THE A.G. HUNTSMAN AWARD was established in 1980 by the Canadian marine science community to recognize excellence of research and outstanding contributions to marine sciences. It is presented by the Royal Society of Canada. The award honours marine scientists of any nationality who have had and continue to have a significant influence on the course of marine scientific thought. The Award is named in honour of Archibald Gowanlock Huntsman (1883– 1973), a pioneer Canadian oceanographer and fishery biologist.
The A.G. Huntsman Award was established through principal contributions from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Additional endowment was granted by the LiFT Family Fund through Gift Funds Canada. The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia is Honorary Patron of the A.G. Huntsman Award. |
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - 2024
The deadline for submission of a Letter-of-intent is April 2, 2024.
Please see the Nomination page for details.
Please see the Nomination page for details.
2023 AWARD CEREMONY
November 2, 2023, Government House
View citation and photographs
View citation and photographs
Front (L-R)
- Dr. Michael Follows, 2023 Huntsman Laureate - His Honour The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, KC, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia - Dr. Julia Wright, Royal Society of Canada Back (L-R) - Dr. Zoe Finkel, Dalhousie University - Dr. Alice Ortmann, A.G. Huntsman Foundation - Dr. Mary-Lynn Dickson, Bedford Institute of Oceanography |
The photograph on the website header shows the CSS Hudson in Scott Inlet, Baffin Island, on September 6, 1977. The cliffs in the background are 300 or more metres high. In the fall of 1976, Bedford Institute of Oceanography scientists had observed an oil slick off the Inlet but because of ice conditions at the time they were unable to locate its source or to determine its extent. So in 1977 and again in 1978, CSS Hudson returned to measure the background levels of petroleum residues in the eastern Arctic and also to investigate the geology of the Baffin Island shelf. Together, the chemical and geological studies demonstrated that the slick at Scott Inlet is the result of natural seepage of petroleum from the walls and bottom of the submarine trough that cuts across the continental shelf in this area. This image of CSS Hudson appears on the Huntsman Medal. Photograph by Roger Belanger.