Gordon H. Copp: An obituary

Gordon Copp, who died recently at the age of 67 years, will need no introduction to many contributors to the Journal of Fish Biology due to his extensive collaborative network and his work as treasurer of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) for 8 years (2005–2013). After suffering periods of illness over the past decade, he passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2023, leaving his wife Elisabeth and son Ashley. Gordon enjoyed a full and varied career, which continued right up to his passing. His research career started in chemistry and biotechnology before he moved into fish biology by completing his PhD in 1987 at the Université Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, on the reproduction and nursery sites of fishes in the River Haut-Rhône. This was followed by a postdoctoral position at the Institute of Freshwater Ecology, where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Richard Mann on the growth, recruitment, and microhabitats of 0+ riverine fishes. The results of his work included the development and application of point abundance sampling by electric fishing (PASE) for these young-of-the-year fishes as a key step in describing their micro-habitats. Gordon's next role was at the University of Hertfordshire, where between 1991 and 2000 as senior lecturer and then reader, he progressed his research on native and non-native freshwater fish population dynamics, life history, and eco-morphology, as well as undertaking various management roles. He then took a research sabbatical for 2 years at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France, before taking his next post that mapped out the remainder of his career when he joined the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Team at the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in 2002, where he continued to work right up to the end of his life. Gordon's work at Cefas commenced with a focus on the ecology and management of non-native fishes. His research on non-native fishes included using the North American sunfish Lepomis gibbosus ("pumpkinseed") as a model species, studying its invasion dynamics across Europe and comparing these to aspects of their native life history. Indeed, working on pumpkinseed was a common thread throughout Gordon's career, from first encountering the species during his PhD to one of his final publications incorporating eDNA approaches to detect pumpkinseed presence in the wild. It was during his initial years at Cefas that he also started working on developing risk screening tools for predicting the invasiveness of non-native species so that managers, policy-makers, and practitioners would be much better informed during their decision-making processes. Across several iterations of these tools, the most recent is the multilingual AS-ISK scheme, which has now been applied across numerous countries and fish species. More recently, Gordon was involved in developing eDNA protocols for detecting non-native fish in the wild, and in developing and implementing a regional conservation strategy for crucian carp Carassius carassius in Eastern England, bringing researchers and practitioners together to, for example, conserve and restore their pond habitats. Across this varied research career, Gordon developed an extensive network of collaborators across the world, which he used effectively in his research and to also develop many enduring friendships. Within this network were multiple early career researchers for whom he often served as a mentor, providing advice and guidance to help them in their work. Gordon's mentoring was often "under the radar" whereby it is only now that the legacy of these efforts is becoming strongly apparent. A common thread in his mentoring is his generosity of providing time to his mentees, providing support that was appreciated by all (such was his dedication, he continued his mentoring right up to the very end of his life). Gordon published more than 230 papers in peer-reviewed journals across a 39-year publishing career, starting with two publications in biotechnology before running through varied topics related to his research, but with multiple papers on subjects including 0+ freshwater fish dynamics (including PASE) and the ecology, risk-screening, and management of non-native fishes. This record culminated in his award of a Doctor of Science (DSc) from Bournemouth University, UK, where he defended his portfolio of work at his viva voce in May 2023. He served as an associate editor for three international journals in his time (Folia Zoologica, Aquatic Invasions, Fisheries Management and Ecology), before being an assistant editor for the Society's Journal of Fish Biology from 2020. It is also important to acknowledge Gordon's contribution to the FSBI. Having followed Gordon as treasurer in 2013, I (RB) can say with no exaggeration that he was the driving force in revolutionizing the Society's finances during his tenure, including establishing a strong investment account for the income gained from the Journal of Fish Biology. It is these funds that provide the basis for enabling all of the Society's charitable activities, from PhD studentships to supporting the annual conference. My work—and that of Tara Marshall, the present incumbent—is still being made more straightforward by the foundations laid by Gordon over 15 years ago and the Society could have been in a very different financial place without his contribution. Accordingly, Gordon leaves a rich legacy from his lifetime's work. This obviously includes his scientific work and outputs, which will continue to influence policy and practice for years to come. However, his legacy also includes the research networks he built and leaves behind, the mentees whose careers he helped develop, and the Society's members who will continue to benefit from FSBI funding awards. Both authors agreed the article concept, RB led the writing and AST edited the content. Both authors approve the final version.