Tom Buell Leadership Chair in Salmon Conservation, Simon Fraser University, Canada
http://www.sfu.ca/reynolds
Fish species are arguably one of the most threatened classes of vertebrates. But attempts to classify the risk of extinction are often highly controversial, especially for marine species. I will explore the potential for life history traits and ecological characteristics of species to predict vulnerability, through fundamental connections with population dynamics. Our comparative studies of marine fishes provide strong support for the “big=vulnerable” paradigm, due to links between body size, age at maturity, and intrinsic rates of population increase. Fecundity is irrelevant for predicting extinction risk. However, comparative studies of freshwater fishes suggest a more complicated picture, according to whether species suffer from over-fishing or habitat loss. These results match new research in birds, mammals, and reptiles. These findings help illuminate current controversies concerning the vulnerability of fishes to extinction, including claims that fish cannot be assessed with the same risk criteria used for other taxa. More generally, the comparative studies reveal the benefits as well as limitations in using life histories and ecology for prioritising species in conservation assessments.
John Reynolds holds the Tom Buell BC Leadership Chair in Salmon Conservation at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Prior to this, he had spent 12 years as a professor of conservation ecology at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He is a member of the Science Advisory Committee of the Pacific Salmon Forum, and is on the boards of the Vancouver Aquarium and the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.
John's research focuses on the ecology and conservation of fish species, with a particular emphasis on understanding how life history traits can be used to explain variation among species in their susceptibility to collapse in fisheries. This research is helping to inform debates about susceptibility of marine fishes to extinction. Since joining Simon Fraser University in 2005, he has established studies of 90 streams in remote parts of British Columbia to assess linkages between salmon and their ecosystems in estuaries, streams and adjacent forests. He has published over 125 papers and co-authored 5 books examining various aspects of ecology and conservation of fishes. In 2000, he was awarded the FSBI Medal by the Fisheries Society of the British Isles, and in 2003 he received the J.C. Stevenson Award from the Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research.
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