John Ney inducted into Fisheries Management Hall of Excellence

John Ney, of Blacksburg, professor of fisheries and wildlife science at Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources, was inducted into the Fisheries Management Hall of Excellence by the American Fisheries Society at an awards ceremony recently in Madison, Wis.

The award recognizes fisheries management professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of fisheries management throughout their careers. Inductees are memorialized at the AK-SAR-BEN Aquarium in Gretna, Neb., for display and viewing by the public.

Ney teaches and researches the ecology of fishes, trophic dynamics, reservoir management, and impact assessment.

Ney said: "My goal was to be a regional fish biologist and splash around the Wisconsin waters, like my mentor, with whom I used to tag along as a kid. But I ended up getting a Ph.D. at Minnesota and then the state said I was overqualified to be a regional biologist. So I feel particularly honored to receive this award that normally goes to field workers as I had once aspired."

Ney received his bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech consistently ranks among the top five programs of its kind in the nation. Faculty members stress both the technical and human elements of natural resources and instill in students a sense of stewardship and land-use ethics. Areas of studies include environmental resource management, fisheries and wildlife sciences, forestry, geospatial and environmental analysis, natural resource recreation, urban forestry, wood science and forest products, geography, and international development.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become among the largest universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.