Authored by: Aubrey Pawlikowski It started with a fish and a phone call. In 1987, fresh from Auburn University and brimming with ideas, associate professor of fisheries Dr. Jay Shelton stepped into Georgia’s waters—figuratively and literally—as an Extension fisheries specialist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. One of his first calls came from Paul Williams, a catfish farmer in Hawkinsville who had heard Shelton knew a thing or two about producing grass carp. Together, in a tin-roofed trailer, they pulled off what no one in Georgia had done before: They successfully produced triploid grass carp. “We weren’t even sure the hydraulic press wouldn’t blow up,” Shelton joked decades later. That collaboration wasn’t just the start of a new aquaculture venture in Georgia. It was the beginning of a career rooted in relationships. “The thing I tell students over and over again,” Shelton said, “is that fundamentally, success depends on relationships.” And Shelton knows from experience. What began as an idea over pizza in downtown Athens with a colleague grew into one of Warnell’s most popular Maymester courses: Georgia Fishes Field Study. Relationships also sparked the now-iconic White Dam removal project—born from a classroom conversation and carried forward by student questions and shared curiosity. “It was the most grassroots thing ever,” he said. Now, as Shelton retires from Warnell, he leaves behind a legacy not measured in publications or awards—but in people. In students turned scientists. In colleagues turned friends. In a long string of connections stretching from his Athens office to mountain trout streams, research labs and across the Southeast. His reach extended far beyond the bank—but it was in the classroom where Shelton discovered a new way to shape futures. After joining UGA’s Warnell School in 1992, Shelton transitioned from a full-time Extension appointment to a hybrid role that included teaching. “Honestly, I had to teach myself to teach,” he said. “But in a way, there’s so many similarities between doing outreach and doing classroom teaching, especially for undergraduates, which is what I really love.” And the results spoke for themselves. There was the young woman who felt out of place in an undergraduate ecology class—until something clicked after a conversation with him. She ultimately earned a Ph.D. in ecology and sent him a letter, linking her journey back to his class. Then there was the undergraduate who once questioned the ethics of aquaculture. After taking Shelton’s course, she decided she wanted to study it. When she later expressed interest in a NOAA fellowship, Shelton connected her with a former student who had earned it—helping her take the first steps toward earning the award herself. And then there was the student who simply loved brook trout. His curiosity led to a research project, a scholarship presentation and ultimately, Warnell’s first undergraduate fisheries scholarship. “Because of that moment—when a kid says, ‘I’m passionate about brook trout,’ and because I knew people—we made it happen,” Shelton said. “It’s a great story because it shows other students they can make a difference, even as undergraduates.” For Shelton, research, outreach, and teaching are inseparable. He often tells students, “in ecology, everything is connected—and nothing stays where we put it.” He explained that this idea applies just as well to the trio of research, outreach, and teaching. “You’re a better outreach specialist because you do research,” he said. “You’re a better researcher because you’ve done outreach. But none of these things are separate.” Over the years, Shelton built connections that paired Warnell researchers with opportunities—all thanks to trust and long-cultivated relationships. He’s proud of how the once-difficult integration of outreach and research has taken root. “It more than pays for itself in terms of our teaching mission,” he said. “And it more than pays for itself in terms of research.” “I’ve worked on many research projects with faculty who don’t have outreach appointments. It often starts with someone calling me with a question. I’ll say, ‘Yes—but I know someone else at Warnell who’s a great fit.’ Before long, we’ve got a team and a funded project.” Trust, he added, is his currency. “You can be the smartest person in the room, but if no one wants to work with you, you won’t get far.” It wasn’t always easy. Shelton admits to struggling with impostor syndrome. “But that keeps you humble,” he said. “It reminds you that the little Ph.D. behind your name doesn’t mean that much. You’re still just a person like everybody else—and you depend on everybody else to be successful.” Though he’s stepping away from Warnell, Shelton isn’t leaving the water behind. He’ll continue volunteering with the Georgia chapter of Trout Unlimited, keep fishing, and this fall, return to Costa Rica with an old friend to chase giant tarpon. “I’ve been invited to fish more times than I could ever say yes to,” he said with a grin. “That’s about to change.” What won’t change is the relationships he’s built. “The reason I stay in touch with so many students is I enjoy living vicariously through each of them—even those who are long gone from Warnell.” Because in Jay Shelton’s world, a good relationship—like a good fish story—is never really finished.
