Sidney Holt
Encyclopedia
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 and with other UN agencies for another 25 years. After his retirement in 1979, Holt has remained active in work related to the International Whaling Commission
and conservation of whales in general, also publishing his views about whaling and fisheries management in academic journals.
(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 was reprinted in 2004 with a new foreword by Holt.
Holt's later achievements mostly relate to whaling. According to Beverton, Holt "saved the great whales in the early 1970s". 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 Holt. Outside fisheries science, Holt 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
.
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 which he published with Ray Beverton
Ray Beverton
Raymond John Heaphy Beverton, CBE, FRS was an important founder of fisheries science. He is best known for the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which he wrote with Sidney Holt. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today...
in 1957. The book is a cornerstone of modern fisheries science and remains much used today. Holt served with the FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
in 1953 and with other UN agencies for another 25 years. After his retirement in 1979, Holt has remained active in work related to the International Whaling Commission
International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...
and conservation of whales in general, also publishing his views about whaling and fisheries management in academic journals.
Achievements
Much of the foundations of quantitative fisheries science were laid out in the book On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations which Beverton and Holt wrote at the Fisheries Laboratory in LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
(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
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...
." The book was reprinted in 2004 with a new foreword by Holt.
Holt's later achievements mostly relate to whaling. According to Beverton, Holt "saved the great whales in the early 1970s". 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 Holt. Outside fisheries science, Holt is best known for the Beverton–Holt model. In population ecology
Population ecology
Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. It is the study of how the population sizes of species living together in groups change over time and space....
the model is used as a stand-alone discrete time population model
Population dynamics
Population dynamics is the branch of life sciences that studies short-term and long-term changes in the size and age composition of populations, and the biological and environmental processes influencing those changes...
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
Fish stock
Fish stocks are subpopulations of a particular species of fish, for which intrinsic parameters are the only significant factors in determining population dynamics, while extrinsic factors are considered to be insignificant.-The stock concept:All species have geographic limits to their...
biomass
Biomass (ecology)
Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms,...
.