A Resounding Scientific Event
The largest gathering of professionals, scientists, biologists and researchers throughout the United States and Canada converged October 28-30th in Indianapolis, Indiana for the second Symposium on Esocids. Not since April 1984 in La Crosse, Wisconsin (when Muskies, Inc. sponsored the first technical conference in cooperation with the Esocid Technical Committee of the American Fisheries Society) has there been such a large gathering. A smaller conference was held in Milwaukee in 1997 in connection with the Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference.
The growth of musky fishing enthusiasts and musky stocking programs throughout the United States has been phenomenal. Today 38 of the lower 48 states have musky stocking programs. Estimates based upon the U.S. Fish & Wildlife National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation put musky and pike fisherman at or near 650,000 persons pursuing the species across North America. We think there are around 90,000 of us who make up the hard core group.
A book will be published shortly including all the 30 plus presentations and five poster papers. Details on where to attain this information will be updated as they become available. Already there are plans underway for the next symposium in 2015.
This was an exciting conference with all of the technical community sharing thoughts with the fishing community. Edward Crossman’s widow Margaret participated in all aspects of the conference. It was truly a treat to meet such a wonderful and enthusiastic lady. It was also an outstanding opportunity for many of the younger generation of scientists and researchers to meet the professionals who they have been corresponding with over the years.
This symposium presented twenty-five original abstracts and five poster papers. In attendance were 190 folks from 19 states and 1 province. 55 DNR/MNR attendees (west to Washington State, Steve Jackson, Tenino, Washington and east to Vermont, Shawn Good, Rutland, Vermont) joined the event. Five musky anglers made presentations including Steve Heiting and Jim Saric from Musky Hunter, Rob Kimm from Esox Angler and authors Larry Ramsell and Russ Wayre. American Fisheries Society’s Esocoid Tech Committee completed the technical program.
Other notable attendees included Steve Pallo from the Illinois DNR, Jim Diana from University of Michigan, Terry Margenau fromWisconsin DNR and John Casselman from Ontario MNR. Five other colleges and universites were present: Lutheran College in Wisconsin; Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois; Syracuse University at Syracuse, New York; Queens University in Hamilton, Ontario; and the University of Wisconsin at Superior. 35 chapters of Muskies Inc (MI) had members at the event. Executives from the International Board Of Directors of MI attended. President of MI, Greg Wells, and President of Muskie, Canada, Rob Hewitt, also participated.
By: Patricia Strutz
