THE DR. CLARENCE P. IDYLL GCFI FISHERIES SCHOLARSHIP

About Dr. Clarence P. Idyll (1916-2007)

Dr. Clarence P. Idyll began his career interested in the Pacific sockeye salmon and was an official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He worked as a biologist for the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission in the state of Washington in the 1940s, and later in the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida in 1948, where he became one of the first faculty members in the new discipline. Dr. Idyll taught at the University of Miami from 1948 to 1971 and was chair of the Division of Fisheries and Estuarine Ecology in 1964. In the early 1970s, he advised the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with his experiences in Nigeria, the Caribbean Sea, Central and South America, China, South Asia, and elsewhere. One of his primary objectives was to train scientists to foster and expand fish farming in Developing Nations, programs compelled to work with little funding or political support and few sophisticated tools. In 1974, Dr. Idyll joined NOAA, where he studied ocean policy and chaired the Division of International Fisheries Development and Services until retiring in 1984.

Dr. Idyll was a longtime member of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI), where he served as Executive Secretary beginning in 1949 and as Chair from 1959 through 1971. Between 1950 and 1981 he and colleagues published 17 papers in the GCFI Proceedings.

Dr. Idyll collaborated in many articles on fish and crustaceans, and on fish farming and management, for popular magazines such as National Geographic, Harper’s, and Scientific American. He produced books for a general readership, such as Ambergris: Neptune’s Treasure (1960), Abyss: The Deep Sea and the Creatures That Live in It (1970), and The Sea against Hunger: Harvesting the Oceans to Feed a Hungry World (1970). He edited the Exploring the Ocean World: A History of Oceanography (1970).

Sponsors

The Dr. Clarence P. Idyll Fisheries Scholarship is a GCFI initiative supported by the Devon Creek Foundation.

Applying for the Award

AWARD APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE –  July 15, 2025

Purposes: To financially assist graduate students interested in any aspect of Marine Fisheries (biology, ecology, socioeconomics, management, aquaculture) who might otherwise not be able to attend the annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) conference. To provide encouragement to the next generation of students and young professionals interested in marine fisheries.

Description: A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to help cover the costs of airfare, lodging and per diem to attend the annual GCFI conference, with the remainder of the stipend to be used to cover the student’s discretionary research‐related expenses.

Eligibility Requirements: Applicants for this award must be currently enrolled as a full time student and in good standing in a college or university degree program (bachelors, masters of PhD) in the wider Caribbean or in one of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico states (Mexico and the United States) or be a student enrolled full time and in good standing at any college or university and engaged in a research project in the Gulf of Mexico and wider Caribbean region. Only applicants with a biological, ecological, socioeconomics, management or aquaculture perspective in marine fisheries will be eligible to receive this award.

Documentation Required: An application letter from the student nominee that includes: student’s name, address, telephone number, e‐mail address, educational institution, department, degree level, a short description of current research in marine fisheries, involvement with marine fisheries topics/issues and related achievements, the reason for wanting to attend the GCFI conference (paper presentation, pertinent paper session, meet with a faculty member at another institution attending the meeting, etc.), statement of career goals in fishery science or management, and reasons why financial assistance is needed. Additional requirements are a vita, a confidential letter of endorsement from a faculty member from the applicant’s home institution/department, and an ABSTRACT of an oral or poster presentation submitted for the GCFI Conference. Note: to be eligible for this Scholarship, applicants must fill out the Abstract Submision Form located on the GCFI conference web page. Completed application with all supporting paperwork, including a copy of the abstract, must be sent to [email protected] and must be received by the Student Awards Committee by July 15, 2025.

Selection Criteria: Selection of the awardee by the GCFI Student Awards Committee will be based on a review and assessment of information submitted by applicants. Students will be notified of final selection decisions in early August.