has taken over as Chair of the Plant Conservation Subcommittee, replacing Charles Stirton. This Subcommittee continues to work on the development of SSC's activities in plant conservation, including the development of new Specialist Groups where needed.

New Chair appointments for fish and reptile and amphibian groups include: Dr. William Branch as Chair of the African Reptile and Amphibian Specialist Group, Ms. Neca Marcovaldi as Chair of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Dr. Michael Bruton as Chair of the Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, and Dr. John Musick and Dr. Sarah Fowler as Co-Chairs of the Shark Specialist Group.

CBSG continued their work with Population and Habitat Viability Analyses (PHVA) and Conservation and Management Assessment Plans (CAMP). In 1996, CBSG conducted PHVAs on the Orinoco crocodile, striped legless lizard, and the spotted tree frog, among others. CBSG has also been advising the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

The initiative to develop the Biodiversity Conservation Information System (BCIS) continues to develop at both the SSC level and the consortium level. At the SSC level, Luigi Boitani has developed an initial prototype which upon further refinement will be tested with select Specialist Groups. Luigi's work as well as all of SSC's efforts with BCIS led by Andrew Smith were presented to SSC members during the Commission meeting. At the consortium level, development is gaining momentum, especially as BCIS was awarded a grant from NORAD for continuing the planning and development processes. Two new organizations have been accepted as consortium members: The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.

The Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SUSG) presented several regional case studies as well as a theatrical production during one of the workshop streams at the World Conservation Congress. The Congress subsequently approved continuing a "bottoms-up" regional approach to developing guidelines for sustainable use. In addition to the Congress, the Steering Committee made up of regional SUSG chairs met while in Montreal, and are planning another meeting in April in Malaysia. The SUSG is nearing completion of its workplan it developed in 1994 and is now formulating a second workplan. As part of the completion of the first stage, the SUSG is organizing the publication of findings from all of the regional case studies.

I have accepted appointment as Vice-Chair for Communications in SSC. Elizabeth McCance in my office will continue to handle the editing of Species magazine, to promote electronic communications among the Specialist Groups, and to facilitate progress on Red List development. Her e-mail address is iucnssc@igc.apc.org.

SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS - Simmons, John E.

The 11th annual meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections was held at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 12-15 June 1996. The meeting theme was "Historic Collections." The keynote address was by Susan Glassman and Gretchen Worden, "The Soap Lady and the Saber Tooth: The Collections of the Mutter Museum and Wagner Free Institute of Science." The meeting program included a tour of the Mutter Museum and Wagner Institute on the evening of 13 June. Of particular interest to ASIH members were presentations on the roles of natural history collections; the stabilization and conservation of old anatomical specimens; the physical interactions between fluid preservatives, jars, and sealants; fluid collection containers; and requirements for digitizing natural history illustrations. The meeting workshop was "Value and Insurance of Natural History Collections." A variety of speakers presented contrasting views of issues and implications involved in the assignment of value and the insurance of natural history collections.

SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES and HERPETOLOGISTS' LEAGUE - Savitzky, Alan H.

The upcoming meetings in Seattle (1997) and Guelph (1998) will mark the first time that all both HL and SSAR have joined ASIH for joint meetings in two successive years. Although the Seattle meeting promises to be extremely large, the high number of herpetological presentations and symposia is a promising development. About a decade ago there was concern in ASIH that herpetological attendance at meetings had declined to an undesirably low level, and the promotion of frequent joint meetings, especially with HL, has coincided with much more active herpetological participation at ASIH meetings. Although such large meetings pose obvious logistic difficulties, they are beneficial from the perspective of member participation in the affairs of the Society, especially by herpetological members.

Although joint participation by all herpetological societies is confirmed through 1988, neither HL nor SSAR has made a firm commitment to meet with ASIH at a subsequent meeting. Such continued participation is certainly desirable, especially by HL, whose members bolster the herpetological attendance at our meetings. SSAR, however, is unlikely to be sympathetic to another joint meeting in such rapid succession.

In other business, Past President Meg Stewart led the three societies in the joint submission of a successful proposal to the National Science Foundation requesting support for student travel grants to the Third World Congress of Herpetology in Prague, Czech Republic this Summer. A joint committee was established to disperse those funds. The long-postponed joint herpetological directory was placed under the direction of a new individual last year. The problems of dealing with different membership files, which often contain inconsistent addresses for the same individual, makes this a fairly daunting task.

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