Jeffrey A. Hutchings
Jeffrey Alexander Hutchings FRSC (September 11, 1958 – January 30, 2022) was a Canadian fisheries scientist. He was a professor of biology, and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Chair in Fish, Fisheries, and Oceans at Dalhousie University.
Jeffrey A. Hutchings | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | January 30, 2022 63) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | (aged
Occupation(s) | Evolutionary ecologist, fisheries scientist |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biology |
Institutions | Dalhousie University |
Thesis | The evolutionary significance of life history divergence among brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations. (1991) |
Doctoral advisor | Doug Morris |
Early life
Hutchings was born in Orillia, Ontario, on September 11, 1958.[1] He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science, before obtaining a Master of Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland.[2] He was subsequently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from Memorial in 1991.[3]
Career
After graduating from Memorial, Hutchings first worked at the University of Edinburgh and at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He later joined the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University in 1995, eventually becoming Killam Memorial Chair in Fish, Fisheries and Oceans.[3] Hutchings was known for his work on the evolution of fish life histories and on the collapse, recovery, and sustainable harvesting of marine fishes. He authored three books (including A Primer of Life Histories: Ecology, Evolution, and Application, published the year before his death), as well as more than 250 journal articles.[1] He also sat on the editorial boards of eight scientific journals[3] (including the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Functional Ecology, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, and Ecological Applications).[4]
Hutchings was the co-founder and president of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution.[3] In addition to being Chair of a 2012 Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel on Marine Biodiversity (and member of a 2001 Expert Panel on genetically modified foods), he chaired Canada's national science body (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) responsible, by law, for advising the Canadian federal Minister of the Environment on species at risk of extinction.[3] He was called to testify before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans on multiple occasions, including in December 1997,[5] March 2012,[6] as well as May and October 2016.[7][8] He also gave evidence before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in May 2009.[9] He discussed overfishing in Canada, sustainable fishery, and the impact of climate change on this endeavour.[5][6][7][8] Hutchings vigorously strived to keep science independent of politics, and was critical of efforts by the Conservative government in 2012 that were perceived by him and other scientists as attempting to silence their views on climate change and fish conservation.[10][11] He later applauded the subsequent Liberal government four years later for adding more scientific staff to the DFO.[10]
Hutchings died on January 30, 2022, at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His cause of death has not yet been disclosed. He was 63 years old.[10][11]
Awards and honours
Hutchings was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science) in September 2015.[12] Two years later, he was awarded the international A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences. He was elected Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 2018.[3]
Publications
Books
- Hutchings, J. A. (2021). A Primer of Life Histories: Ecology, Evolution, and Application. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 978-0-19-257625-5
- Freedman, B., Hutchings, J. A., Gwynne, D. T., Smol, J. P., Suffling, R., Turkington, R., Walker, R. L., and D. Bazely. (2015). Ecology: A Canadian Context. Nelson Education, Toronto. ISBN 978-0-17-650114-3
- Hutchings, J. A., Côté, I. M., Dodson, J. J., Fleming, I. A., Jennings, S., Mantua, N. J., Peterman, R. M., Riddell, B. E., Weaver, A. J., and VanderZwaag, D. L. (2012). Sustaining Canadian marine biodiversity: responding to the challenges posed by climate change, fisheries, and aquaculture. Royal Society of Canada, Ottawa.[13]
Journal articles (selected)
- Hutchings, J.A. 2000. Collapse and recovery of marine fishes. Nature 406: 882–885.[2]
- Crozier, L.G., and J.A. Hutchings. 2014. Plastic and evolutionary responses to climate change in fish. Evolutionary Applications 7: 68–87.[14]
- Neubauer, P., Jensen, O.P., Hutchings, J.A., and J.K. Baum. 2013. Resilience and recovery of overexploited marine populations. Science 340: 347–349.[15]
- Myers, R.A., Barrowman, N.J., Hutchings, J.A., and A.A. Rosenberg. 1995. Population dynamics of exploited fish stocks at low population levels. Science 269: 1106–1108.[16]
- Hutchings, J.A. 2015. Thresholds for impaired species recovery. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282: 20150654.[17]
- Kuparinen, A., and J.A. Hutchings. 2017. Genetic architecture of age at maturity can generate divergent and disruptive harvest-induced evolution. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 372: 20160035.[18]
- Hutchings, J.A., and J.D. Reynolds. 2004. Marine fish population collapses: consequences for recovery and extinction risk. BioScience 54: 297–309.[19]
- Hutchings, J.A., Walters, C., and R.L. Haedrich. 1997. Is scientific inquiry incompatible with government information control? Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 1198–1210.[20]
- Hutchings, J.A., and R.A. Myers. 1994. What can be learned from the collapse of a renewable resource? Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, of Newfoundland and Labrador. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51: 2126–2146.[21]
- Hutchings, J.A., and R.A. Myers. 1994. The evolution of alternative mating strategies in variable environments. Evolutionary Ecology 8: 256–268.[22]
- Hutchings, J.A. 1993. Adaptive life histories effected by age-specific survival and growth rate. Ecology 74: 673–684.[23]
- Hutchings, J.A. 1991. Fitness consequences of variation in egg size and food abundance in brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis. Evolution 45: 1162–1168.[24]
References
- Bernatchez, Louis (February 1, 2022). "Hommage à Jeffrey Hutchings, un géant de la recherche et de la communication scientifique au Canada, parti trop tôt !" (in French). Ressources Aquatiques Québec. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Jeffrey Hutchings". Dalhousie University. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- "Jeffrey A. Hutchings, FRSC". Ottawa: Council of Canadian Academies. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Jeffrey A. Hutchings – Professional". fishlifehistory.ca. Jeffrey A. Hutchings. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Evidence – FISH (36-1) – No. 13". House of Commons of Canada. December 4, 1997. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Evidence – FOPO (41-1) – No. 28". House of Commons of Canada. March 12, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Evidence – FOPO (42-1) – No. 13". House of Commons of Canada. May 12, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Evidence – FOPO (42-1) – No. 25". House of Commons of Canada. October 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- "Evidence – ENVI (40-2) – No. 23". House of Commons of Canada. May 28, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Tutton, Michael (February 1, 2022). "Jeffrey Hutchings, advocate for independent fisheries science, dies at age 63". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Lord, Ross (February 2, 2022). "Dalhousie's 'Wayne Gretzky of biology' remembered as 'most amazing' human". Global News. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Doucet, Jane; Comeau, Nikki (September 18, 2015). "Two Dal faculty elected as Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada". Dalhousie University. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- Hutchings, J. A. (2019). Sustaining Canadian Marine Biodiversity: Policy and Statutory Progress (2012–2019) : A Report by the Policy Briefing Committee of the Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel Report (February 2012) on Sustaining Canada's Marine Biodiversity: Responding to the. Royal Society of Canada.
- Crozier, Lisa G.; Hutchings, Jeffrey A. (January 2, 2014). "Plastic and evolutionary responses to climate change in fish". Evolutionary Applications. 7 (1): 68–87. doi:10.1111/eva.12135. PMC 3894899. PMID 24454549. (registration required)
- Neubauer, Philipp; Jensen, Olaf P.; Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Baum, Julia K. (April 19, 2013). "Resilience and Recovery of Overexploited Marine Populations". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 340 (6130): 347–349. Bibcode:2013Sci...340..347N. doi:10.1126/science.1230441. PMID 23599493. S2CID 206545400. Retrieved February 2, 2022. (registration required)
- Myers, R. A.; Barrowman, N. J.; Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Rosenberg, A. A. (August 25, 1995). "Population Dynamics of Exploited Fish Stocks at Low Population Levels". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 269 (5227): 1106–1108. Bibcode:1995Sci...269.1106M. doi:10.1126/science.269.5227.1106. PMID 17755535. S2CID 22546890. Retrieved February 2, 2022. (registration required)
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A. (June 22, 2015). "Thresholds for impaired species recovery". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Royal Society. 282 (1809). doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.0654. PMC 4590454. PMID 26213739.
- Kuparinen, Anna; Hutchings, Jeffrey A. (January 19, 2017). "Genetic architecture of age at maturity can generate divergent and disruptive harvest-induced evolution". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Royal Society. 372 (1712). doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0035. PMC 5182431. PMID 27920380.
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Reynolds, John D. (April 1, 2004). "Marine Fish Population Collapses: Consequences for Recovery and Extinction Risk". BioScience. American Institute of Biological Sciences. 54 (4): 297–309. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0297:MFPCCF]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 52227134. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Walters, C.; Haedrich, R. L. (May 1997). "Is scientific inquiry incompatible with government information control?". Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Canadian Science Publishing. 54 (5): 1198–1210. doi:10.1139/f97-051. Retrieved February 3, 2022. (registration required)
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Myers, Ransom A. (September 1994). "What Can Be Learned from the Collapse of a Renewable Resource? Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua, of Newfoundland and Labrador". Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Canadian Science Publishing. 51 (9): 2126–2146. doi:10.1139/f94-214. Retrieved February 3, 2022. (registration required)
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A.; Myers, Ransom A. (May 1994). "The evolution of alternative mating strategies in variable environments". Evolutionary Ecology. Springer Science+Business Media. 8 (3): 256–268. doi:10.1007/BF01238277. S2CID 39020472. Retrieved February 3, 2022. (registration required)
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A. (April 1993). "Adaptive Life Histories Effected by Age-Specific Survival and Growth Rate". Ecology. Ecological Society of America. 74 (3): 673–684. doi:10.2307/1940795. JSTOR 1940795. Retrieved February 3, 2022. (registration required)
- Hutchings, Jeffrey A. (August 1991). "Fitness Consequences of Variation in Egg Size and Food Abundance in Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis". Evolution. Society for the Study of Evolution. 45 (5): 1162–1168. doi:10.2307/2409723. JSTOR 2409723. PMID 28564166. Retrieved February 3, 2022. (registration required)
External links
- Dr. Jeffrey A. Hutchings at Dalhousie University Department of Biology
- Researcher Profile of Jeffrey A. Hutchings at Canada's Aquatic Environments, University of Guelph