Herman Wanningen receives the 2020 Le Cren Medal!
The Fisheries Society of the British Isles announced that the Awardee of the 2020 Le Cren Medal is Herman Wanningen. The Le Cren medal is awarded to one or more individuals who have made a lifelong contribution to all aspects of the study of fish biology and/or fisheries science, with a focus on conservation, training or public understanding of the discipline.
As with most international scientific societies, the Fisheries Society of the British Isles seek out and celebrate outstanding contributions from the wider international community. As Honorary President of the FSBI, it is a particular pleasure to endorse and announce the award of the Le Cren Medal 2020, to Herman Wanningen, Founder and Director of the World Fish Migration Foundation. As a Society, we support excellence and impact in science, and it is rewarding that this year's recipient, exceeds expectations on both. The main driver for the Le Cren medal nomination, and focus of Herman’s activity over recent years, is the visionary leadership role he has played in setting up and directing the World Fish Migration Foundation (WFMF), a non-profit organization with the twin aims of protecting and conserving migratory fish around the world, while supporting people working on opening up rivers for migratory fish. WFMD has become an enormous, global force for good in the field of public understanding of fish and fisheries, and is delivering on its stated aim to “improve the public's understanding of the importance of migratory fish, the need for healthy rivers, the communities that depend on both, and the options we have to minimize or avoid impacts”. The FSBI Council is proud to recognise such activity both because it coincides strongly with the FSBI mission, and importantly also because Herman serves as an exemplar for early career researchers across the world of how to bring together the interests of scientists and wider society to share in the relevance and passion for research.
By Gary R. Carvalho PhD FRSB FLS
Research Professor of Molecular Ecology
Honorary President, Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI)
