Procedures are the lowest level of formal documentation of AFS operations. The Constitution and Rules are higher and they are described in the Constitution. Procedures are intended to remind AFS volunteers and staff of what to do and how to do it.

This was a major revision. The last “procedural manual” was published in 1992. Since then there have been many changes and the manual was not revised to keep up. The Constitution and Rules have been revised and substantial changes were made in governance such as the creation of the Management Committee. This committee hopes that Procedure updates will be a routine part of Governing Board and Committee business. The new document will only be available electronically so revisions can be made easily.

The old Procedural Manual included a mix of general information and procedures. This revision attempted to remove the general information from procedures. A “Unit Survival Manual” also exists that includes a wide range of information. The information removed from the old Procedural Manual is going to be added to the Unit Survival Manual (USM). Concurrently an update will be made to the USM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Special Committee on Society Procedures.
Dirk Miller, Chair, Ira Adelman, Mary Fabrizio, Carolina Franco, Fred Harris, Joe Margraf, Gus Rassam, and Gwen White

September 10, 2005 (original revision) Updates based on Governing Board approvals on:
September 14, 2006 (Lake Placid) March 10, 2007 (Atlanta) September 1, 2007 (San Francisco) March 8, 2008 (Annapolis)
August 16, 2008 (Ottawa) March 7, 2009 (Bethesda) August 29, 2009 (Nashville) September 3, 2011 (Seattle)
August 18, 2012 (Minneapolis/St. Paul) March 2, 2013 (Bethesda) September 7, 2013 (Little Rock)
Updates based on Management Committee approvals through:
January 1, 2016 (John Boreman, Constitutional Consultant); August 19, 2016 (Kansas City); July 1, 2017 (John Boreman, Constitutional Consultant); August 15, 2017 (John Boreman, Constitutional Consultant), May 1, 2019, February 15, 2023

Table of Contents

→ SOCIETY OFFICERS
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• General Responsibilities of All Officers
  • President
  • President-Elect
  • First Vice President
  • Second Vice President
  • Immediate Past President
• Travel Policy Procedures for Society Officers
• Executive Director Succession Plan
  • Background
  • Succession Planning (adapted from Wolfred 2008, with excerpts as noted)
  • Succession Readiness Checklist
  • References and Resources
• Performance Evaluation of the Executive Officer
  • Executive Director Salary Determination
• Governing Board
  • Purpose
  • Composition and Meetings
  • Governing Board Meeting Agenda
  • Responsibilities of Governing Board Members
• Management Committee
  • Responsibilities of Management Committee Members
• Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedures
  • Definitions
  • Policy
  • Procedures
  • Conflict of Interest – Disclosure Form
• Guidelines for Preparation of Reports to the Governing Board
  • Format for Governing Board Reports
  • Example Midyear Report to the Governing Board
• Procedures for Electronic Voting
  • Background
  • Electronic Voting Processes

→ DIVISIONS
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Purposes
• Officers and Duties
  • President
  • President-Elect
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Elected Representative to Society Nominating Committee
• Standing Committees

→ SECTIONS
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Purposes
• Officers and Duties
  • President
  • President-Elect
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
• Standing Committees

→ CHAPTERS AND OTHER UNITS
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Joint Student Subunits
• Purposes
• Officers and Duties
  • President
  • President-Elect
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
• Standing Committees

→ STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Responsibilities of Committee Chairs
• Responsibilities of Committee Members
• Purposes, Composition, and Duties of Standing Committees
  • Arrangements Committee
  • Audit Committee
  • Awards Committee
  • Board of Appeals
  • Board of Professional Certification
  • Communications Committee
  • Constitutional Consultant
  • Electronic Services Advisory Board
  • Endangered Species Committee
  • Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee
  • Fellows Selection Committee
  • Hutton Oversight Committee
  • Liaisons
  • Meeting Oversight Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Names of Aquatic Invertebrates Committee
  • Names of Fishes Committee
  • New Initiatives Coordinator
  • Nominating Committee
  • Past Constitutional Consultant’s Advisory Council
  • Past Presidents’ Advisory Council
  • Professional Development Committee
  • Program Committee
  • Publications Award Committee (See also Awards section of Procedures) Publications Overview Committee
  • Raffle Committee
  • Resource Policy Committee
  • Vote Auditor

→ SOCIETY AWARDS
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Award of Excellence
• Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award
• Distinguished Service Award
• Emerging Leaders Mentorship Award Program
• Emmeline Moore Prize
• Excellence in Fisheries Education Award
• Excellence in Public Outreach Award
• Golden Membership
• Honorary Membership
• J Frances Allen Scholarship
• John E. Skinner Memorial Award
• Meritorious Service Award
• Outstanding Chapters and Student Subunit Awards
• President’s Fishery Conservation Award
• Publication Awards
• Retired Members Travel Award for the AFS Annual Meeting
• Stan Moberly Award for Outstanding Contributions in Fish Habitat Conservation
• Steven Berkeley Marine Conservation Fellowship
• Student Paper-Poster Awards
  • AFS/Sea Grant Best Student Paper Award
  • AFS Best Student Poster Award
• Student Writing Award
• William E. Ricker Resource Conservation Award
• William R. Mote Fisheries Fellowship Award

→ OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(click the above link)

• Developing and Advancing AFS Positions on Resource Issues
  • Procedures for Resource Policy Action
• Procedures for Submitting, Considering, and Implementing Resolutions
  • Society Advocacy and Unit Procedures
  • Lobbying Information and Guidelines
• Publications Policies
  • Comprehensive Publications Policy
  • Publications Policy-Symposium Series
  • Recruitment, Review, and Retention of Editors
• Continuing Education Courses
• Topic-Oriented Meetings (TOMs)
  • Purpose
  • Organizing a TOM
  • Proposal Submission
  • Sponsorship and Financial Responsibility
  • Program and Abstracts
  • Publicity
  • Publication
• Topic Oriented Hill Seminars
  • Purpose
  • Format
• Meeting Support
  • Procedures for Implementing this Policy
• Financial Planning and Procedures Committee
  • Introduction
  • Definitions
  • Program Planning
  • Financial Policies
  • Investment Policies
• Planned Giving Program
• New Initiatives
  • Operational Guidelines, Unit Services
  • Operational Guidelines, Membership Services
• Disaster Relief
  • Organization
  • Operations
  • Fiscal Responsibilities of Disaster Relief Response Framework
  • Reference
• Fisheries Conservation Foundation
  • Memorandum of Understanding between the Fisheries Conservation Foundation and the American Fisheries Society

→ ANNUAL MEETING GUIDELINES (under revision)
     (click the above link for this section or download the complete PDF)

• Foreword
• Bidding for an Annual Meeting
  • Tips for Successful Submissions
• Remuneration
• Suggested Timeline
  • Two Years Out
  • Year Before The Meeting
  • Year Of The Meeting
• Annual Meeting Structure And Organization
• Local Arrangements
  • General Meeting Chair
  • Local Arrangements Chair
  • Program Chair
  • Program Committee
• Guidelines and Suggestions For Promoting Diversity At AFS Conferences and Meetings
• Levels of Support – American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

Appendix I: Sample Conflict of Interest Waiver and Memorandum of Understanding for Service of a Federal Employee as an AFS Officer

Appendix 2. Updated Education Requirements for Professional Certification