Brian Knights
I am proud to have been elected Chair of the London & SE Branch at its AGM in December 2007 – now I will have to live up to the example set by Alan Butterworth and, before him, Pete Spillett! As a bit of background, I have a BSc Zoology and MSc from Bristol University and a PhD from the University of Westminster. Having started with research on fish respiratory physiology, I developed a passion for eels and have carried out extensive studies on their culture and biology. The latter has involved studies of stocks, migrations and management in the Thames, Severn-Avon, N Wessex and other areas, with research now stretching to the possible effects on eels of oceanic climate changes in the Sargasso Sea. To further demonstrate that IFM Chairmen tend to be an unusual breed (?!), I have been forced in the past to earn money for my eel research by carrying out contracts studies hand washing  hygiene – this involved much hanging around in public toilets with a clip-board…..!?
However, to demonstrate that I am actually (fairly?) normal, I’m a long-term Member and Fellow of the IFM and a Chartered Environmental Scientist, a Member of the FSBI and a Fellow of the Institute of Biology. I’m also on the IFM Training Committee and serve as a Diploma Examiner. I’m supposed to be ‘retired’ from teaching at the University of Westminster but now have a part-time post at King’s College, teaching on the MSc Aquatic Resource Management course. So I can’t seem to stop myself being committed to fisheries management - and I trust this enthusiasm will serve the Branch well, supported by its excellent Officers and Committee!