Reducing the Gap Between Science and Public Opinion

The symposium plenary session will explore the gap between fisheries science and the opinions of the angling public. While public opinion is often based on knowledge of the latest fisheries science, that is not always the case, placing management decisions in the gap between science and the desires of anglers. The plenary speakers will discuss ways to reduce that gap, from scientific, management, and conservation perspectives.

Our plenary speakers:

Jesse Trushenski

Jesse is the Director of Science for Riverence Holdings, the parent organization for Riverence Farms (the largest producer of farmed trout and steelhead in the USA, located in Idaho) and its sister company, Riverence Brood (a salmonid breeding company based in Washington). In this role, she provides science leadership and research project management support for Riverence's various aquaculture-related endeavors. Before joining the private sector, Jesse was an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University, and Fish Pathologist Supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Whether it's fish nutrition, physiology, or health, Jesse has always been driven by the practical applications of science, going from data to information and information to action. Jesse has also fulfilled numerous leadership roles within the fisheries and aquaculture communities. She has chaired or served on multiple advisory panels and other committees addressing aquaculture research, regulation, and policy on a national scale, and is a former President of the American Fisheries Society.

Dirk Miller

Dirk Miller is the Deputy Chief of Fisheries for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) where he has wide-ranging policy, regulatory, administrative, interagency collaboration, and planning responsibilities. His prior agency experience includes working as a statewide stream research supervisor and biometrician and administrative positions supervising the research and fisheries management programs. He served on numerous graduate committees while an adjunct faculty member at the University of Wyoming. Dirk has worked extensively on interagency cutthroat trout issues including the rangewide conservation teams for Colorado River Cutthroat, Yellowstone Cutthroat, and Bonneville Cutthroat trout. He has worked on regional, national, and international fisheries issues while serving on and leading numerous committees and organizational units within the American Fisheries Society. Dirk has an established national network of fishery and wildlife professionals from his years of involvement in AFS activities, participation in the National Conservation Leadership Institute, and representing WGFD on various committees for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He is a Certified Fisheries Scientist and lifetime member of the American Fisheries Society and served as Symposium Chair of Wild Trout X in 2010 and Program Co-Chair for Wild Trout IX in 2007.

Kirk Deeter

Kirk Deeter is the Editor-in-Chief of Trout Unlimited Media. He’s also an editor-at large for Field & Stream, and the editor of Angling Trade, the business-to-business media group that covers fly fishing in North America. He is the author of eight books, most notably The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing. His work has also appeared in Wired, Outside, Men’s Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Garden & Gun, and many other publications. Known for his offbeat, “out there” story angles and provocative magazine covers, he’s documented fishing on five continents (and four oceans), from the tip of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina to north of the Arctic Circle in Russia, from the Tasmanian highlands to the Amazon jungle. He lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah.

For additional information and inquiries - Contact the Program Committee Co-chairs below

Dave Kazyak
USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center
(304) 724-4577
Email: program@wildtroutsymposium.com

Rob Van Kirk
Henry's Fork Foundation
(208) 881-3407
Email: program@wildtroutsymposium.com