S&TC are proud to announce that their prestigious Anne Voss-Bark Memorial Award 2018 has been awarded to PHD student William Davison, of Exeter University.

The award was presented to William on the 10th of October at the  Arundell Arms , by proprietor, and Anne-voss Bark’s son, Adam Fox Edwards and S&TC Executive Vice-President Tony Bird, in a lunch attended by award partners, the  Fario Club  and  West Country Rivers Trust.

Set up by S&TC in 2014, in collaboration with the Arundell Arms and Fario Club, the Anne Voss-Bark Memorial Award provides successful applicants with invaluable work experience with the West Country Rivers Trust; learning catchment management and water science from the trust’s eminent scientists, and includes a fly fishing course and complimentary stay at the Arundell Arms hotel.

The award is open each year to young fisheries or aquatic students and offers an unbeatable opportunity to learn the practical elements of river restoration and management. William Davison, a first year PhD student from the University of Exeter, with a background in ecological physiology, is this year’s lucky winner of the award. He brings his extensive field skills to the placement, gained during his research career at the University of Exeter and associated study abroad year at the University Of Queensland, which took him to remote Heron Island. He says, “This placement allows me to see first-hand how local charities are working on the front line to restore and protect the aquatic environments around which I grew up, and the animals on which I have chosen to focus my research studies.”

William has recently finished the placement and has now returned to his PhD in aquatic biology, working specifically on land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for salmonids. Such work aligns closely with S&TC’s vision and campaign for closed contentment salmon farming in Scotland. William says,
“The opportunity to learn about management of wild salmon and trout allows me to take a more holistic approach to my PhD by including a wider understanding of management strategies for wild populations. This experience puts me in a better informed position to help promote aquaculture techniques that allow farmed and wild salmonids to both thrive and perform the vital services we require of them.”

Wild fish and their habitats were of great importance to Anne Voss-Bark, and the award recognises and nurtures the same passion in it’s students. Dr Janina Gray, Head of Science at S&TC, says, “William demonstrates why this award is so important and offers such an amazing opportunity for someone just starting their career and are passionate about making a difference for our wild salmon and sea trout. The award offers unbeatable work experience and invaluable exposure to all our organisations’ campaigning and projects”.

Anne Voss-Bark was a dedicated conservationist and prominent hotelier. Her love of fly fishing made her aware of changes in the countryside detrimental to our rivers and fish, which she worked tirelessly to combat. Anne will also always be well-remembered as the perfect hostess at the Arundell Arms in Lifton, Devon, which was rather run down on acquisition but developed by her over nearly 50 years into today’s eminent fishing and country sports hotel.

S&TC are proud to honour the memory of Anne Voss-Bark through the award, nurturing the next generation of aquatic scientists and conservationists in the process.