2026 Bevan Symposium Celebrates the Careers of Federal Fisheries Professionals
The 2026 Bevan Symposium on Sustainable Fisheries celebrated the careers and successes of recently retired NOAA Fisheries professionals. Ten individuals from around the country visited the School to reflect on their careers, their accomplishments, and the future of the fisheries in the U.S.
The symposium, in its 24th year, brings in the world’s experts to discuss their contributions to pressing topics in sustainable fisheries with faculty, students and staff. This year’s seminar series theme was The Future of U.S. Fisheries in the Context of Global Change and Shifting Global Priorities.
The series was organized by Daniel Schindler, a SAFS faculty member, along with George Pess, a SAFS affiliate faculty member and Beth Sanderson , a fisheries scientist at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The seminar is accompanied by graduate and undergraduate courses where students reflect and discuss the seminars in a structured way.
Pess, who was also one of this year’s speakers, said the symposium provided him a rare opportunity. “There are few times in your career you are asked to sum up your work and experiences and communicate that to a larger audience,” he said. “It is a great way to pass along institutional knowledge, which is often lost.”
The seminar theme proved immensely popular, with attendance vastly outpacing that of recent years. “This seminar series brought people together in a way I haven’t seen since before COVID. The talks followed by socializing was so fulfilling. I heard that from so many of the attendees – NOAA, UW, and beyond. “ said Sanderson.
For Penelope Antoine, a UW undergraduate student, the speakers’ deep commitment to sustainable fisheries left a lasting impression. “My favorite moment from the seminar series was getting to see the unadulterated dedication each speaker had displayed, highlighting the passion they shared in the work they accomplished during their time at NOAA and each role in between.” she said.
Other students who participated in the accompanying courses came away with a sense of hope. “One message I kept hearing from the seminars is to not let go of faith in the fisheries,” said Rin Gonzalez, a UW undergraduate. “Many of them felt the pendulum would swing back in the right direction, and I hope to be part of that positive change.”
Claire Cook, a UW graduate student, shared that cautious optimism . “The speakers were honest about the challenges facing NOAA and fisheries science more broadly, including funding constraints and the significant loss of institutional knowledge,” she said. “At the same time, I was struck by the quality of the science being done and by the dedication of the people doing it.”
For Joel Tibbs, a UW undergraduate, the series deepened his appreciation for the field itself. “This seminar series left me with so much more appreciation for my peers and mentors,” he said. “I feel so thankful to work in a field with such a selfless community.”
For Sanderson, the series revealed something larger than any individual career. “The thread that wove all these speakers together wasn’t just NOAA, but how science is a common currency that is foundational to everyone’s work.”
The Bevan seminar series is made possible through generous contributions of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Alaska Fishery Science Center, and the Donald E. Bevan Endowed Fund in Fisheries, named in honor of Donald Bevan, past Dean of the College of Fisheries.