BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Black Bass Conservation Committee of the Southern Division, American Fisheries Society is pleased to announce the 10th annual Noreen Clough Memorial Scholarship for Females in Fisheries is being awarded to Raegan Davis of Carleton University in Ontario.
This year there were 12 applicants from across the United States and Canada who exemplified what Noreen Clough hoped to see in future fishery scientists.
Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director noted, “All of the young women who applied for the scholarship have a bright future in fisheries, because in addition to their academic strengths, they fish. They exemplify that combination of scientist and angler that Noreen Clough thought was so important in making a great fishery manager.”
Since being introduced to fishing at the age of 3, it has become the most important part of Raegan’s life, both recreationally and professionally. She is an avid multispecies angler with Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass being her favorite species to target. Her Instagram page reflects her passion for the sport.
Raegan’s Ph.D. research involves conducting a survey of recreational anglers in Ontario to understand their attitudes and perspectives of native game and non-game fishes. In addition, she will be studying space and diet overlap among Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bowfin, Northern Pike and Lake Trout in Charleston Lake, Ontario. This research will advance the fundamental understanding of the aquatic community and trophic ecology, while improving conservation and management efforts.
Noreen Clough blazed many trails in the field of fisheries. As the first female regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and later as the B.A.S.S. Conservation Director, her distinguished career was dedicated to the conservation and management of fish and wildlife. Although Clough passed away in January 2015, friends and colleagues established an endowment to provide a scholarship for female students working toward a career in fisheries conservation.
Gordon Robertson, retired Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Sportfishing Association, and a long-time colleague of Noreen’s added, “Noreen put a high value on lessons learned from recreational fishing from both a resource understanding and appreciation perspective, but also from a perspective of understanding anglers and how they think and react to resource and social issues.”
The scholarship winner will be awarded a framed certificate and a check for $2,000 to be used for college expenses. The request for applications for the 2027 scholarship will be posted on Bassmaster.com and in American Fisheries Society newsletters next spring and circulated to college and universities across North America that have fisheries science programs.
