2017 Bleeker Awards
10th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference, Tahiti
Since 2005, the Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC) has had the privilege of presenting the Bleeker Award, an award that honours individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of ichthyology in the Indo-Pacific. The award honours the memory of Pieter Bleeker, the late father of Indo-Pacific Ichthyology. Previous recipients of the award include John E Randall, and J Howard Choat in 2005 (pictures on the left), followed by Peter Sale and Bill Eschmeyer in 2009, and Gerald Allen and Jeff Leis in 2013.
2017 Bleeker Award Winners
Systematics Bleeker Award
Dr. Keiichi Matsuura
Curator emeritus, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
Dr. Matsuura energetically conducts research on fish taxonomy and biodiversity. He is an expert on the taxonomy of coastal fishes, in particular tetraodontiform fishes. He works tirelessly to promote taxonomy and the science of biodiversity as the president of the Ichthyological Society of Japan. Among his greatest accomplishments in the sciences is the establishment of databases for biodiversity, and in particular fishes in the Indo-Pacific region from the early 1980s to the present.
Ecology Bleeker Award
Dr. David R. Bellwood
Professor, James Cook University, Australia
Dr. Bellwood’s research has engendered a fundamental change in our understanding of reef fishes, as not just colourfully diverse and interesting, but also as critically important components of the world’s coral reefs. He has pioneered the application of functional studies of reef fishes and the evaluation of ecosystem impacts of biodiversity. Both publicly and scientifically, he has demonstrated that fishes are both sentinels of critical ecosystem decline and key factors in the future health and recovery of coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Thanks to our partners Air Tahiti Nui and InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa,
nominees will attend the 10th IPFC and will be presented with the Bleeker Award
on Friday, 6 October 2017 at the Te Fare Tahuiti Nui, Papeete, Tahiti.