{"id":8406,"date":"2025-10-16T00:54:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T00:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/units.fisheries.org\/tx\/?page_id=8406"},"modified":"2026-01-14T20:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T20:02:44","slug":"tcafs_50_years","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oldunitsstaging.fisheries.org\/tx\/tc-meetings\/tcafs_50_years\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 TCAFS Annual Meeting and 50th Anniversary Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026 is 50 Years for the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society!<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

The 2026 Texas Chapter AFS Annual Meeting and 50th Anniversary Celebration will be in January 15th-17th, 2026 at the Moody Gardens Hotel and Conference Center, in Galveston, Texas.\u00a0\u00a0Stay tuned to our website and listserv for update.<\/p>\n

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Meeting Documents<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Schedule at a Glance<\/a><\/h3>\n

TCAFS 2026 Program_Final (New)<\/a><\/h3>\n

Registration and Lodging Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Early Bird Discounted Registration for this year\u2019s meeting will be $275 for Professionals and $100 for Students, and will close at Midnight January 2<\/span>nd<\/span>, 2026. Late registration rates increase to $300 for Professionals and $110 for Students, starting January 3<\/span>rd<\/span>. If you are part of an organization that will need one single invoice for all members, please use the Group Meeting Registration Form.<\/span><\/p>\n

Individual Meeting Registration:<\/strong>\u00a02026 TCAFS Meeting Registration<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Group Meeting Registration<\/strong>:\u00a02026 TCAFS Group Registration Link<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lodging for this year’s meeting will be at the Moody Hotel and Conference Center, located at 7 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554. Rooms this year begin at $110 a night, and must be booked via the booking link on the 2026 TCAFS Meeting Website by December 31st, 2026 to receive the discounted conference rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hotel Booking Link:<\/strong>\u00a0Moody Gardens Hotel Booking Link<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Student Travel Award<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

For the 2026 TCAFS Annual Meeting, the society will support up to five students to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting at no upfront cost. Each award covers conference registration and two nights of lodging (Thursday 15th and Friday 16th). This opportunity is designed to help engaged, motivated students participate fully in the meeting and advance their professional development. Award recipients will be required to attend Friday Afternoon\u2019s Student\/Mentor Luncheon and Friday Evening’s Awards Banquet, where they will be recognized. Awards applications will be due by midnight on Friday, December 19<\/strong><\/span>th, <\/strong>and award recipients will be notified by December 31st, 2025.<\/p>\n

Student Travel Award Application:\u00a02026 Travel Award Application<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Call for Abstracts -Closed<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The 2026 TCAFS Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts has officially closed. Submitting authors will be notified of abstract acceptance by December 31, 2025. For additional questions, email Kelley Kowal (kelley.kowal@tpwd.texas.gov<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Limited Edition 50th Year Shirts<\/span><\/h2>\n

A special meeting calls for some special TCAFS SWAG! Please follow the link below to our “Limited Edition” Bonfire Storefront to order your TCAFS 50th Anniversary Shirt today! The first campaign will run till December 7th, and at that time orders will ship and we will open up another store for a 2nd round of orders.<\/p>\n

50th Anniversary TCAFS Bonfire Store *Click Here*<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Texas Chapter Student Scholarships<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The 2026 Call for Student Scholarship applications is closed. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please contact Jennifer Butler \u2013 Scholarship Committee Chair at (979) 341-4972 text or by email at Jennifer.Butler@tpwd.texas.gov<\/p>\n

TCAFS OFW and Best Student Subunit Awards<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s time to recognize the incredible people behind the work that keeps Texas fisheries thriving! We invite you to nominate a colleague, student, or organization for the Outstanding Fisheries Worker of the Year (OFW) Award, one of the highest honors presented by the Chapter.<\/p>\n

This award highlights exceptional contributions to fisheries-related work in Texas across multiple categories, including: Fisheries Administration, Fish Culture, Fisheries Education, Fisheries Management, Fisheries Research, Fisheries Technical Support, Fisheries Student, and Special Recognition in Fisheries Work.<\/p>\n

Nomination Deadline:<\/strong> January 1, 2026
\nSubmit Your Nomination:<\/strong>\u00a02026 Nomination Form<\/a>
\nBest Student Subunit:<\/strong>\u00a02026 Best Student Subunit Nomination Form<\/a><\/p>\n

Eligibility Requirements:<\/p>\n