Fritz pausing for a photo while performing some research

Fritz Rohde is a biologist with the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Division where he splits his time among several saltwater ventures. His real research interests, however, lie in the freshwater realm. He has co-authored a book on the freshwater fishes of the eastern seaboard and is finishing up a book on the freshwater fishes of South Carolina. In his spare time, he has described a few species and co-hosted last year's annual convention in Greensboro. His interests in NANFA include seeing the high quality of AC maintained, keep continuing good relations with local DNRs and academia, opening dialogue with members, and keeping up the standards set at the annual meetings.

Leo at home with his aquaria. Leo is a regional representative in Michigan and he organized the 2002 annual meeting there.

Read more about NANFA's annual meetings

I am a native Michigander and grew up in Dearborn. I have always loved the outdoors and wildlife of all kind. I began college with the thought of working toward a degree in Wildlife Management but was sidetracked by another love: Wildlife Art. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a Secondary Teaching Certificate from Eastern Michigan University. I work as a freelance artist and teach classes in conjunction with the UAW. My wife Carol also shares my enthusiasm for the outdoors and passion for animals. I really got involved with fish in 1996 when we joined our local aquarium club, where I have been active on their board and am current president. I started keeping fish as models for my artwork, and then began to get interested in how they breed. Most of the fish I now keep are natives.

I joined NANFA after attending the 1999 Convention in Champaign, Ill. It was the first time that I went "fishing" for something other than gamefish. The experience inspired me to ask about being a Regional Representative for Michigan. As Michigan rep I have tried to get the word out about our native fishes and the problems they face, and the enjoyment that one can have by observing the wildlife they have in their own backyard. In 2002 I co-hosted the NANFA Convention in Ann Arbor.

I have been a member of NANFA since 2000 and have served as South Carolina's Regional Representative for most of that time. Over the last five years, I have co-hosted a recent convention and a booth at a state-wide event for sportsmen. I have also aided our state and federal wildlife departments in collecting efforts. I have worked closely with our local zoo's Elassoma Species Maintenance Program, providing most of their pygmy sunfish for captive breeding efforts and working to establish new populations.

I have been interested in natives since college when I first saw a picture of an Elassoma evergladei. I have since collected all over the southeast, helping coordinate trips to Florida and the Okefenokee Swamp. I have enjoyed the fellowship of the organization as well as its focus. I look forward to many more years and hope to become more involved in the direction and activities of NANFA.

Dustin holds up a flier, Centrarchus macropterus, caught at Bahama Swamp, one of the last strongholds of the bluebarred pygmy sunfish, Elassoma okatie.

Jeremy prepares to survey Unionidae mussels, another interest of many NANFA members.

I have been a member of NANFA since 2001, and feel I have much to offer NANFA's BOD. I always have had a passion for the outdoors and realized at an early age a vocation in aquatic sciences was the path I should take. As a kid growing up in northeastern Kansas, I loved traipsing through creeks while chasing various critters.

This fascination continues to blossom today. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Biology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence and a Master's of Science in Biological Sciences from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. I have been a Biological Field Assistant with the Illinois Natural History Survey since June 2002, and have other aquatic biology related experiences, including a year and a half as a Fish Culturist with Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation in Alaska, a year as a Fisheries Biologist Aide with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and two and a half years as a Conservation Data Technician with the Kansas Biological Survey.

My professional and personal research interests involve the life history of stream fishes (e.g., non-game fishes, such as madtoms), freshwater mussel surveys, and Midwestern stream ecology (e.g., anthropogenic disturbances, such as effects of lowhead dams, logging, and bridge construction). I have been involved with the committees of several aquatic organizations, including the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society and the American Fisheries Society.

I first became involved in fishkeeping when, at ten years old, I was given three homemade 45 gallon aquariums. The catch was that I had to transport them the mile and a half from a friend's house to my own. Because I feared I would be told no if I asked permission to bring them home, I carried them there without assistance, a process that took most of three days. Later that summer, I caught six brown bullhead babies in Lake Washington and transported them home in a paper cup. They immediately killed all of my tropicals.

I joined NANFA in 1999. Recently, I completed the scanning and indexing of all issues of American Currents from 1972 to the present. These issues are now available on a two-CD set. While there are no fish collecting opportunities here in the State of Washington, I occasionally take some time for collecting when on business trips in states where it is legal.

My vocation is that of a "jack of all trades" for a large corporation where I help to develop and deploy manufacturing and procurement strategies. I have served on the Boards of two non-profit organizations and was president of "For the Children of the World" for six years.

I am deeply interested in the preservation of native fish species and the habitat that nurtures them. I firmly believe that informed hobbyists can contribute as much toward this goal as fisheries professionals. It has always been my experience that diversity in knowledge, education, and background brings strength to any organization. If you read through the past issues of American Currents, it becomes clear that that is where NANFA has excelled. It is important that NANFA continues to support initiatives that will encourage the same diversity in the future.

Tom in front of an Invertebrate tank with native snails and Dwarf Crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldti)

Uland having a little fun, taking a break from one of his sampling expeditions.

Uland Thomas
Chicago Heights, IL

Although native to southern Ohio I've lived in northeastern Illinois for over 30 years. As a young man our family activities involved fishing and camping and later hunting. My love of all things wild has only grown throughout the years equal to the number of aquariums I maintain. Like many, I kept tropical fishes for most of my life and in one important moment I decided the local topminnows would be far more interesting than anything I could obtain from a store; not long after I joined NANFA. I've only been a NANFA member for a short period however feel that my passion for our native fishes make up for years lost. I currently serve as the regional representative for the Illinois & Indiana region. I work with nature centers and organize viewing trips both large and small in the region. Naturally I promote NANFA at every possible opportunity. I assist with mailings for the organization as well as provide help with maintaining content for the organizational internet forum. I firmly believe NANFA was founded about 40 years ahead of it's time and would like to be a part of it's certainly robust future. I want to do more for the organization I feel so strongly about and I'd like to serve on it's board of directors.

I've been a member of NANFA since early 2006 after keeping natives fishes in my home aquarium. It was a way for me to find others that enjoyed the same interest and I quickly got invovled in collecting trips and met a ton of people. I've also been able to expand my knowledge of native fishes and help others that were new to the hobby.

A small group of us decided to put together a native fishes forum and was eventually established as the Official Forum of NANFA. In addition to administrating and maintaining the Forum, I also host and maintain the NANFA website and the NANFA gallery, as well as the legacy mailing lists.

I hope to continue growing the NANFA membership as well as finding more ventures that NANFA can contribute to. I feel that if NANFA can expand its relationships, the membership will follow.

Andrew holding up a smallmouth bass from a weekend fishing trip.

Bruce Stallsmith
NANFA Research Grant Chair
Huntsville, AL

Bruce (right) with Steven Ellis during a regional gathering at the Sipsey River, AL.

Charles Nunziata
Regional Outreach Coordinator
Largo, FL

Read more about the Regional
Representative Program

Sajjad Lateef
Corcoran Education Grant Chair
Santa Clara, CA

Read more about the Education Grant

Christopher Scharpf
American Currents Editor
Baltimore, MD

Read more about American Currents

Bob Muller
Breeders Award Program Chair
Royal Oak, MI

Read more about the Breeder Awards Program