Distinguished Professional Achievement Award – Dr. Stewart Reid

Stewart Reid is a recipient of this year’s Distinguished Professional Achievement Award. Dr. Reid’s career thus far has demonstrated a tremendous devotion to the conservation of fish species in Pacific coastal streams, the inland regions of California and Oregon, and even the Great Basin. At 13 years old, Stewart began his career in fish biology by working at Steinhart Aquarium. He was also involved at an early age in attempts to spawn Devils Hole pupfish with mentor Al Castro. After completing his graduate work on mesopelagic fish communities in the Hawaiian Islands, he began working with USFWS in 1997. In 2004, he founded Western Fishes in Ashland, OR. In collaboration with another of this year’s recipients, Damon Goodman, Dr. Reid has worked extensively with lamprey populations along the California coast. His other projects have included research into gene flow between Modoc and Sacramento suckers in the Pit River watershed, research into hybridization of Pit and Riffle sculpins, assessments of the aquatic biodiversity of the Klamath Mountains, and research into tui chubs in the Cowhead Lake basin. Of all of Dr. Reid’s projects, he is most proud of his involvement in the recovery of the Modoc sucker, and his efforts helped with the delisting of the species in 2015. He has served as an adjunct professor at Humboldt State University, and as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Desert Fishes Council. Dr. Reid is a member of the steering committee for our chapter’s Native Fishes Committee. He was the previous recipient of the 2017 Native Fish Conservationist of the Year Award from the Oregon Chapter of AFS.