DFC President 2008 to 2009
Treasurer 2013-current
Program Secretary 2004-2007
Stewart got his start in 1969 under the mentorship of Al Castro at Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, when, at the ripe age of 13, he walked in the backdoor and volunteered to clean fish tanks (including Devil’s Hole Pupfish). In 1972 he moved on for a stint at West Berlin Aquarium before entering U.C. Berkeley. From 1979-1985 Stewart worked on neotropical freshwater fishes as a research associate with Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos in Venezuela, earning his M.S. with Jamie Thomerson at Southern Illinois University in 1986. There he met Holli Hanalei and set off for the University of Hawaii where he received his Ph.D. with Richard Young working on mesopelagic fishes. In 1997 he ended up back in the West to work on native fishes as a conservation biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In 2004, Stewart established Western Fishes, which specializes in the biology and stewardship of western fishes. His current research includes numerous projects on the conservation biology and biogeography of native fishes, the systematics and conservation of western lampreys, control of non-native species, and promoting stream stewardship in rural communities. A life member of the Desert Fishes Council, Stewart served as Area Coordinator for Oregon/northern California and as Program Secretary (2004-2007).