In Memoriam of the Ichthyologist Saulius Stakėnas

Abstract

‘In Memoriam of Ichthyologist and Scientist Saulius Stakėnas’ presents a scientific biography of the ichthyologist Saulius Stakėnas, doctor of biomedical sciences. Dr Saulius Stakėnas was born in Vilnius on 6 November 1971. He studied biology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Vilnius University and pursued his scientific career at the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University (presently the Nature Research Centre). In 2002, Saulius successfully defended his doctoral dissertation ‘Habitat Selection Strategy of 0+ Fish in the Rivers of Lithuania’. In 2004–2005, he was building his career as a researcher at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) in the United Kingdom (under the EU programme Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions). After traineeship, Saulius took the position of a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Ecology and Physiology of Hydrobionts, Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, and later the position of a senior researcher at the Nature Research Centre. Dr Saulius Stakėnas deserves to be named the pioneer in the application of the telemetry method for fish migration in Lithuania and an expert of the management and restoration of the stocks of European eel, Atlantic salmon, sea trout, and Atlantic sturgeon in the country. His scientific career encompassed a broad range of activities, including scientific supervision of master and doctoral students and participation in multiple national and international projects; he authored or co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed research articles and wrote multiple popular science publications. The community of the Nature Research Centre lost their colleague Dr Saulius Stakėnas on 16 November 2021.