Robin DeBruyne, Stacey Ireland, Chris Bucher, and Riley Ralph (GLSC, Ann Arbor, Michigan) attended and presented research at the Michigan Chapters of the American Fisheries Society and the Wildlife Society Joint Annual Meeting in Bellaire, Michigan, March 22-24, 2023. Ireland and DeBruyne, along with Michigan DNR Fisheries Staff, co-instructed a continuing education workshop “Introduction to Knots and Ropework” prior to the conference. The workshop was focused on use of lines and knots in a marine setting and attendees were taught advantages/disadvantages of common rope materials, proper line/rope terminology, commonly used field knots, proper line care, storage, and handling, and line splicing and finishing techniques.  Ireland led a short lecture portion, followed by hands-on instruction in small groups.  Two student USGS-collaborators won Michigan AFS chapter awards at the meeting. Signe F.K. VanDrunen was runner-up for the Albert S. Hazzard Award for excellence in student research for her thesis “Larval fish export in response to varying compensating gate discharge at the Sault Rapids, St. Marys River.” Shay Keretz was runner-up Best Student Paper Presentation for her presentation “Freshwater gastropod assemblages in the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes”. Presentations included the following.

• DeBruyne, R.L., S.A. Provo, S.A. Ireland, N. Hudak, H. VanScoyoc, Z.J. Amidon, J.M. Watkins, D. Gorsky, and E.F. Roseman. 2023. Detroit to Niagra: Lake Erie CSMI nearshore larval fish communities. Oral presentation. 

• Keretz, S.S., D.A. Woolnough, N.M. VanTassel, D.T. Powell, G. Sanfilippo, A. Wright, T.J. Morris, A.K. Elgin, E.F. Roseman, and D.T. Zanatta. 2023. Freshwater gastropod assemblages in the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Oral presentation. 

• Bucher, C., E. Eberly, Z.J. Amidon, J. Chiotti, R.L. DeBruyne, L. Eaton, J. Fischer, D. Gorsky, G. Kennedy, C. Mayer, P. Kohn, S.A. Provo, E.F. Roseman, J. Deller, and J. Markham. 2023. Identifying and characterizing coregonine spawning habitat in Lake Erie. Poster presentation. 

• Ralph, R., S. Blower, R.L. DeBruyne, D. Bowser, M. Angelosanto, N. Hudak, N. McGuan, E. Eberly, S.A. Provo, H. VanScoyoc, J. Fischer, J. Chiotti, and E.F. Roseman. 2023. Lake Sturgeon early life history sampling in the St. Marys River. Poster presentation. 

• VanDrunen, S., M. DuFour, E.F. Roseman, R.L. DeBruyne, K. McDonnell, and B. Gerig. 2023. Larval fish export in response to varying compensating gate discharge at the Sault Rapids, St. Marys River. Poster presentation.