Dr. Hiroaki Saito (right) and PICES Science Board Chair, Dr. Vera Trainer (left)

Awards on YouTube at the Opening Ceremony, PICES-2020 Virtual Meeting
2021 PICES Press
Awards on PICES-2020 Presentations

At the 2020 PICES Virtual Annual Meeting in Victoria, Canada, it was announced that Dr. Hiroaki Saito (The University of Tokyo, Japan) was the recipient of the 20^th Wooster Award.

The presentation ceremony took place virtually on October 26, 2020 in Victoria, BC, Canada Time, during the Opening Session at PICES-2020 and was conducted by Drs. Chul Park (PICES Chair) and Vera Trainer (PICES Science Board Chair). Dr. Vera Trainer introduced the Wooster Award and read the following citation.

In 2000, PICES Governing Council approved an award named in honour of Professor Warren S. Wooster, a principal founder and the first Chairman of PICES, and a world-renowned researcher and statesman in the area of climate variability and fisheries production. The criteria for selection are sustained excellence in research, teaching, administration or a combination of the three in the area of North Pacific marine science. Special consideration is given to individuals who have worked in integrating the disciplines of marine science, and preference is given to individuals who were or are currently actively involved in PICES activities. Please join me in congratulating the recipient of the 2020 Wooster Award, Dr. Hiroaki Saito.

Dr. Hiroaki Saito graduated from Tohoku University in 1986 and started his scientific career at Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Agency studying squid in the Western North Pacific. In 1990, he moved to the Biological Oceanography Section and started biological and ecological studies of copepods. In 2001, he moved to Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute and later in 2014 he joined the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute at the prestigious University of Tokyo as a Professor.

Armed with his intellectual and his acquired life skills, Hiroaki has shown strong leadership in several national and international scientific programs. Below is a list of the many projects that Hiroaki has been involved in as a member and as a leader.

• BIOCOSMOS project (1990-1998)
• Co-Founder, A-line Monitoring, Oyashio Region (1990-)
• Subarctic Gyre Experiment (SAGE) (1997-2002)
• VENFISH northwestern Pacific (1998-2002)
• Core Member, SEEDS (2001-2004)
• Projec t Leader, Deep -S ea Ecosystem and Exploitation (DEEP) (2002-2006)
• Project Leader, Population Outbreak of Marine Life (POMAL) (2007-2012)
• Leader, Study of Kuroshio Ecosystem Dynamic for Sustainable Fisheries (SKED) (2011-2021)

Dr. Hiroaki Saito also has worked tirelessly for several professional organizations. Most notably IGBP/SCOR, IMBER, CLIVAR, Science Council of Japan, and, of course, PICES. He served terms as a member of the Science Steering Committee of IGBP/SCOR IMBER. He was on the Editorial Board of the journals Progress in Oceanography (2003- 2010), Plankton and Benthos Research (2005-2011), Fisheries Oceanography (2007-2013) and Journal of Oceanography (2011-2019). Currently, Dr. Saito sits on the editorial board of Frontiers in Marine Science (since 2014). Throughout this journey, he has interacted with fellow scientists, such as Ian Perry...

Read full citation in 2021 PICES Press.

I am really honored to receive such a prestigious award. I have no idea how you were able to get my photos and comments from my family members. I am so surprised. Anyway, I am very happy to receive the PICES Wooster Award. I learned a lot from PICES activities by discussing with my friends working with Secretariat members, Science Board, FUTURE SSC, and other Expert Group members. PICES has especially taught me how to be a good scientist, and how to contribute to a society as a natural scientist. It is very unfortunate that I cannot not thank all of you directly, but through Zoom, I want to provide a message of acknowledgement to everyone. Thank you very much.