Saving Seafood

National Fish Habitat Board Appoints Two New Members, Re-Elects Gilliland

March 6, 2026 — The following was released by the National Fish Habitat Partnership:

The National Fish Habitat Board announced the appointment of two new members during its Jan. 28–29, 2026 meeting at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. The Board elected Connor Bevan to represent the Recreational Sportfishing Industry and Kellie Ralston to represent Habitat Conservation Organizations. In addition, Gene Gilliland of B.A.S.S. was re-elected to serve a third term representing Freshwater Recreational Anglers.

Bevan serves as Inland Fisheries Policy Director for the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the nation’s recreational fishing trade association. In this role, he leads ASA’s federal and state freshwater policy portfolio, including policy work across the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin. His work focuses on advancing fish habitat conservation initiatives, protecting recreational fishing access, and addressing regulatory issues affecting sportfishing equipment and tackle.

Ralston, a fifth-generation Floridian, is Vice President for Conservation and Public Policy at Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, where she works on U.S. and international fisheries, habitat, water quality, and environmental issues. She currently serves on Florida’s Northwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board and the Environmental Regulatory Commission. Ralston has also served nationally on NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee and the American Fisheries Advisory Committee.

Ralston earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Florida State University. Her professional experience includes positions with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the American Sportfishing Association.

Bevan succeeds Mike Leonard of ASA, who has been involved with the National Fish Habitat Partnership since 2014 and served on the Board prior to the passage of the ACE Act in 2020. Ralston succeeds Bryan Moore of Trout Unlimited, who has also been involved with the Partnership since 2014 and served on the Board prior to the ACE Act.

Resources and presentations from the January meeting of the National Fish Habitat Board are available at fishhabitat.org.

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About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
Since 2006, NFHP has supported over 1,700 projects and has put over $600 million in conservation projects on the ground benefiting fish habitat throughout all 50 states. This effort works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, tribal, and private funding resources to achieve the greatest effect on fish populations through priority conservation projects of 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships that are organized around key fish species, geographic areas, or important fish habitats. In 2020, NFHP was recognized by Congress as part of the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act and was reauthorized in 2024. NFHP guidance and policies are developed in conjunction with our partnerships and National Fish Habitat Board. For more information, visit: https://fishhabitat.org/.

American Fisheries Society recognizes Bill Hogarth with top conservation award

August 23, 2016 — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The American Fisheries Society is honoring recently retired Florida Institute of Oceanography Director Bill Hogarth with the Carl R. Sullivan Fishery Conservation Award – one of the nation’s premier awards in fisheries science – in recognition of his long career and leadership in preserving some of the world’s most threatened species, advocating for environmental protections and leading Florida’s scientific response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The award recognizes a wide span of achievements in Hogarth’s 51-year-career in marine science, beginning with his research into threatened fish species; his roles as director of the National Marine Fisheries Service and chairman of the International Whaling Commission; and his service as the former dean of the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science and Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography. During his career, Hogarth is credited with bringing greater international attention to preserving threatened fish species such as the Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna and sharks, and serving as a credible voice for independent science in preserving and protecting the world’s oceans. Hogarth retired as FIO’s director on July 31.

The award is to be presented at the AFS annual meeting on Aug. 22, in Kansas City, Mo.

“Bill Hogarth has had a singularly diverse but enormously influential career in fisheries,” said USF Professor Steve Murawski in his nomination of Hogarth for the honor. “Although his professional roles have changed over the years, he has found a way to make a significant difference in the management of fisheries and in the lives of people with which he has worked. His accomplishments have been many and diverse, but always significant.”

Read the full story at Eureka Alert