The meeting was a success, as you can tell from the attendance. If any one who did not have a chance to make it to the meeting would like to open up a topic for disscussion on the list-serve, that is exactly why we created it. Also if you have expertise (or at least a mild interest) in any of the goals listed in the minutes, especially the web-based stuff, contact Committee Chair Greg Pitchford at pitchg@mail.conservation.state.mo.us

Minutes

Attendence (18): Greg Pitchford, Don Kline, Bill Bertrand, Lynn Schlueter, Dennis Top, Chris Guy, Paul Michaletz, Keith Otis, Jim Stephen, Richard Holland, Vince Travnichek, Chris Mammoliti, Gene Jones, Dan Kirby, Jason Vokoun, John Pitlo, Tom Boland, Kevin Hanson

Meeting called to order at 1:04 pm by Greg Pitchford

Status of Technical Committee

Greg Pitchford announced that the Ictalurid Technical Committee will exist as an Ad Hoc committee in the North Central Division (NCD) of AFS for several years to gauge interest: all technical committees begin this way

Financial support will come from the Catfish 2000 sub-account held by the NCD; $855 is designated as seed money for the Ictalurid Technical Committee and $2500 is designated for the next "International Ictalurid Symposium"

Address by NCD president-elect Chris Guy

Recommended that the committee simply start conducting business and hosting activities and not be overly concerned with the Ad Hoc Status

Suggested that, in the absence of the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference next year, the NCD Technical committees plan to meet at the same time in December 2002, at which time a NCD business meeting could be held.

Format would be simple, one day of technical presentations organized by the various Tech. Committees, and a second day of business meetings (both Tech. Committees and NCD)

Asked committee to discuss the idea and report back to him a yes/no show of support

Ictalurids List Serve

Jason Vokoun, list-serve monitor, addressed the committee

Currently 63 subscribers stretching from North Carolina to Texas up to Minnesota

Currently, no one is archiving the postings, and there is no way to get them back from the "mdaemon" program that AFS uses to administer the list-serve, but someone could place all postings in folder (both digital and paper), no firm consensus or resolution

Some talk of appropriateness of committee business being placed on the list-serve, no firm consensus or resolution

Suggestion of creating a Tech Committee web page on which the names and interests of committee members could be posted, Don Kline has a Walleye Tech Directory (paper copy) that could be used as a guide

Election of Chair

Greg Pitchford opened the floor for nominations

Paul Michaletz nominated Greg Pitchford

Don Kline declined nomination due to his recent election and upcoming service to AFS

Greg Pitchford voted into the office of Chair unanimously

Talk about state representatives from State Chapters

Apparently AFS NCD bylaws state that the voting members of a Technical Committee are the Chair and one representative from each state chapter in the NCD (this needed verification)

Some state agencies value Technical Committee representation when determining travel funding to meetings

It was decided that the chair (Greg) would contact the state chapters and ask them to nominate a representative to the Ictalurid Technical Committee

Talk about someone to mange money/ take minutes

AFS NCD keeps sub-accounts for all the technical committees, but a person is needed to collect income monies at workshops and transfer income to the NCD treasurer for deposit as well as handle disbursement at meetings with an associated cost

Jason Vokoun nominated as Secretary/Treasurer and voted into office unanimously

Discussion (new business)

Greg Pitchford asked for a general vision for the committee

Discussion about creating a who's who directory of persons doing catfish research/monitoring

web-based, standard form that could be easily updated (database style)

Workshops

Age and Growth techniques

Collection techniques

Symposium

discussion of organizing a Ictalurid-topic session at 2003 Midwest in Kansas City, MO

Long term goal of working toward a symposium at AFS annual meeting in which papers could be published as a group in an AFS journal

Organization

suggested that committee adapt bylaws of other technical committees to facilitate meetings and business

Next Meeting

It was decided to follow the lead of the other Tech. Committees regarding the proposed 2002 multi-technical committee meeting

In the interim, business would be conducted in 2002 through phone and electronic means should a physical meeting be impossible

Meeting adjourned at 2:34 p.m.