Dr. Peter Moyle has been recognized as the 2020 Conservationist of the Year by the Western Rivers Conservancy for his lifetime of conservation work in California and in watersheds across the West.
“Peter has been an inspiration and source of fisheries expertise for California Trout for over 40 years. Peter’s contribution to the understanding of all the fish of California is unprecedented.” – Curtis Knight, CalTrout Executive Director
We count Dr. Moyle among our strongest allies for wild fish conservation in California. He and his team authored our own SOS II: Fish in Hot Water report: a one-of-a-kind comprehensive account of California’s salmon, steelhead and trout populations.
‘What I admire most about Peter is as a top-level scientist he is also not afraid to advocate, using his credible voice to speak out about the fate of our fish and rivers. It was his vision that led us to work collaboratively on the State of the Salmonids report.” said Knight. “Peter is a scientist, advocate, fish and nature enthusiast and a good friend.”
To continue his legacy, we have established the Peter B. Moyle and Calfornia Trout Endowed Chair in Coldwater Fishes held by Dr. Andrew Rypel at UC Davis. In that position, Dr. Rypel will work to ensure that water resource issues with major policy and management implications will continue to be informed by robust science.
Congrats to Dr. Peter Moyle of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences for the well-deserved honor! Thanks Dr. Moyle for all you do!
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.