Garth L. Fletcher

Garth L. Fletcher obtained his B.S. degree in zoology from the University of British Columbia, and the Ph.D. degree in biological sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where his primary focus was on physiology. His first professional position was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. He started his lifelong career studying many aspects of fish biology. In the early 1970’s, he joined the faculty of the Ocean Sciences Centre of Memorial University, and for the last 25 years he has been conducting basic and applied research on fish antifreeze proteins and transgenic fish. In the course of his research, Dr. Fletcher has been involved in the study of all aspects of antifreeze proteins: structure, function, molecular biology, physiology, fisheries oceanography, and transgenic fish with the overall goal of elucidating their mechanisms of action, functional significance, and evolution in cold-temperate and polar teleost fish species. In collaboration with Dr. Choy Hew, Dr. Fletcher pioneered and patented the development of transgenic salmon with improved freeze resistance and accelerated growth rates. Dr. Fletcher and Dr. Hew were also instrumental in getting the transgenic technology licensed by their respective universities to a start-up biotechnology company, A/F Protein Inc. (now Aqua Bounty Technologies) based in Waltham, Mass, USA. Dr. Fletcher is currently a Professor Emeritus at the Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he continues to supervise students studying antifreeze proteins and transgenic salmon.

Biography Updated on 22 July 2008

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