Freshwater Biological Association

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The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is an independent scientific organisation founded in 1929 [1] in Cumbria [2] by Felix Eugen Fritsch, [3] William Harold Pearsall, [4] Francis Balfour-Browne, [5] and Robert Gurney [6] among others. Whilst originally created to be a research station it has evolved into a learned society whose mission is "to promote the sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems and resources, using the best available science". [7] It works closely alongside other organisations, notably Natural Environment Research Council. [8] [9] The FBA promotes freshwater science through innovative research, maintained specialist scientific facilities, a programme of scientific meetings, production of publications, and by providing sound independent scientific opinion.

Contents

As of 2010, the FBA hosted both published and unpublished collections, two specialist libraries and varieties of long term data sets from sites of scientific significance. It is managed by the Chief Executive who was assisted by 25 staff (17 full-time equivalents). By year ending 31 March 2020, the number had fallen to 15 employees, 6 trustees and 3 volunteers. [10]

A board of trustees, elected by the members, guide the strategic direction of the Association in line with the charitable objectives. The FBA is a registered charity, number 214440 and a company limited by guarantee, registration number 263162, England.

Activities

The FBA is involved in many activities which include the support of Science through the use of its location in The Lake District in Cumbria and alongside the River Frome, East Stoke in Dorset and uses its location to support scientific work by providing specialist facilities and equipment. It is also involved in research through grants and studentships given to young scientists, and has made provisions for information services, from its freshwater libraries, to its information collection titled "FreshwaterLife", to its reference collection "The Fritsch Collection". [11] Finally, many publications and analysis guides are also published by the FBA, with records of freshwater information. [12]

The FBA also runs many meetings and courses for specialism in freshwater biology, holding an Annual Scientific Meeting.

In September 2008 the FBA launched a series of conferences in aquatic biology. The first of these was entitled "Multiple Stressors in Freshwater Ecosystems". [13] The second, in April 2010, had the theme of "Integrated Catchment Management".

Notable scientists

Senior officers

The FBA's Council Chairs have included Cecil Terence Ingold from 1965 to 1974 and Gordon Elliott Fogg (1919–2005) from 1974 to 1985.

Presidents have included Sir John Gray (1918–2011) from 1983 to 1987, [8] Sir Frederick George Thomas Holliday (1935–2016) from 1995 to 2002, Sir Martin Holgate (b.1931) from 2002 to 2017, and Professor Louise Heathwaite from 2017.

Directors have included E. Barton Worthington, secretary to and first full–time director of the Freshwater Biological Association from 1937 to 1946. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 Toogood, Mark D.; Waterton, Claire F.J.; Heim, M. Wallace (2020). "Women Scientists and the Freshwater Biological Association, 1929-1950". Archives of Natural History. 47 (1): 16–28. doi:10.3366/anh.2020.0618. S2CID   204475518.
  2. ↑ Freshwater Biological Association. "Professor F.E. Fritsch, 1879-1954". Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Salisbury, Edward J. (1954). "Felix Eugene Fritsch. 1879-1954". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 9 (1). Royal Society: 130–140. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1954.0009. JSTOR   769202. S2CID   192041295.
  4. ↑ Clapham, A. R. (November 1971). "William Harold Pearsall. 1891-1964". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 17: 511–540. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1971.0020. JSTOR   769718. S2CID   72596046.
  5. ↑ LeCren, E.D. (1979). "The first fifty years of the Freshwater Biological Association". Forty-Seventh Annual Report (PDF). Freshwater Biological Association. pp. 27–42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2021.
  6. ↑ Calman, W. (1950). "Dr. Robert Gurney obituary". Nature . 165 (4198): 587–588. doi: 10.1038/165587b0 . PMID   15416704. S2CID   4283485.
  7. ↑ "Our Mission" . Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. 1 2 Reynolds, Colin (2004). "The Freshwater Biological Association at 75". Freshwater Forum. 22: 3–12.
  9. ↑ "FBA Annual Review 2019–2020" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Charity number: 214440, year ending 31 March 2020". Archived from the original on 17 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Fritsch Collection" . Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "FBA Recorders". Archived from the original on 20 September 2010.
  13. ↑ Ormerod, Steve; Dobson, Michael; Hildrew, Alan; Townsend, C.R. (2010). "Multiple stressors in freshwater ecosystems". Freshwater Biology. 55: 1–4. Bibcode:2010FrBio..55S...1O. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02395.x.
  14. ↑ "SIL-International Society of Limnology". limnology.org. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "Clifford Hiley Mortimer Collection". Archives Hub . Jisc . Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  16. ↑ Haines, Catharine (15 Feb 2010). "Patricia Clarke Obituary". * The Guardian .
  17. ↑ Greenwood, Jennifer (29 January 2015). "Rosemary Lowe–McConnell obituary". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "John Lund Collection". Archives Hub . Jisc . Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  19. ↑ Nancy G. Slack (2011). G. Evelyn Hutchinson and the Invention of Modern Ecology. Yale University Press. p. 230. ISBN   978-0-300-16174-8 . Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  20. ↑ Haines, Catherine M. C. (2001). International women in science : a biographical dictionary to 1950 . Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC–CLIO. ISBN   9781576070901. page 104
  21. ↑ Haines, Catherine M. C. (2001). International women in science : a biographical dictionary to 1950 . Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC–CLIO. ISBN   9781576070901. page 160
  22. ↑ O'Kane, Simone (4 March 2013). "New RSPB boss discovered love of nature growing up in Burnley". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  23. ↑ Worthington, E. B. (December 1985). "Obituary – Dr T. T. Macan". Freshwater Biology. 15 (6): 643–644. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1985.tb00237.x . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
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