Ashley earns Fishery accolade
By Courtesy NCWRC
Published in Sports on December 4, 2009 1:46 PM
Courtesy NCWRC
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.
Ashley was recognized for his 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.
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.
"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. "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 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.
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.