Ray Beverton
Encyclopedia
Raymond John Heaphy Beverton, CBE
, FRS (29 August 1922 – 23 July 1995) was an important founder of fisheries science
. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations (1957) which he wrote with Sidney Holt
. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Ray Beverton's life and achievements are described in detail in several obituaries written by prominent figures in fisheries science.
wrote at the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft (UK). In his review of the 1993 reprint of the book, Ray Hilborn
writes "It is remarkable how the book has stood the test of time and still provides a survey of the important topics in fisheries management". The book has a new reprint from 2004, with a foreword by Sidney Holt.
Beverton was also one of the first to acknowledge the variation of life histories that exists in fish, and the importance of this in fisheries management
. This was the topic of the symposium Building on Beverton’s legacy: life history variation and fisheries management, organized in 2003 during the 133rd annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society. The legacy of the 1957 Beverton and Holt treatise is commemorated in the volume Advances in Fisheries Science. 50 years on from Beverton and Holt. The volume includes a foreword by Sidney Holt
.
Beverton was the editor of Journal du Conseil, now ICES Journal of Marine Science, from 1983 to 1991. Among many other posts, he was the Deputy Director of the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft. Beverton stayed active until his late years; he was involved in several papers published after his death, the last one nine years afterwards. Outside fisheries science, Beverton is best known for the Beverton–Holt model. In population ecology the model is used as a stand-alone discrete time population model or as a model of density dependence in larger population models. Originally the model had a more specific usage; it was devised to describe the dependence of recruitment on spawning stock biomass.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRS (29 August 1922 – 23 July 1995) was an important founder of fisheries science
Fisheries science
Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of oceanography, marine biology, marine conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics and management to attempt to provide an integrated...
. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations (1957) which he wrote with Sidney Holt
Sidney Holt
Sidney J. Holt is an important founder of fisheries science. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which he published with Ray Beverton in 1957. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Holt served with the FAO in 1953...
. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Ray Beverton's life and achievements are described in detail in several obituaries written by prominent figures in fisheries science.
Achievements
Much of the foundations of quantitative fisheries science were laid out in On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which Ray Beverton and Sidney HoltSidney Holt
Sidney J. Holt is an important founder of fisheries science. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which he published with Ray Beverton in 1957. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Holt served with the FAO in 1953...
wrote at the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft (UK). In his review of the 1993 reprint of the book, Ray Hilborn
Ray Hilborn
Ray Hilborn is a marine biologist and fisheries scientist, known for his work on conservation and natural resource management in the context of fisheries.He is currently professor of aquatic and fishery science at the University of Washington...
writes "It is remarkable how the book has stood the test of time and still provides a survey of the important topics in fisheries management". The book has a new reprint from 2004, with a foreword by Sidney Holt.
Beverton was also one of the first to acknowledge the variation of life histories that exists in fish, and the importance of this in fisheries management
Fisheries management
Fisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...
. This was the topic of the symposium Building on Beverton’s legacy: life history variation and fisheries management, organized in 2003 during the 133rd annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society. The legacy of the 1957 Beverton and Holt treatise is commemorated in the volume Advances in Fisheries Science. 50 years on from Beverton and Holt. The volume includes a foreword by Sidney Holt
Sidney Holt
Sidney J. Holt is an important founder of fisheries science. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which he published with Ray Beverton in 1957. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Holt served with the FAO in 1953...
.
Beverton was the editor of Journal du Conseil, now ICES Journal of Marine Science, from 1983 to 1991. Among many other posts, he was the Deputy Director of the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft. Beverton stayed active until his late years; he was involved in several papers published after his death, the last one nine years afterwards. Outside fisheries science, Beverton is best known for the Beverton–Holt model. In population ecology the model is used as a stand-alone discrete time population model or as a model of density dependence in larger population models. Originally the model had a more specific usage; it was devised to describe the dependence of recruitment on spawning stock biomass.