In honor of Black History Month, the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program recognizes the diverse contributions of African Americans within the Fisheries Program.
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Baker Holden, Assistant Manager, Western Washington Fisheries Resources Office, Lacey,
Washington
Even though Baker Holden knew he wanted to be a scientist when he was in the eighth grade, a school counselor recommended against it.
Thankfully for the Service, he ignored that advice.
Holden, a fisheries biologist, is the Assistant Manager for the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office’s Fisheries Division. The Division conserves native fish, runs fisheries-related studies and science applications, controls aquatic invasive species, and monitors hatchery programs and Service trust aquatic species in western Washington. The office’s jurisdiction and 12-20 staff—levels increase when summer field biologists are hired--covers the Seattle metropolitan area, Puget Sound, the entire Washington coast, and activities in the Lower Columbia River.
For Holden, that level of activity suits him just fine. “It’s never the same thing every day, it’s always different. I like it that way,” he says.
A twenty-year field biologist who jumped into management when he joined the Service just over two years ago, Holden’s building on experience that’s included working in Northern California conserving salmon and native trout to conserving cave ecosystems and native bats in New Mexico. A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he also has had the experience of working for other federal conservation agencies. Prior to the Service, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service, where he was stationed at Six Rivers National Forest for nearly a decade, and stints with the National Park Service’s
Redwood National and State Parks and El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments.
In addition to the dynamic pace of his Fisheries program, he enjoys mastering new natural resource issues, typical for a man who likes to keep busy, learn new things, and constantly challenge himself.
“Since this wasn’t what I did in my prior 21 years as a fisheries biologist, at first it was a challenge to learn this new universe of “hatchery vs. wild fish,” nuances between them, how they’re interconnected, and what would happen to commercial, tribal, and sport fishing, “[In the Forest Service and National Park Service,] we didn’t have a marking and tagging program” Holden says.
“In the end, differences aren’t what’s important, what we [all] have in common is important.”
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Albert J. Spells, Fish Biologist, Virginia Fisheries Coordinator, Charles City, VA
The drive to make a difference got Albert J. Spells where he is today. As a small child in South Carolina, Albert enjoyed fishing, playing in the wood, and watching Jacques Cousteau on TV. But, he didn’t decide to pursue aquatic biology until he returned to Little Stream, a small stream he used to fish as a child, while on a college break. It was full of litter, a sorry sight to see.
Throughout his 33 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (31 of which have been with the Fisheries Program), Albert works to keep aquatic resources from looking like Little Stream. He is currently the Virginia Fisheries Coordinator in Charles City, Virginia. The main focus of his position is to work with private, state, local, and federal partners to establish cooperative working relationships to manage and restore anadromous and interjursidictional fish and their habitats within the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound watersheds. Over the course of his career, Albert has worked on topics ranging from developing the first American shad aquaculture program, to listing Atlantic sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act, conducting one of the first coded wire tag retention studies for juvenile striped bass, and reviewing Army Corps of Engineers permits.
If you’d like a job like Albert’s, he advises you to “learn as much as you can about environmental issues and how they affect fish and wildlife. Stay in school, have confidence in yourself, study hard, and develop a reasonable appreciation for the environment.”
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David E. Hendrix, Hatchery Manager of the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, Neosho, MO
One of 13 children, David spent a lot of his childhood outdoors, fishing, farming, hunting, and trapping in Northern Louisiana. He and his family lived off the land; they hunted and fished out of necessity. But, they enjoyed nature and tried not to abuse the resources it provided. Now, David appreciates being able to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so that he can “make sure that young people today and in the future have the same opportunity I had to enjoy the many resources that nature has to offer.”
As Hatchery Manager at Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Neosho, Missouri, with 36 years of employment in the Fisheries Program, David’s work has a monumental impact on the Nation’s fishery resources. Neosho is the oldest operating federal fish hatchery in the country. The hatchery’s ability to manipulate water temperature allows it to successfully produce cold, cool, and warm water species – no easy task! The hatchery focuses on the production of rainbow trout for mitigation, endangered pallid sturgeon, endangered Ozark cavefish, and freshwater drum (a host fish for native mussel restoration work).
To David, hatcheries are a “wonderful management tool. When nature is thrown out of balance, hatcheries are there to assist in putting it back into balance.” In a given day, David can be meeting with his staff to discuss hatchery maintenance, conducting fish culture, responding to emails and phone calls, meeting visitors (including families, school groups, staff representatives for legislators, and state partners), giving interviews for radio, newspaper, or tv. David believes it is particularly important to convey the benefits of the Fisheries Program to the public.
“I am so grateful,” he says, “to have a career doing something that I have a great passion and love for. It’s a wonderful blessing!”