{{Short description|Australian marine biologist (1930–2024)}} {{use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} {{use Australian English|date=November 2024}} {{For |the Australian theatre manager|Frank Talbot (theatre)}} '''Frank Hamilton Talbot''', {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (3 January 1930 – 15 October 2024) was a South-African-born Australian ichthyologist and marine biologist. He was former director of the Australian Museum and the only Australian to have become director of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. His research and his work at the institutions he led have had a lasting impact on science, academia, and public education, and the Lizard Island Research Station, founded by him in 1973, continues his work. He has had two species of fish named after him, and the Australian Museum holds the annual Talbot Oration in his honour.
==Early life and education== Frank Hamilton Talbot was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on 3 January 1930.<ref name=encyc>{{cite web |title=Talbot, Frank Hamilton (1930-)| website=Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation |publisher=Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation |date=20 June 2022 |url=https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007015b.htm |access-date=10 November 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241110045202/https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007015b.htm| archive-date=10 Nov 2024| url-status=live}}<!---consulted this source before updated with death date---></ref>
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg in 1949, followed by an MSc at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1951.<ref name=encyc/> In 1959 he earned a PhD at UCT.<ref name=encyc/><ref name=smhobit/>
==Career== In 1952 he was appointed a demonstrator at Kings College at the University of Durham in the UK, before moving to Zanzibar in 1954 to take up a position with the British Colonial Service as a fisheries scientist.<ref name=encyc/>
From 1959 (when he earned his PhD) until 1962 he worked as a marine Biologist at the South African Museum in Cape Town, before being promoted to the position of assistant director of the museum.<ref name=encyc/>
In 1964 he moved with his family to Australia, taking up the position of Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney. In 1965, he was appointed director of the museum, a position he held for 10 years<ref name=encyc/> from 1966,<ref name=amobit/> following the retirement of Gilbert Whitley.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-721116753/view?sectionId=nla.obj-726168535&partId=nla.obj-721140324#page/n10/mode/1up| title= Mr. Gilbert Whitley retires from museum |journal =Fisheries Newsletter |publisher= Fisheries Branch, Department of Primary Industry (Commonwealth Government)| volume= 23 |issue = 9 |date=September 1964|place= Canberra }}</ref> Under his leadership, the museum became a world leader in biodiversity, natural history, and conservation education. Under his guidance first the One Tree Island Research Station at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, and then the Lizard Island Research Station at the northern end, were established<ref name=smhobit>{{cite web |title=Professor Frank Talbot marine biologist obituary |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=17 October 2024 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/marine-biologist-raised-alarm-bells-over-climate-impact-on-coral-reefs-20241017-p5kj1z.html |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> (around 1965<ref>{{cite web |title=One Tree Island |website=The University of Sydney |date=21 June 2023 |url=https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-facilities/one-tree-island.html |access-date=11 November 2024}}</ref> and in 1973 respectively<ref name=amobit/>).
In 1968 he created a new Department of Environmental Studies at the museum. In the same year, he helped to establish the National Photographic Index of Birds project.<ref name=amhist>{{cite web |title=Dr Frank Hamilton Talbot, Director 1966-1975 |website=The Australian Museum |date=30 May 2022 |url=https://australian.museum/about/history/people/dr-frank-hamilton-talbot-director-1966-1975/ |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> In 1972, he founded The Australian Museum Society (TAMS), which continues as the Australian Museum Members program, for members of the general public to learn more and be involved in the museum's activities.<ref name=smhobit/><ref name=amobit/> He recruited top scientists, and, thanks to greater government funding, the staff doubled in number to 150.<ref name=amhist/>
After resigning from the museum in June 1975,<ref name=amhist/> Talbot became the foundation professor of environmental studies at Macquarie University in Sydney.<ref name=encyc/>
In 1982 he moved countries again, taking up the position of director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, United States, where he stayed until 1989, when he was appointed director of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.<ref name=encyc/><ref name=amobit/> (the first and as of 2024 only Australian to do so<ref name=smhobit/><ref name=amobit/>). Upon completing his term in 1994, he was appointed emeritus director of the museum.<ref name=encyc/>
In 1995, Talbot was appointed adjunct professor at the Graduate School of the Environment, Macquarie University.<ref name=encyc/>
He played a key role in the establishment of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS),<ref name=simsobit/> a partnership among four Sydney universities, in 2005,<ref name=about>{{cite web |title=About |website=SIMS - Sydney Institute of Marine Science |date=14 January 2019 |url=https://sims.org.au/about/ |access-date=13 November 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003011157/https://sims.org.au/about/| archive-date= 3 Oct 2024| url-status=live}}</ref> and in February 2006 was appointed founding chair. He worked full-time in this position until his retirement on 31 December 2009, just before his 80th birthday, but continued as a board member.<ref name=simsobit>{{cite web |last=Banchik |first=Aliah |title=Remembering Vale Professor Frank Talbot AM SIMS |website=SIMS - Sydney Institute of Marine Science |date=21 October 2024 |url=https://sims.org.au/remembering-professor-frank-talbot/ |access-date=13 November 2024}}</ref>
==Research== Talbot's research was world-renowned. He was a pioneer in the research in coral reef ecosystems, adding greatly to global understanding, including the urgent need for its protection and conservation. His groundbreaking research on coral reefs in the Red Sea and across the Indo-Pacific brought worldwide attention to these environments, in a time before there was widespread awareness of climate change and marine conservation.<ref name=smhobit/>
In 1970 he was involved in a significant environmental survey of Lord Howe Island, which included scientists from the Australian Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the CSIRO.<ref name=amhist/>
In 1971 he joined NASA's Tektite II program, in which a group of "Aquanauts" lived in an underwater capsule on the seabed of the Virgin Islands for over two weeks. The scientists researched fish activity and monitored the effects of living in the confined space.<ref name=amhist/>
==Personal life and death== Talbot was married for 70 years to Sue Talbot (died 2020), a marine scientist. They were survived by their daughter and three sons.<ref name=smhobit/><ref name=amobit/>
Frank Talbot died on 15 October 2024, at the age of 94.<ref name=amobit>{{cite web |title=Vale Professor Frank Talbot AM |website=The Australian Museum |date=16 October 2024 |url=https://australian.museum/blog/at-the-museum/vale-frank-talbot/ |access-date=11 November 2024}}</ref> Many scientists paid tribute to his friendship and achievements, including science journalist and president emeritus of the Australian Museum Trustees Robyn Williams; scientist Tim Flannery; Des Griffin, who succeeded Talbot as director of the museum; and Australian Museum chief scientist and director of AMRI, Kris Helgen.<ref name=smhobit/><ref name=amobit/>
The Australian Museum wrote on their website: "Professor Talbot was a visionary whose contributions to both academia and public education have left an enduring legacy." The current director of the museum wrote: "Frank was a legend in the international museum and science world and has provided inspiration and a model for how museums can play a vital role dealing with issues like climate change and ocean warming". President of the museum trust, Brian Hartzer, wrote that his legacy would "live on through the countless lives he touched, the ecosystems he worked to preserve, and the institutions he helped transform".<ref name=amobit/>
==Legacy== The Australian Museum holds the Talbot Oration each year, so named to honour his legacy.<ref name=amobit/> The inaugural oration was given in June 2021 by Tim Flannery, whose address was titled "The Climate Cure".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Climate Cure: The inaugural Talbot Oration |website=The Australian Museum |date=20 July 2021 |url=https://australian.museum/blog/at-the-museum/talbot-oration-2021/ |access-date=16 November 2024}}</ref>
At least four species of fish were named in honour of Talbot: *''Stanulus talboti'' (Talbot's blenny), named in 1968<ref>{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/blenniiformes2/ | title = Order BLENNIIFORMES: Family BLENNIIDAE | work = The ETYFish Project: Fish Name Etymology Database |access-date=10 November 2024 | date = 29 Sep 2024 |first= Christopher |last=Scharpf|edition =v. 13.0}}</ref> * ''Chrysiptera talboti'' (Talbot's Damsel)<ref>{{cite web |title=Chrysiptera talboti |author= Bray, D.J. |date= 2023| website= Fishes of Australia |url=https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/343#moreinfo |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> * ''Dermatopsoides talboti'' <small>Cohen 1966</small><ref name = ETYFish1>{{cite web | url = http://www.etyfish.org/ophidiiformes2/ | title = Order OPHIDIIFORMES: Families BYTHITIDAE and DINEMATICHTHYIDAE | access-date= 6 February 2025 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 22 September 2018}}</ref>
* ''Apogon talboti'' <small>Smith 1961</small><ref name = ETYFish2>{{cite web | url = http://www.etyfish.org/kurtiformes/ | title = Order KURTIFORMES (Nurseryfishes and Cardinalfishes) | access-date= 6 February 2025 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 22 September 2018}}</ref>
==Recognition and awards== * 1972: Elected Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales<ref name=encyc/> * 1985: Fellow, California Academy of Sciences<ref name=encyc/> * 1988: Fellow, International Association of Biological Oceanographers<!---assume it is this? https://iabo.org/---><ref name=encyc/> * 2005: Honorary Life Member, Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA)<ref name=encyc/> * 2012: Member of the Order of Australia (AM), for service to environmental protection through the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, to coral reef research, to museum development and management, and to international scientific organisations<ref name=encyc/> * 2016: Lifetime Achievement Award, Australian Museum Research Institute<ref name=encyc/><ref>{{cite web |title=Reef researcher Frank Talbot |website=Council of Australasian Museum Directors |date=10 July 2016 |url=https://camd.org.au/reef-researcher-frank-talbot/ |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>
==Other activities== Talbot also held various positions on boards and committees, including:<ref name=encyc/> * 1968-1969: Chair, New South Wales Scientific Committee on Parks and Wildlife * 1968-1974: Member, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service Advisory Committee * 1969-1980: Member, Taronga Zoo board * 1971-1972: President, AMSA * 1972-1979: Member, Sydney Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board * 1973-1974: President, Museums Association of Australia * 1975-2005: Member, AMSA * 1976-1978: Member of Council, Great Barrier Reef Committee * 1976-1980: Chair, Coral Reef Committee, International Association of Biological Oceanographers * 1980-1982: Chair, Taronga Zoo board * 1996-2004: Trustee, World Wildlife Fund (Australia) * 2006-2009: Founding chair, Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS)<ref name=smhobit/><ref name=simsobit/>
==Publications== Talbot co-authored and co-edited several books, including:<ref name=trove>{{cite web |title=Talbot, F. H. (Frank Hamilton) (1930-) |website=Trove |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/626992 |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> *''Characteristics of marine fish communities of the Great Barrier Reef region, and its implications for management'' (1979)<ref>{{Citation | author1=Talbot, F. H. (Frank Hamilton) | author2=Anderson, G. R. V | title=Characteristics of marine fish communities of the Great Barrier Reef region, and its implications for management | publication-date=1979 | publisher=Australian Museum | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/24018677 | access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> * ''Fishes of Tasmania'' (1983)<ref>{{Citation | title=Fishes of Tasmania / P.R. Last, E.O.G. Scott, F.H. Talbot | author1=Last, Peter R. (Peter Robert) | author2=Scott, E. O. G. (Eric Oswald Gale) | author3=Talbot, F. H. (Frank Hamilton) | author4=Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority | year=1983 | publisher=Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority | isbn=0724611436 | language=English | url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn880841 | access-date=10 November 2024 | via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> *''Coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses : a sourcebook for managers'' (2000)<ref>{{Citation | author1=Talbot, F. H. (Frank Hamilton) | author2=Wilkinson, Clive R | author3=Australian Institute of Marine Science | title=Coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses : a sourcebook for managers | publication-date=2000 | publisher=Australian Institute of Marine Science | isbn=978-0-642-32208-1}}</ref>
==Taxon described by him== *See :Category:Taxa named by Frank Hamilton Talbot
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Frank Hamilton}} Category:1930 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Australian curators Category:Australian marine biologists Category:Australian ichthyologists Category:South African emigrants to Australia Category:People from Pietermaritzburg