Keith Ashley, left, district 4 fishery biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, won "Fisheries Biologist of the Year" honors from the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Standing next to him is Robert Curry, chief of the Commission's Division of Inland Fisheries.
MEDIA: A hi-res version of the image may be downloaded here. Please credit David Hayden, Assistant Chief, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, Alabama
RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 19, 2009) – Keith Ashley, a district fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, was named Fishery Biologist of the Year by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies at its 63rd annual meeting on Nov. 3, in Atlanta, Ga.
Ashley was recognized for his outstanding management work with catfish, largemouth bass, sunfish, American shad and striped bass, as well as his work with aquatic habitat conservation and public outreach and education.
An Elizabethtown resident and Staunton, Va. native, Ashley has spent the last 26 years of his career with the Wildlife Resources Commission, responsible for managing fisheries in district four, which encompasses a 9-county area in southeastern North Carolina. During this time, he has been heavily involved in the Commission’s effort to address catfish management issues in North Carolina’s coastal rivers. He has been the agency’s lead biologist on flathead catfish management and spearheaded the development of “The North Carolina Catfish Management Plan,” which serves as a model for catfish management throughout the Southeast.
Ashley also has worked extensively with anadromous fishes in coastal rivers, documenting abundance and mortality rates of striped bass, blueback herring and alewife and co-authoring North Carolina’s Estuarine Striped Bass Management Plan. In addition, Ashley provides technical guidance to municipalities and other lake and pond owners on managing fisheries to provide quality fishing experiences.
“Not only has Keith done an outstanding job with fisheries management, he has also devoted much of his time to youth conservation education,” said Kent Nelson, a fisheries program manager with the Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries and who nominated Ashley for the award. “Keith also works tirelessly at coordinating youth fishing events, such as Ducks Unlimited’s Greenwing Days and the agency’s Fish-for-Fun events, where he introduces hundreds of young people each year to fishing and aquatic resources conservation.”
Ashley is a member of the American Fisheries Society and a certified fisheries scientist who has served on numerous AFS southern division committees, including the Pollution Committee, the Warmwater Streams Committee, the Small Impoundments Committee and the Catfish Committee. He has authored 10 articles published in peer-review journals, authored or co-authored 17 agency reports and numerous educational publications related to fishing and natural resource conservation.
He received his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from Virginia Tech.
The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is an organization whose members are the state agencies with primary responsibility for management and protection of the fish and wildlife resources in 15 states, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
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