David Lloyd George Noakes (1942-2020) was George Barlow’s first PhD student at UC Berkeley, earning his doctorate in 1971. He was a professor for 30+ years at the University of Guelph and then 15 years at Oregon State University where he also was Director of the Oregon Hatchery Research Center. His leadership as Editor of the Environmental Biology of Fishes journal and Fish & Fisheries Series spanned 20 years.
David was a founding member of EEEF and largely responsible for the organizing and welcoming atmosphere of these biennial meetings from the mid- 1980’s through 2020. EEEF was one of the many avenues by which David was dedicated to mentoring students and connecting and supporting colleagues. David published widely about the behavior, ecology and conservation of fishes, often exploring the ontogeny of behavior during life history in relation to environmental cues.
In honor of David and his many contributions to EEEF and the field, the David Noakes Award will be given for the best talk or poster for a study of ontogenetic change in behavior or ecology during early life history. Additionally, we have organized a “Noakes Session (on Tuesday July 13th from 9am-12:15pm) to highlight research that was either inspired by David or conducted in collaboration with David.
The life and legacy of David Noakes were highlighted in several tribute videos produced by Oregon State University, one of which we have included below:
To learn more about David, we invite you to watch the additional tribute videos produced by Oregon State University, which you can find here and here. Those who remember David are also encouraged to post tributes, memories, and photos on his MyKeeper Tribute website.