David Cushing facts for kids

David Henry Cushing (1920-2008) was an amazing English scientist who studied fish. He was a "Fellow of the Royal Society," which is a really big honor for scientists. He's famous for creating the match/mismatch hypothesis. This idea helps explain why the number of fish in the ocean changes, especially because of how the climate changes. David Cushing was also the first to show how too much fishing can make fish numbers drop, like what happened with the herring in the North Sea.

David Cushing's Early Life

David Cushing was born in Alnwick, England. His dad was an English teacher, and his mom was a nurse. David loved nature and wanted to be a naturalist. His dad wanted him to be a diplomat, and his mom hoped he would become a doctor. David found a way to combine these interests by studying fisheries biology and management.

He also served in the British military. He was in the Royal Artillery from 1940 to 1945 and the Royal Fusiliers from 1945 to 1946. David married Diana Antona-Traversi in 1943. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

David Cushing's Career in Science

David Cushing went to Duke's School and the Royal Grammar School for his early education. He earned his PhD in 1950 from Balliol College at Oxford University. His special research for his PhD was about how tiny water creatures called zooplankton move up and down in the water.

After getting his PhD, Cushing mostly worked for government groups in Great Britain that looked after fishing. For most of his career, from 1946 to 1980, he worked for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). At CEFAS, he was a scientific officer, a deputy director, and the head of fish population dynamics. This last job let him focus on what makes fish populations change and how to manage fishing properly.

Cushing also worked closely with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). He was on important committees that gave advice on fisheries management and marine pollution. He also led the biology committee and was in charge of the group studying herring.

One of the most important jobs Cushing had was being the first editor of the Journal of Plankton Research. He held this position from 1979 to 2001.

How David Cushing Helped Understand Fish Populations

Using Sound to Find Fish

During World War II, sound technology got much better. It was used to find enemy ships and things underwater. After the war, scientists realized this "acoustic detection" could help them count fish. Cushing studied how sound waves bounce off fish and come back.

He and his team also figured out that they could tell what kind of fish a large group was just by using very precise sound signals. This was a big step for studying fish without catching them all.

The Match/Mismatch Hypothesis

David Cushing came up with the match/mismatch hypothesis because he saw that the number of new fish joining a population changed a lot each year. This idea looks at how the timing of tiny plant blooms in the ocean affects fish.

What are Phytoplankton and Zooplankton?

Imagine a food chain in the ocean. Tiny plants called phytoplankton are at the very bottom. They grow in huge numbers, like a "bloom," when conditions are right. These phytoplankton are the main food for tiny animals called zooplankton.

How Does This Affect Fish?

Most baby fish, called larvae, eat phytoplankton and zooplankton. So, if there are lots of phytoplankton, there will be lots of zooplankton, and then the baby fish will have plenty to eat. This helps more baby fish grow up and join the adult fish population.

The "Match" and "Mismatch"

Cushing noticed that the climate, especially temperature, can change when and where these plant blooms happen.

• A "match" happens when the plankton bloom appears just before the fish larvae hatch. This means the baby fish have a huge buffet waiting for them, so more of them survive and grow.
• A "mismatch" happens when the plankton bloom is too early, too late, or there isn't enough plankton. If this happens, the baby fish don't have enough to eat, and fewer of them survive. This means fewer new fish join the population.

Why is This Idea Important?

The match/mismatch hypothesis is very important for understanding how climate change affects fish. It helps scientists and people who manage fishing understand why fish numbers go up and down. If we can predict these changes, we can avoid over-exploitation (fishing too much) and make sure we only catch fish at levels that the ocean can handle. This helps keep fish populations healthy for the future.

David Cushing's Books

David Cushing wrote several important books about marine life and fishing:

• Marine Ecology and Fisheries (1970)
• Climate and Fisheries (1982)
• The Provident Sea (1988)
• Population Production and Regulation in the Sea: a Fisheries Perspective (1995)
• He also wrote a key paper called "Plankton production and year-class strength in fish populations: an update of the match/mismatch hypothesis" (1990) in a science journal.