Bob Mace Award | Terry Quinn Award
Bob Mace Award
Bob Mace was the deputy director at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and a Council member for over 23 years. He coined the phrase “watchable wildlife” to replace “nongame” as a reference to nonhunted species, forever changing how state and federal agencies manage everything from songbirds to butterflies. In addition, at the time of his death in November 2006, Bob left an estate gift permanently endowing the Bob and Phyllis Mace Watchable Wildlife chair at OSU and an annual scholarship fund to benefit dedicated undergraduates.
Bob was the epitome of a true gentleman and known for his dedication, professionalism, and conservation ethic as a member of the Council. Former executive director Clarence Pautzke noted that Bob “was always a class act” and rarely had an unkind word to anyone. He always provided support to the staff and looked out for them in many dire situations when the big chips were on the line and everyone was tearing up the analyses. He had a knack for coming up with just the right bit of humor when the room was infused with tension and his down-home wisdom could always be trusted. One of the best was offered up by Bob when someone started getting rather nasty and argumentative during public testimony at a Council meeting. Bob commented that “you never want to get down in the mud and wrestle with a pig. You’ll just get dirty and the pig loves it!” Good advice to last a lifetime. Executive Director Chris Oliver summed it up when he said “Bob was the Council’s moral compass.”
In Bob’s honor, the Council established the Bob Mace Distinguished Service Award. This award is only occasionally bestowed by the Council when an individual exemplifies the highest levels of dedication, professionalism, and conservation ethic necessary to make the fisheries off Alaska the best managed in the world. Recipients of the Bob Mace award are as follows:
- 2006. Staff members — North Pacific Fishery Management Council: Chris Oliver, Dave Witherell, Gail Bendixen, Cathy Coon, Jane DiCosimo, Elaine Dinneford, Diana Evans, Mark Fina, Jeannie Heltzel, Nicole Kimball, Peggy Kircher, Jon McCracken, Jim Richardson, Maria Shawback, Diana Stram, Bill Wilson
- 2007. Stephanie Madsen – Pacific Seafood Processors Association and former Council Chair
- 2008. Thorne Smith – Freezer Longliners Association
- 2010. Sue Salveson – National Marine Fisheries Service, and former Council member (alternate)
- 2012. Ken Hansen – NOAA Office of Law Enforcement – Alaska Division
- 2015. Martin Loefflad – National Marine Fisheries Service – Observer Program
- 2018. Dan Hull – Council Chair
- 2021. Chris Oliver – NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
- 2022. Lauren Smoker – NOAA General Council
Guidelines for the Award:
- The award is an extremely prestigious, special honor, and thus will be awarded only occasionally. This is not a routine or annual award.
- Any individual meeting the criteria “the individual exemplifies the highest levels of dedication, professionalism and conservation ethic necessary to make the fisheries off Alaska the best managed in the world” is eligible.
- Recipients must be individuals, although groups of individuals meeting the criteria can also be eligible.
- Nominations can be made by any Council member or the Executive Director in Executive Session at any meeting during the year. Staff can suggest candidates for consideration through the Executive Director (Council staff) or through the NMFS Council representative (NMFS staff).
- The Council will meet in executive session to discuss the nominee’s achievements and select the recipient by consensus.
Terry Quinn Award
Dr. Terry Quinn II was a very active member of the North Pacific Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee from 1986 until his death in 2019. Terry was dedicated to the Council process and valued the complementary roles of the SSC and Council in achieving sustainable management. He was well known for his expertise in population dynamics, knowledge and history of groundfish stock assessments, and his ability to develop practical and useful scientific advice and recommendations to the Council. As a professor at the University of Alaska, he provided guidance and encouragement to many students who have gone on to be successful scientists and fishery managers in the North Pacific.
In Terry’s honor, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has established the Terry Quinn II Distinguished Scientist Award. This award will be bestowed by the Council on an individual who, over the course of many years, has made outstanding contributions in fishery science or other related fields, and remained dedicated to ensuring that fishery science and management in the North Pacific are the best in the world. Contributions may include: applied scientific research in fisheries, economics, or socio-economics; stock assessment or ecosystem modeling; scientific peer review; analysis of impact assessments affecting the sustainability of Alaska fisheries; or other scientific contributions that have enhanced the ability of the Council to manage fisheries effectively through its transparent, science-based process.
The award is an extremely prestigious, special honor, and thus will be awarded only occasionally to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to science-based fishery management in the North Pacific.
Recipients of the Terry Quinn II award are as follows:
- 2020. Dr. Gordon Kruse – University of Alaska professor emeritus and NPFMC SSC member
- 2021. Dr. Jim Ianelli – Senior assessment scientist at the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fishery Science Center
- 2022. Dr. Anne Hollowed – Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Guidelines for the Award:
- The award is intended to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to science-based fishery management in the North Pacific. The award is an extremely prestigious, special honor, and thus will be awarded only occasionally. This is not a routine or annual award.
- Any individual meeting the criteria is eligible – “An individual who, over the course of many years, has made outstanding contributions in fisheries science or other related field, and has been dedicated to ensuring that fisheries science and management in the North Pacific is the best in the world.”
- Nominations can be made by any Council member or the Executive Director during any Executive Session. Staff can suggest candidates for consideration through the Executive Director (Council staff) or through the NMFS Council representative (NMFS staff). SSC members can suggest candidates for consideration through the Executive Director. The Council will discuss each nominee’s qualifications and achievements relative to the criteria for this award, and select the recipient by consensus.