Are you looking for an opportunity to help introduce, inspire, and engage the next, more diverse generation of fisheries professionals?
Mentors hold the key to engage, inspire and enrich the next generation of fisheries professionals. To help with this, AFS staff are committed to working with mentors during the Hutton Program. AFS recognizes the importance of stimulating interest of fisheries science and management among groups underrepresented in the fisheries profession, including BIPOC, LQBTQIA+, and female students.
Browse here to learn ways to recruit potential Hutton Scholars.
2025 Hutton Mentor Applications are open! Click here to access the application. Applications are Due by March 1st, 2025.
Submitting your Online Mentor Application:
Mentor applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible and to recruit students, by visiting classes and communicating with science teachers and guidance counselors in local high schools and emailing recruitment materials to local high schools. Mentor applicants are encouraged to become members of the American Fisheries Society, if they are not already. For more information about becoming a member, please visit our membership page HERE.
Note: Mentors are encouraged to reach out and recruit potential Hutton Scholars from high schools in their local area.
- Recruitment materials can be found and downloaded on the ‘Program Recruitment‘ page.
- Click the link, “Hutton Mentor Application” above to bring you to the online application form
- Fill out the Mentor Application form with all the correct information, your (and your co-mentor (s)) resume and project description)
Are you interested in applying to be a Hutton Mentor? Want to learn best practices for hosting high school students and how to offer them an exciting and engaging summer internship?
Watch a webinar hosted by three past Hutton Mentors about their tips and advice for interested Hutton Mentors – first time and past! CLICK TO WATCH
If you are paired with a Hutton Scholar for the summer:
- Internships should be eight weeks long starting after May 31 and ending before August 31
- Students work an average of 32 hours per week
- Selected mentors must meet in person with their student match by the end of May before the internship officially begins to discuss the student’s summer schedule, potential projects the student will work on, and workplace expectations.
- Student schedules, projects, trips and co-mentors must be discussed with both your Hutton Scholar as well as the Education Program Coordinator before the internship start date. Any changes to the student’s schedule or added over night trips must be reported to the Program Coordinator.
Recruitment Materials
Hutton Program Host Locations:
Each year, the Hutton Program relies on Federal and State Agencies, Educational and Research Institutions, Non-Profit Organizations, and Private Companies to serve as host organizations for selected Hutton Scholars. Current fisheries and aquatic scientists are identified and placed with a student to act as their Hutton Mentor for the 8-week internship. Host institutions and Hutton Mentors are the gateway for our Hutton Scholars to be introduced to the field of fisheries science and aquatic resource management. Please visit this link to submit a mentor application today!
Thank you to our 2023 host agencies, organizations, and institutions:
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- NOAA and the Seattle Aquarium
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Missouri Department of Conservation
- San Antonio River Authority
- Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Kake Climate Partnership
- Columbia Springs
- City of Elkhart Public Works
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- University of Pittsburgh
- Discovery World Science and Technology Museum
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
- University of California – Berkeley
- University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
- Stony Brook University
- Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Nez Perce Tribe
- Trout Unlimited
- New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Hutton Mentors:
- Volunteer to work alongside and mentor their matched Hutton Scholar for a full eight weeks over the summer (weeks do not have to be consecutive)
- Ensure the future of the profession by introducing young people to the exciting world of fisheries science
- Educate students about the importance of aquatic systems and other critical conservation issues
- Have a positive influence on the next generation of leaders
- Inspire others to pursue an important and rewarding career
Mentors are allowed and encouraged to co-mentor with other fisheries professionals in the same or another host organization, in order to give students a broad view of the many dimensions of fisheries science.
We welcome mentor applicants from municipal, state, federal, provincial, tribal, university, private, and non-governmental facilities in all states, commonwealths, and territories of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Being a Hutton Mentor:
AFS staff makes it easy to be a Hutton Mentor. We handle all logistics and administrative responsibilities, such as:
- Recruiting students
- Managing the student application and selection processes
- Matching mentors to selected students
- Disbursing scholarship payments to students
- Providing mentoring best practices, guidance and administrative support to mentors
Guidance on creating an appropriate project for a high school student and sample project descriptions from previous mentors can be provided upon request. We strongly encourage mentor applicants to recruit qualified student applicants from their local high schools.
Mentor Match:
Students selected for the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program are matched with a mentor within commuting distance (within a 45-mile radius) and will receive notification from the Education Programs Coordinator. AFS staff will notify mentors of their student matches after the AFS Hutton Committee reviews all student application and finalize the mentor-student matching processes.
Selected students are matched with a mentor in their local area for an eight-week internship in a fisheries setting. Among the many activities that “Hutton Scholars” may assist with include:
- Stream sampling
- Seining
- Electrofishing
- Fish tagging and tracking
- Ecosystem restoration
- Public education
- Angler surveys
- Laboratory analyses of fish to determine age and growth
- Mussel surveys
- Other wildlife related projects outside of fisheries science
Program Requirements:
Mentors selected for the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program are expected to accomplish ALL requirements of the program.
- Mentor (s) and student(s), parent or guardian, are required to meet before the internship start date to discuss duties, responsibilities, and the summer schedule.
- In order to participate, Mentors must return to the AFS Hutton Program an acceptance form signed by the student, parent or guardian, and mentor.
- Complete and submit students’ bi-weekly timesheets, signed by student and mentor along with a brief overview the student’s two-week period.
- Complete a final report and program evaluation once the internship is finished
Program Stipulations:
This is a paid summer internship for high school students. Funding comes directly from The American Fisheries Society through our generous funding partners. The Hutton paychecks are not considered wages for tax purposes; therefore, no W-4 form needs to be completed by the student when he or she begins the program, and no taxes are withheld. However, student paychecks are considered taxable income according to IRS regulations. Students are advised to consult IRS regulations regarding scholarships.
AFS provides liability insurance for students and mentors who participate. Forms and instructions are provided to the mentor.
It may become necessary for students to spend time overnight at a distant site with their mentors. Parental permission must be obtained by the mentor in advance of the trip, preferably with blanket permission for the entire summer.