Robert J. Behnke | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1929-12-30)December 30, 1929 |
| Died | September 13, 2013(2013-09-13) (aged 83)[2] |
| Other names | Dr. Trout, The Trout Doctor |
| Alma mater | University of Connecticut,University of California, Berkeley |
| Spouse | Sally Martin |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Fisheries Biologist, Conservationist |
| Institutions | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Colorado State University |
| Doctoral advisor | A. Starker Leopold[1] |
| Other academic advisors | Paul R. Needham |
Dr. Robert J. Behnke (December 30, 1929 – September 13, 2013) was an American fisheries biologist and conservationist who was recognized as a world authority on the classification ofsalmonid fishes.[3] He was popularly known as "Dr. Trout" or "The Trout Doctor".[4] His seminal work,Trout and Salmon of North America, was published in 2002. He wrote a regular column forTrout Magazine, the quarterly publication ofTrout Unlimited. He was a fisheries biologist with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and a professor atColorado State University in the 1970s. He became aProfessor Emeritus at the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University.[5]
Robert J. Behnke was born inStamford, Connecticut, on December 30, 1929.[2] He lived in Connecticut until 1952 when he was drafted into theU.S. Army, serving in theKorean War in bothKorea andJapan.[6] Upon leaving the military in 1954, Behnke attended theUniversity of Connecticut and earned aBachelor's degree inzoology, graduating with honors in 1957.[6] He earnedMaster’s andDoctorate degrees inichthyology from theUniversity of California Berkeley,[7] where he studied under noted conservationistStarker Leopold.[8] He married Sally Martin in 1963 and moved toFort Collins, Colorado, in 1966 to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.[7]
Behnke was considered a classictaxonomist but also an avid angler, fisheries historian and conservationist.[9] During his career he authored more than 100 articles and papers regarding fish and fisheries. He is credited with helping re-discover two native trout subspecies previously believed extinct—thePyramid Lake strain of theLahontan cutthroat trout and theGreenback cutthroat trout, the state fish ofColorado.[10]
Dr. Behnke was an avid promoter of native trout restoration throughout western North America and inspired anglers and conservationists to value the beauty and uniqueness of native trout through his columns forTrout Unlimited. In 2002, Colorado Trout Unlimited recognized him with its 2002 Trout Communications Award for years of work in translating the intricacies of fisheries science for a mass audience.[10]
Dr. Behnke is also widely credited with influencing generations of fish biologists and conservationists while serving on faculty at Colorado State University.[11]
In 2006, Dr. Behnke donated over 60 boxes of personal papers and project research to theBud Lilly Trout and Salmonid Collection at theMerrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library[12] ofMontana State University Library inBozeman, Montana.[6] His personal collection of preserved specimens was donated toBrigham Young University. In 2011, Colorado State University created theRobert J. Behnke Endowed Chair In Coldwater Conservation to honor Dr. Behnke for his 30 years of service to the university.[11] In January 2003,Fly, Rod and Reel magazine, named Dr. Behnke "Angler of the Year".[13] In 2007, Dr. Behnke along with others endowed the "Robert J. Behnke – Rocky Mountain Flycasters Research Fellowship" to provide opportunities for Colorado State University graduate students to study fisheries related to the restoration of native greenback cutthroat trout inColorado.[14] In 1995, a new sub-species ofcutthroat trout, theSnake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii behnkei), was named to honor Dr. Behnke's fisheries work.[7]
Dr. Behnke's seminal work,Trout and Salmon of North America, was published in 2002.[4] Behnke contributed a regular column to Trout Magazine, the journal ofTrout Unlimited for over 25 years. A significant number of those columns are contained inThe Best of Robert J. Behnke from Trout Magazine. He also published hundreds of scientific articles in journals related to fisheries biology and conservation.[7]
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