Geoffrey Power

To say the least, Geoffrey (Geoff as he was widely known) Power was a pioneer among Canadian fisheries biologists and renowned for his northern and salmonid research. Professor at the University of Waterloo for his entire career, Geoffrey passed away on April, 29, 2024, survived by his wife, sons, and grandchildren and mourned by the many students and colleagues he had the good fortune to interact with over his long career. Geoff was born in Accrington, UK, and grew up in Lancashire. He received a BS from the University of Durham (Kings College Newcastle) in 1954 and came to Canada the same year on a scholarship from the Arctic Institute of North America, to study for a PhD in biology at McGill University, Montreal. In 1957, he was hired by what became the University of Waterloo to design and set up the curriculum for the biology department. Over his 46-year career, Geoff made significant contributions to the science of fishery biology and was widely recognized as an expert in the ecology of northern salmonid fishes, particularly Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar and Arctic Charr Salvelinus alpinus. He mentored many graduate students who went on to make their own significant contributions to fishery science. Geoff was named one of the first AFS Fellows and awarded the AFS Award for Excellence in Fisheries Education. Geoff was also a Life Member of AFS. Upon his retirement from the University of Waterloo, in 1999 he was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. In addition to his scientific work, Geoff was known for his painting, for which he won several awards, and for his woodworking and love of gardening, passions he pursued with keen interest post-retirement. September 21, 1933 – April 29, 2024 Geoff's published work ranged from those on fish population structure and modelling to fisheries management, ecology and ichthyology, and exhaustive field studies (including some of the earliest winter studies) to meticulous lab work. As a young scientist, Geoff was one of the first to conduct research on northern salmonids, spending upwards of four months a year camped on the banks of the George, Koksoak, or Whale rivers and their tributaries that empty into Ungava Bay, northern Quebec, working on the life history of Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Char or Brook Charr S. fontinalis. Conditions were basic, with as much time spent trying to survive as trying to conduct science and included several unwanted interactions with bears who had other ideas about the appropriate use of fish. The experiences taught him well and instilled in him a practical approach to science that he passed on to his graduate students. That level of practicality also extended into the classroom where Geoff sent the students in his undergrad fish biology course home with a hunk of net, some twine, and a needle shuttle so they could practice mending nets. His early work in northern Canada led to northern Norway, where his collaboration with Magnus Berg produced the first detailed studies of riverine salmonid populations in Arctic Finnmark. Probably his greatest contribution to the study of Atlantic Salmon was his work in Quebec, from the north shore rivers of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the subarctic rivers of Ungava Bay. His work with landlocked Atlantic Salmon (Ouananiche) helped elucidate key aspects of the evolutionary biology and the complexities of life history dynamics of the species. During the 1970s, he was the director of the Matamek Research Station, located on the Quebec North Shore—a very productive period that saw some of the most useful insights to understanding Atlantic Salmon population characteristics and one of the first programs to contribute to our understanding the role of (sub)basin characteristics in affecting aquatic population biology. His 1981 publication on stock characteristics of Atlantic Salmon was a comprehensive analysis of populations throughout Atlantic Canada in relation to a suite of environmental variables. It was one of the first papers on the species that described temporal constraints (“windows”) to successful migration along latitudinal gradients. It remains a keystone paper for Atlantic Salmon biology and management and cemented his place as a leader in Canadian fisheries biology. Most certainly, the ability to successfully tackle so complex a topic was largely attributable to his breadth of knowledge on the species and its environment. Among the other “firsts” completed during his research period on the Matamek River were the first direct in situ observational studies of salmonid (Salmo vs Salvelinus) competitive interactions and the earliest noted North American case of morphological diversification in Arctic Charr, a topic that would come to dominate much of the charr literature in the years ahead. A four-year exchange with Laval University in Quebec City followed, where Geoff expanded his riverine work to the study of northern lacustrine salmonid populations, which culminated in the highly cited 1978 paper, “Fish population-structure in Arctic Lakes.” Geoff's keen involvement with Arctic charr research resulted in him joining the International Society of Arctic Charr Fanatics, a society aimed at fostering the cooperation of like-minded researchers from all countries inhabited by Arctic Charr. That led to many subsequent adventures in Canada, Iceland, Fenno-Scandinavia and Russia where researchers met to discuss and study Arctic Charr, often in remote locations as close to its native habitat as possible. His wife Ann often accompanied him on a number of these adventures. Numerous scientific contributions resulted, including a keynote 2002 presentation: “Charrs, glaciation and seasonal ice” (Environmental Biology of Fishes) that set the template for understanding the success and evolution of charr in harsh northern environments and a key earlier 1990 paper associated with climate change (“Salmonid communities in Quebec and Labrador; temperature relations and climate change”) that was instrumental in the development of a comprehensive program examining climate variability and change with a focus on Arctic Charr. The latter was included in the Canadian 2007 International Polar Year scientific program, which took Geoff to Ellesmere Island on his last high Arctic field trip. His last field trip was a sampling expedition to Ungava in 2014, where he first started his northern field career. Geoff’s most recent paper was a reflective essay in the 2023 AFS book Freshwater Fisheries in Canada, which he titled, “The Last Ramblings of an Old Dog.” That essay aptly summarizes some of Geoff’s experiences and wisdom in his own words; we strongly encourage you to have a read! Geoff was known for encouraging his students to trust their scientific instincts, be observant and to publish their research beyond the traditional primary scientific journals to ensure their science reached a wider audience. He practiced what he preached and regularly contributed to magazines such as the Atlantic Salmon Journal and Canadian Geographic. Geoff’s reputation and knowledge grew from his interactions with people inside and outside the profession. He regularly collaborated with scientists from western Europe, especially Scandinavia, and also spent two sabbaticals in New Zealand working with local fisheries scientists on issues related to nonnative salmonids and the impacts of hydropower development. His interactions with local resource users began early with his summers on the Menai Strait, Wales, working with local fishers to monitor Atlantic Salmon populations. His continuing commitment and emphasis on the need for such interactions proved very rewarding for the graduate students who learned about salmonid biology from a variety of perspectives and cultures. In Quebec, Geoff was a strong believer in learning about fish populations by communicating with, and listening to, the local people who worked directly with the fish—including regional biologists, fishers and especially the Indigenous people who depended on the resource for their livelihood. Indeed, Geoff was an early adopter of the technique of interviewing Inuit hunters and fishers to use traditional knowledge to understand long-term population trends and to develop meaningful management plans. His interactions with people—be they professionals or lay-people—were always respectful and honest. As a result of his personal experiences with the Inuit, Geoff was among only a handful of southern scientists willing to testify in court hearings reviewing hydro development on behalf of the Inuit about the potentially damaging effects of large-scale hydro on the fish populations crucial to their way of life. Those who met Geoff rarely forgot him and many have remarked about his enthusiasm, patience, and willingness to give of his time to help them on their own scientific journeys. Undoubtedly, he will be missed by those who knew him personally and by the Canadian fisheries community, who have lost one of their pioneers.

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