INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

My interests in fish started around the time of GCE exams when sitting with a fishing rod seemed more attractive than revision. Despite this I passed a few exams and ended up with a degree, at the same time coming to the conclusion that there were easier ways to catch fish, involving nets and electricity, than angling.

My early career was spent in a variety of sexual positions, generally involving numbers of hormonally challenged coarse fish and their eventual progeny. All this took place on a sewage treatment works in Rotherham – I lived on site in the delightfully named ‘No3 Water Pollution Cottage - always gets a laugh that one. Sadly re-organisation and a lack of management support meant re-location to York, joining the other piscatorially challenged scientists chopping up fish, visiting fish farms and splashing about in rivers.

Fast forward to the present day and having survived numerous re-organisations, name changes and even BRITE, have now achieved best ever job of Fisheries Scientist in Head Office team, working for the legendary Miran Aprahamian. Along the way acquired job of IFM Careers Officer, and have now re-entered fishing circles but have graduated to salmon and sea trout fishing (well, to be accurate fishing in rivers known to be frequented by salmon and sea trout… yet to get one on the hook). And through all this time, followed the most successful team in British football (oh yes they are) and spent a most pleasurable evening recently watching the Reds give the so-called mighty AC Milan a 3 goal start and still winning the 5th (that’s FIFTH, Man U fans) European Cup.