Senior Fisheries Biologist

Joined LGL in 2005

Degrees & Diplomas

BA (Arts & Science), University of Alberta, Edmonton
BSc Honours (Zoology), University of Alberta, Edmonton
MSc (Biology), University of Victoria, BC
PhD (Zoology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Research Interests

• Ecology of freshwater fish
• Fish life history, habitat preferences, and behavior
• Fish migrations
• Stream experimental research
• Minimum instream flows for fish and fishing
• Fish enhancement and habitat restoration
• Effects of explorations/developments on fish stocks and fisheries
• Effects of interwatershed mixing on fish stocks
• Effects of climate change on fish stocks and fisheries

Capsule Resume

Gordon has expended considerable effort in his career conducting field and laboratory research on various aspects of the biology and ecology of freshwater fishes, which he has used to his advantage in impact assessment (e.g., mining, irrigation, industrial/urban, and energy-related developments) and as an expert witness in environment courts. His research interests are fairly broad, including fish swimming speeds/migrations, interspecific behavioral and ecological interactions - including the effects of introduced species on indigenous fishes, habitat preferences, food habits, minimum instream flows, and fish stock enhancement. Where applicable, Gordon has applied the experimental approach to fisheries research, and has used artificial streams and replicate channels on several occasions as tools to improve the scientific rigour of his findings. He is familiar with the life history requirements of a wide range of freshwater fishes, having conducted surveys/research studies for impact assessment purposes on fish populations in Labrador, northern Canada, British Columbia and overseas. While overseas, he collaborated in developing the methodology for determining minimum instream flows for fish stocks and fishing in large, multi-channeled rivers, similar in character to that of the Stikine River in northern BC. He has been involved in climate-related fisheries issues overseas since the early 1990s and is pursuing work along these lines on North American fish stocks, with an emphasis on salmonid fishes. With the advancement of global warming and increasing fresh water shortages in the world’s drier regions, Gordon is planning to become involved in environmental considerations of future mega schemes seeking to transfer water between catchment and territorial boundaries to meet future fresh water demands.