InStream Fisheries Research was founded by Don McCubbing. After completing his Masters Degree at the University of London, Don began his fisheries career in the United Kingdom working for the Environment Agency in Cumbria, England.
Don immigrated to Canada in 1997 with the goal of starting his own fisheries consulting firm. His vision was for a business that focused on using creative methods and technologies to improve understand and management of salmonid populations. InStream Fisheries Research’s first project was on the Keogh River, which continues today as the world’s longest-running Steelhead Trout dataset. Over the next 18 years, Don built IFR into a leader in fish enumeration. Don was passionate about fish and he worked tirelessly to develop creative methods to manage and conserve salmon. He had a magnetic personality and built relationships with like-minded people from all sectors including government, industry, and First Nations. His strong moral code and vision of environmental sustainability was an example to all who knew him.
Late in 2014 Don was diagnosed with cancer. Like everything in his life, he approached it with grace and optimism. After a courageous fight, Don left us on September 11, 2015. His passion, knowledge, ethics, and creativity in fisheries research and sustainable management lives on in the countless projects he developed and the people he mentored during his 30-year career. He is sorely missed.