My name is James “Keith” Whalen and I am the Forest Fish Biologist on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests here in South Carolina. I have been the Forest Fish Biologist here in South Carolina for6 years. Before that, I was the Forest Fish Biologist on the Ozark/St. Francis National Forests in Arkansas for 12 years. Before that I worked for Forest Service Research under the Southern Research Station. In total I have been with the Forest Service for 24 years. I grew up as a Forest Service kid. My dad retired with 33 years of service. My wife also works for the Forest Service. We live in Batesburg, South Carolina. I grew up in the southwestern part of Virginia right at the divide between the Holston River and the New River. I spent a lot of time growing up trout fishing and smallmouth fishing in Virginia. I have a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in fisheries science and a master’s degree from James Madison University in biology. I have worked mainly in the eastern U.S from Maine to Georgia and across to Texas and up to Wisconsin. I have worked with American eels, climbed around in caves in Alabama looking for cavefish, worked with freshwater shrimp and crabs in Puerto Rico, endangered fish in Kentucky and lots of brook trout work in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. I like being outdoors.

Title of Talk – “Current Forest Fisheries/Aquatic Program on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District on the Sumter National Forest”