Colorado State University Professor Honored With Prestigious International Fisheries Science Prize

Kurt Fausch, professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, was recently named the first recipient of the International Fisheries Science Prize.

The prestigious award, given by the World Council of Fisheries Societies for outstanding contributions to global fisheries and conservation, will be awarded every four years. Fausch received the prize at the fifth World Fisheries Congress in Yokohama, Japan, where he was also invited as a keynote speaker.

"Kurt Fausch’s global contributions to fisheries science and conservation have been substantial, and his legacy continues to grow," said Bruce Rieman of the USDA Forest Service Research.

Fausch’s research has earned international significance since the publication in 1981 of his doctoral work on salmon and trout habitat use and competition, which informed and inspired work on similar problems in North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Since that time, Fausch’s efforts have included influential papers and international collaborations in landscape ecology, invasion biology, conservation biology and trophic linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. He has produced more than 90 refereed papers, book chapters or edited volumes with more than 20 of those including authors from outside the United States.

Fausch has received significant National Science Foundation funding for at least four projects based on his international partnerships, and since 1990, he has given nearly 100 invited presentations, more than one-third of which have taken place internationally.  

"Although Kurt Fausch has been sought as an adviser and colleague by highly regarded scientists all over the world, perhaps his most important work has been with scientists and students in Japan," Rieman said.

Early in his own influential career, the late Shigeru Nakano approached Fausch to explore ideas in stream ecology. That meeting led to a long-term relationship between Japanese and U.S. scientists and students and a remarkable legacy in stream ecology and conservation biology. Fausch continues to work with many of Nakano’s former students and colleagues.

"RiverWebs" is a documentary that celebrates Nakano’s life and work and was produced through Fausch’s collaborative efforts. The documentary has been widely used as an educational resource in classes and symposia and has appeared repeatedly on public television. The film was featured at the World Fisheries Congress preceding an address from the Emperor of Japan.

In addition to memberships in several North American professional societies, Fausch is a member of the Ichthyological Society of Japan and the Fisheries Society of the British Isles. He has served on graduate student committees or reviews in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and Australia.

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