Iowa fisheries biologist Mark Flammang was recently inducted into the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Management Section Hall of Excellence for his decades of dedicated service, scientific innovation and visionary leadership.
The American Fisheries Society (AFS) is the world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science, and conserving fisheries resources. The AFS Fish Management Hall of Excellence was established in 1992 to recognize fisheries management professionals who have made outstanding and cumulative contributions to the advancement of fisheries management.
Flammang has served as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) biologist for the Rathbun Fish Management District in southern Iowa for nearly 30 years.
“Mark’s extraordinary ability to blend field-based research with real-world management has improved angling experiences across southern Iowa," explains George Scholten, Iowa DNR fisheries research supervisor. “He is a scientist, mentor, educator, and problem-solver who has improved numerous fisheries and shortened the time between bites for countless Iowa anglers.”
Flammang has pioneered new techniques and approaches to enhance fishing opportunities while protecting and preserving aquatic ecosystems throughout his career. His experience and expertise of using low-concentration rotenone treatments to selectively remove invasive species while preserving sportfish has improved the health and quality of fisheries in several Iowa lakes.
After discovering that up to 26 percent of Rathbun Lake’s walleye were being lost through the dam’s outlet structure, Flammang led a multi-year research project to keep prized sportfish in the lake and improve angling success. His collaborative research with Iowa State University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resulted in the planned installation of an upstream electric barrier at Rathbun Dam.
Flammang provided technical guidance to protect sturgeon and other sensitive fish species in the Des Moines River below Red Rock Dam. His work to refine and standardize channel catfish sampling techniques led to more accurate population estimates across Iowa and improved fishing for one of Iowa's most popular species.
Flammang’s decades of dedication, leadership and passion for fisheries management embodies Iowa DNR’s vision to lead Iowans in caring for our natural resources.