Dr. Bisson began his career in 1971 as a Research Assistant in Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University. Between 1974 and 1995, he served as an Aquatic Biologist with Weyerhaeuser Company in Tacoma, WA. Presently, Dr. Bisson is the Research Fish Biologist at the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Olympia, Washington.

During his 30 year career, Dr. Bisson has been an outstanding leader in the fisheries profession. He is a member of a variety of professional societies and has held numerous leadership positions within the American Fisheries Society, including President of the Western Division. In addition, he has been an influential member of many committees and advisory panels, including the NAS Committee on Protection and Management of Pacific Northwest Anadromous Salmonids, the Fish/Watershed Viability Assessment Panel of the President’s Forest Conference Task Force, and the Panel on Criteria for Establishing Watershed Sustainability of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, the NWPPC’s Independent Science Advisory Board and Independent Scientific Review Panel, to name but a few. Dr. Bisson has demonstrated his ongoing commitment to higher education by serving on the graduate committees of more than 25 MS and PhD students at the University of Washington, Oregon State University, the University of California at Berkley, and Evergreen State College. In addition, Dr. Bisson has led and/or participated in numerous continuing education programs to provide fisheries and aquatic professionals with the skills that they need to be more effective in their field.

Dr. Bisson has also been leader of international renown in research on the ecology of aquatic ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. His research on the importance of nutrients derived from spawning salmon and of large woody debris, ecosystem-based management, management and restoration of stocks at risk, management of riparian vegetation in forested landscapes, aquatic habitat-land use interactions, recovery planning, and other related topics has significantly advanced our understanding of, and ability to manage, northwest ecosystems. He has also helped to guide the management of anadromous salmonids and associated habitats through a series of landmark publications, such as Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest and Return to the River: Scientific Issues in the Restoration of Salmonid Fishes in the Columbia River. These multiple and sustained contributions to the fisheries profession make Pete a deserving recipient of the WDAFS Award of Excellence.

Presented by Bill Bradshaw
WDAFS Past-President & Awards Committee Chair
April 30, 2002