William Francis Thompson (1888 - 1965)
William Francis Thompson was a prominent fishery biologist and a major architect of the
modern theory of fishing that variations in abundance were the result of fishing
pressure. His career spanned more than 50 years.
Dr. Thompson's work with commercial fisheries began in 1914 with studies of
the British Columbia halibut fishery. In 1917 he moved to California to found
the fish research program of the California Fish and Game Commission where he
became director of the California State Fisheries Laboratory. In 1924, he was
asked to organize and direct investigations of Pacific halibut for the
International Fisheries Commission (later to become the International Pacific
Halibut Commission). Based on Dr. Thompson's research, regulations were
established to manage halibut at or near the level of maximum sustained
yield.
Dr. Thompson became Director of the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries
Commission in 1937 and began to study the sockeye salmon of the Fraser River.
His studies resulted in the construction of the Hell's Gate fishways, which made
possible the restoration of the sockeye salmon runs in the upper Fraser River.
Dr. Thompson was the Director of the School of Fisheries at the University of
Washington from 1943 to 1947. In 1947 he returned to research to organize and
direct the UW Fisheries Research Institute, where he served as director until
his retirement in 1958. After retirement at the age of 70, he continued work as
a counselor and consultant until his death in 1965.
Dr. Thompson graduated from high school in Everett, Washington; attended the
University of Washington for two years; and graduated from Stanford University
in 1911. He received his doctorate at Stanford in 1930.
For more on the life and times of Dr. W.F. Thompson, see these great
articles by J. Richard Dunn and this insightful
piece on Dr. Thompson's family history.
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