SIUC’s oldest and perhaps best-known research centers marked their 50th anniversaries in 2000.

Long before ecology became a household word, the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and the Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center (originally the Cooperative Fisheries Research Laboratory) were doing innovative ecological research. 

From bobwhite quail to salmon, bobcats to sharks—scientists and students at SIUC have studied them, measured them, weighed them, tracked them, assessed their health, delved into their genetic makeup, and worked to conserve them. Whether for bringing the Florida Key deer back from the brink of extinction, for advancing the state of the art in aquaculture, for alerting authorities to heavy-metal contamination at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, or for any number of other contributions, both centers are nationally renowned.

Both also are committed to graduate education. They award master’s and doctoral degrees through the Department of Zoology, and together they count nearly 500 graduates. In addition, hundreds of undergraduates in zoology have specialized in wildlife or fisheries management.

The work of the Wildlife Lab and the Fisheries Center is funded by grants from government, industry, foundations, and private resource groups. Natural resource agencies and other organizations seek the expertise of these research centers in solving problems. Graduate students, staff, and faculty work together to find answers, often influencing public policy and wildlife management in the state and region.

Both research centers have won many national honors. Most recently, the Wildlife Lab received the highest award bestowed on organizations by The Wildlife Society, an international conservation group, and three doctoral students in fisheries snared prestigious awards from the American Fisheries Society.

Wildlife research emphases include:

• management of game and non-game wildlife,
• mined land reclamation for fish and wildlife habitat,
• habitat use and population ecology of wildlife species,
• effects of diseases on wildlife,
• ecotoxicology.

• management of sport fisheries,
• aquaculture (fish farming),
• aquatic ecology and habitat use,
• river habitat restoration projects,
• fish genetics.

From Wastelands to Wetlands: Mined Land Reclamation

Farming with Fins: Aquaculture

Sentinel Species: Wildlife Toxicology

Rescue Mission: Saving an Endangered Species

Fall 2000 Contents | Perspectives Home | SIUC Home

Comments: Perspectives Webmaster
Copyright © 2000, Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University | Privacy Policy