From April 17th to 22nd, Professor Steven J. Cooke from Carleton University, Canada, was invited to the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of Chinese Academy of Sciences for academic exchange and international cooperation activities. 

During the visit, Prof. Cooke discussed the progress of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' "International Distinguished Scholars" talent program, participated in the Second Aquatic Biology Forum, and delivered an academic presentation titled "Freshwater Fisheries Science and Management for the Future to Benefit All." He also engaged in academic exchanges with the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China Fisheries Limited. The topics of his presentations included "Connecting Science and Action to Protect and Restore Freshwater Biodiversity" and "The Movement Ecology of Fishes." Through these presentations, Prof. Cooke not only shared insights on assessing and managing inland and polar ocean fisheries but also provided the latest research findings and practical applications of advanced identification technologies such as acoustic, optical, and radio frequency in aquatic animals, especially migratory species. He also discussed global progress and trends in future fisheries such as facility fisheries, recreational fisheries, and smart fisheries, and deliberated on specific areas for further collaborative research. 

Prof. Cooke's visit and exchange are a continuation of the long-term international cooperation between the IHB and Carleton University in the field of fisheries science research and conservation. It also sets a direction for future in-depth cooperation between the two sides, including mutual visits of faculty and students, jointly organizing international academic conferences, and collaborating on the development of intelligent fisheries technologies and equipment, laying a solid foundation for future fisheries cooperation between China and Canada. 

Prof. Cooke is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a tenured professor at Carleton University, Canada. He is also a recipient of the 2022 Chinese Academy of Sciences International Talent Program (PIFI) "International Distinguished Scholar" award. He is the founder and chief editor of the journal Conservation Physiology and has published over 1000 academic papers in top international journals such as Science, PNAS, and Fish and Fisheries, with 64,797 citations and an H-index of 123 (Google Scholar). He has been listed as a highly cited scholar in the Web of Science interdisciplinary field for multiple consecutive years and is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of fish ecology conservation. Prof. Cooke has long focused on the physiological effects of climate change and human activities, especially hydraulic engineering, on fish migration. Currently, Prof. Cooke is collaborating with the team of Prof. DUAN Ming from the Discipline of Fisheries Intelligent Technology and Equipment at the IHB on cooperative research in fish behavior, river connectivity, and the development of fisheries intelligent technology and equipment. 

Professor Cooke communicates with MIAO Wei, director of the IHB (Credit: IHB) 

Professor Cooke visits the lab (Credit: IHB)