© 2005 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
In Memoriam – Dr Joseph A. Brown
The marine science community lost an advocate and a tireless friend with the sudden passing of Dr Joseph A. Brown on the 4th of September 2005. After graduating from high school in Grey, Maine, Joe moved to Canada and completed a BSc degree at St Francis Xavier University in 1968. After serving two years in the US Army, he returned to Canada and went on to complete his MSc research at Memorial University of Newfoundland on the behaviour of Arctic shanny. Joe completed his PhD on the behavioural ecology of centrachid fish at Queen's University in 1983. Shortly after, he returned to St John's, Newfoundland and, in 1985, was appointed to the faculty at the Ocean Sciences Centre (then the Marine Sciences Research Laboratory) of Memorial University.
His early mandate, to which he remained faithful for the next 20 years, was to develop a strong research programme in fish behaviour and to use this knowledge to assist in the development of marine finfish aquaculture in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. His labour bore fruit in many ways.
Joe's contributions to marine finfish aquaculture were groundbreaking. He was among the pioneers in the cultivation of wolfish, Atlantic halibut, and Atlantic cod. The successful production of juveniles of each species lent credibility to this fledgling initiative. Among his landmark contributions were investigations on factors influencing behaviour, feeding, growth, and survivorship of sensitive early-life stages. These studies were crucial since so little was known of their biology that was relevant to cultivation. Joe worked closely with industry and government, particularly in support of the cod venture in Newfoundland. This was essential, given that Newfoundland was the first to be strongly effected by the cod fishing moratorium, established in 1992. This event called for leadership. Joe rose to the challenge and assessed the requirements for establishing cod culture in Newfoundland once and for all. Joe's impact went well beyond eastern Canada as Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Iceland benefited from his expertise in conducting research on the problems confronting cold-water marine finfish aquaculture. Joe was able to command large projects and attracted many international visitors and collaborators. He often appeared in the media as a tireless advocate of fish farming. He helped attract large projects to the Ocean Sciences Centre, such as the national AquaNet research programme. He was President of the Aquaculture Association of Canada, Chair of the Ecological and Behaviour Section of the Canadian Society of Zoology, and he sat on numerous review boards and panels. Joe played a major role in the establishment and operation of the Aquaculture Research and Development Facility at Memorial University. His efforts and achievements were recognized through awards from the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (Researcher of the Year, 1998) and the Aquaculture Association of Canada (Research Award of Excellence, 2001), and in 2002, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation formally recognized him as one of Canada's leading aquaculture scientists.
Joe is remembered for his good humour and his warm heart. He was easily recognized at meetings and conferences by the wide spectrum of his loud, loose-fitting fishy shirts; his attire usually included sandals year-round. His positive spin on just about everything made us feel comfortable in his presence. He was able to attract many dedicated graduate students to conduct vital research on the biology of marine fish in support of the developing marine finfish aquaculture industry. This he was able to sustain for many years, and his endeavours resulted in the authoring or co-authoring of more than 100 scientific publications in refereed journals. His jovial manner and his intense interest in developing the marine finfish aquaculture industry in Canada had a great impact on all partners – private sector, university, and government departments and agencies. He will be greatly missed.
This symposium issue is dedicated to the memory of Joseph A. Brown. Let us continue to maintain the momentum that Joe initiated so well.
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