UWs Hubert and Rahel Named to Inaugural Class of American Fisheries Society Fellows

Wayne Hubert, emeritus professor, and Frank Rahel, professor, both in the University of Wyoming Department of Zoology and Physiology, were named as fellows of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) at the society’s recent meeting in Portland, Ore.

Hubert and Rahel were part of the inaugural group of fellows named under the new AFS program. AFS now designates, as fellows of the society, certain members who have made outstanding or meritorious contributions to the diversity of fields that are included in society. Contributions can include, but are not restricted to, efforts in leadership, research, teaching and mentoring, resource management and/or conservation, and outreach or interaction with the public.

“We wanted to honor AFS members who are recognized by their peers as distinguished for their outstanding and/or sustained contributions to the discipline,” says AFS Past President Donna Parrish. “The Fellows program will help make outstanding AFS members more competitive for awards and honors when they are being compared with colleagues from other disciplines and support the advancement of AFS members to leadership positions in their own institutions and in the broader society.”

Hubert served on the UW faculty from 1982-2010. He is a retired leader of the U.S. Geological Survey's Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. His research interests focused on fisheries management and fish ecology.

His service to the society included president; editor and associate editor of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management; and editor of several books published by the society, including “Inland Fisheries Management in North America.” He received numerous awards, including the Award of Excellence in Fisheries Education.

Rahel teaches courses in fisheries management and ichthyology. His research areas include the effects of human disturbances on fish populations, especially climate change, and invasive species. He has mentored numerous graduate students who have gone on to careers as fisheries biologists for state or federal agencies, or as university faculty members.

Among Rahel’s awards are the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award recognizing excellence in classroom teaching, and the Award of Excellence in Fisheries Education from the AFS. He and his graduate students have published more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters. He has served as head of the Department of Zoology and Physiology, president of the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter of the AFS, and on several editorial boards for scientific journals.

Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science society. The society works to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science, and promoting the development of fisheries professionals.