FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2017
Contact: Martha Wilson
Tel.202.445.9514
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. RICHARD J. BEAMISH RECEIVES EXCELLENCE AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
(Tampa, FL) August 23, 2017 – Dr. Richard J. Beamish received the Award of Excellence in Public Outreach at the 2017 American Fisheries Society (AFS) Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. AFS President Joe Margraf presented the award at the meeting’s plenary session. The award of Excellence is presented to a living person for original and outstanding contributions to fisheries and aquatic biology. It is the Society’s highest award for scientific achievement.
“We applaud the distinguished contributions of Dr. Beamish and thank him for his continuous efforts to share the value of fisheries and aquatic biology,” said AFS President Joe Margraf.
Dr. Beamish is specifically recognized for his sustained contributions to fisheries science, and his exemplary leadership in promoting international cooperation relating to the conservation of fishes, particularly Pacific salmon.
Early in his career, Dr. Beamish discovered the problem of acid rain in North America. With his colleagues, he showed that atmospheric transport was the cause of acid rain as well as a major source of heavy metals to lakes.
He developed methods for age determination and validation that led him to discover that many species were substantially older than previously thought. He was the first to show that rockfish on the Pacific coast of North America could be many times older than reported and consequently were being heavily overfished.
Prior to his retirement in 2011, Dr. Beamish worked at the Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada as the head of groundfish research on the Pacific coast, and as Director of the Pacific Biological Station. He represented the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the Pacific Salmon Commission and on the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council from its beginning until recently. He was a founder of PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization) and head of science for Canada for the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission. To this day, he continues to provide leadership in fisheries management in Canada and internationally.
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Editor’s Notes:
AFS Awards page:
Links: (fisheries.org)
About AFS: Founded in 1870, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) is the world’s oldest and largest fisheries science society. The mission of AFS is to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals. With five journals and numerous books and conferences, AFS is the leading source of fisheries science and management information in North America and around the world.