Garth I. Murphy; Ichthyologist Helped Protect Fish Species
Garth Ivor Murphy, 78, Scripps Institution of Oceanography ichthyologist who obtained early moratoriums on the commercial fishing of Pacific sardines and mackerel, died Saturday in Woodland, Calif., near Sacramento, of heart failure.
Murphy studied the mysterious decline of sardines and other species after joining Scripps in 1959 as its first full-time coordinator of California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations. His discoveries and insistence on controls to prevent overfishing revolutionized fisheries management to consider environmental factors and harvest levels.
After earning degrees from UC Berkeley, Murphy became the first person to earn a doctorate from Scripps in 1965. He joined the La Jolla-based institute after serving in France during World War II and working for the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife office.
Murphy later taught oceanography at the University of Hawaii and worked in fisheries research for Australia and Japan.
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