Thank you to everyone who has made our fifth annual Early Career Award possible! It was an amazing pool of applicants, and thanks to generous donations during the Fish Sisters Unite Campaign last year, we were able to support three awards this year! Learn more about our winners (Emily Hamilton, Tara Schnelting, and Spencer Weinstein) and how they will use the awards below. If you are interested in supporting our initiatives and awards like this, consider a one-time or recurring monthly donation to Women of Fisheries (see our sponsorship page for details).
Congratulations to Emily Hamilton
“My interest in fisheries is rooted in both hands-on industry experience and a growing passion for understanding and protecting salmon ecosystems. I am particularly interested in salmon fisheries, hatchery operations, and the science and monitoring that support sustainable fisheries management in Alaska.
I began working in the fishing industry on the operations side, spending the 2021–2024 seasons working at a fishing lodge. That experience introduced me to the importance of healthy fish populations from a harvest and livelihoods perspective, and sparked my curiosity about the science behind fisheries sustainability. Wanting to deepen my understanding beyond day-to-day operations, I pursued opportunities on the research and conservation side of fisheries. While studying environmental and sustainability sciences in college.
This led me to the Community Coastal Experience Internship Program with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, Alaska. Through this internship, I gained hands-on experience in fisheries and watershed-related fieldwork, including fish sampling, data collection, and ecological monitoring. One of the most influential moments of my early career occurred while working with the Copper River Watershed Project in Cordova. Our intern group spent the day in heavy rain surveying a stream and collecting juvenile salmon and trout for identification. Despite being soaked through our waders and rain gear and working in cold conditions, I found the experience incredibly fun and rewarding. That day—standing in a stream, focused on identifying fish while surrounded by challenging field conditions—solidified my desire to pursue a career in fisheries science.
Starting in May, I will be working with the American Conservation Experience, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, as a stream technician for the PACFISH/INFISH Biological Opinion Effectiveness Monitoring Program. I’ll be based out of St. Regis, Montana, and will be conducting water quality testing and stream monitoring in salmon and trout habitats across the Inland Pacific Northwest. I’m really looking forward to this next step in my fieldwork.
My professional experiences have shaped my interest in bridging practical fisheries work with science-based management. As an early-career woman in fisheries, I am motivated to continue developing my skills in challenging field environments and to contribute meaningfully to the stewardship of salmon and aquatic ecosystems.”
Emily plans to use the money to go towards new, high quality field gear.
Congratulations to Tara Schnelting
“I become interested in the fisheries profession my freshman year of undergraduate studies when I attended an American Fisheries Society (AFS) meeting. From then on I decided that my future career was going to be in the fisheries science field. I grew up being a nature lover and enjoyed fishing so when I found out there is a career than can help sustain these resources for the next generation, there is nothing else I would want to do. Professionally, I have had 3 internships during my undergraduate degree working with South Dakota Game Fish and Parks as a fisheries management intern, Bass Pro Shops Base Camp working as an live exhibits intern, and the Applied Fisheries Management lab working as a technician. I also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a focus on fisheries science and was very involved with AFS. I attended graduate school where I received a Masters of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences where my thesis was focused on temporal diversity of headwater stream fish community’s in the south central plains ecoregion.
Since graduating in May 2025, I have been working as a technician with Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) surveying streams for fish and bugs. While working for MDC we interact with land owners on the daily. One land owner was very interested in the science of what we were doing and asked if they could participate with us, so we made that happen. He was amazed at the biodiversity of his creek and how it affects many ecosystems beyond his property. This man thanked us so many times and now has much better understanding and respect for our natural resources. This interaction with this man will stick with me as he encouraged me and gave me reason for my purpose. Coming out of graduate school in May of 2025 I was very burnt out and struggling to find my footing in this career of fisheries especially with the state of the economy and the struggle of getting a job. This man relit the fire in me and filled me with encouragement. I am looking forward to continuing to contribute to the fisheries field!”
Tara plans to use the money for interview apparel as well as attending an upcoming fisheries conference (either the state AFS meeting or for next year’s Midwest Fish and Wildlife conference). As a recent masters graduate, she has not yet landed a full time fisheries position and the funds will help her invest in a good interviewing outfit and attend a fisheries conference to make contacts.
Congratulations to Spencer Weinstein
“Hi! I’m Spencer, and I’m currently the Fisheries Biologist at Kawerak, Inc., a non-profit tribal consortium in western Alaska. My expertise is in Arctic fisheries, and I am passionate about place-based fisheries conservation and climate and policy impacts on socio-ecological systems. I am trained in quantitative and qualitative research methods, and during my PhD I worked with subsistence fishers in Nunavut to characterize salmonid diversity in the Canadian Arctic. My current work lies at the interface of fisheries research and policy. I’ve been passionate about fisheries science since my undergraduate days when, shortly after realizing that this was a career option, I fell in love with fieldwork during a fish sampling and identification course. Since 2014, I’ve participated in and led fisheries research projects across the United States and Canada, including in Massachusetts, Texas, Ontario, Nunavut, and Alaska.
I’ve faced a lot of uncertainty recently related to my career path, and one thing that I’m proud of is my resilience, which I think is exemplified by many of the field experiences I have had. One in particular stands out. In summer 2022, I was overjoyed to be allowed to do fieldwork again after a two-year Covid-induced hiatus. Nothing was going to stop me…not even arriving in the remote Canadian Arctic and learning that my luggage was missing. Two days later, though, after thinking I was just worn out from the lengthy travel, I tested positive for Covid. That’s right; after waiting two full years to finally be able to do fieldwork again, I ended up in the Arctic with Covid and no clothes. A whirlwind of emotions followed over the next two weeks, from disappointment at being sick in the field, to relief when my bag arrived nearly a week later, to excitement at finally testing negative and being cleared for fieldwork. While not a fun story at the time, that experience has shaped my perspective on facing and dealing with challenges; through subsequent challenging situations, I have continued to remind myself that I have always persevered through the difficult moments in pursuit of the only career that I have ever wanted.”
Spencer plans to use the money for a pair of waders and boots. She recently began a position as the fisheries biologist for a non-profit tribal consortium in western Alaska, and one of her responsibilities is to conduct an aquatic environmental baseline study of one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in North America. While a tall order to begin with, the challenges are magnified by a lack of gear and supplies to conduct the research. She is the first fisheries biologist/scientist who has worked at the organization in nearly 20 years. Because of that, there is no gear stash to use items from; additionally, there is minimal money in the two-year grant under which she was hired for research gear or supplies. This award will take some of the immediate pressure off by allowing for the purchase of a few necessary items.