Dear all,

It is with great sorrow that I have to inform you that Malcolm Clarke passed away last Friday due to heart failure. He rests in Pico Island (Azores, Portugal), where he and his wife Dot made residence many years ago.

Most of us understand the great loss for science that Malcolm’s passing represents. It is difficult for a marine mammalogist not to have come across his work from time to time. But Malcolm was not only an accomplished marine mammalogist but also a prolific researcher and well known in the fields of teuthology and parasitology. But perhaps only the lucky ones who had the opportunity to spend some time with him will fathom the great loss of a human being this also represents.

Malcolm was an achiever. He never stopped working and having new ideas. He was passionate about his work and about life.

He was a great teacher; his workshops on cephalopod beak identification are a testimony to that, but his teaching dimension went far above that. I learned much about how to think and act in science just by conversing with Malcolm and listening to his stories.

Malcolm was also a hands-on scientist. He spent a good deal of time in Antarctica as a whaling inspector, dissected countless animals, invented new ways to probe deep in the specimens and take the most of them. He worked all over the World, carrying out research in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban & Port Elizabeth), Indonesia, Australia (Perth & Melbourne), New Zealand, USA (Florida & Hawaii), France, Portugal (Madeira & Azores), Spain (Canary Islands), Denmark, Faroe Islands and Norway. Even when his age and post meant he could just tell other people what to do; he didn’t shy of diving in a full whale dissection or to go out to the sea in a small skiff. He was happy as a child when handling a gooey Haliphron atlanticus, as I’ve seen him doing at sea because he was unable to wait until we were back on land.

The stories are endless; one that comes to mind right now took place in 1998, when Malcolm was 68 years old. We were out at sea trying to put satellite tags on sperm whales. Malcolm was present as a consultant but he didn’t rest until he jumped in the small inflatable kayak and rowed towards the whales with two other colleagues. Back in the boat I didn’t rest until they came back and Malcolm was safe and sound. But the grin on his face was worth every second of my despair. It wasn’t his nature to just be there watching everything from the boat; he had to be part of it… even with a triple bypass.

His hands-on approach meant that he had a deep knowledge of the anatomy, physiology and biology of his study subjects. That and his brilliant and ever inquisitive mind made him a great theorist. Malcolm became one of those rare biologists who creates new theories and lines of thought.

Malcolm and Dot Married in 1958 and had four children. His work brought Malcolm and Dot to the Azores and I believe the land and people made them stay. They made home in Pico Island and instead of laying back and resting, sipping tea on a stretcher and watching whales from the comfort of his backyard (which has the most amazing view over a stretch of ocean where sperm whales often come close to land), Malcolm embarked in one of his greatest challenges. In his own words, he “planned, designed and constructed all the exhibits for my own museum on the biology of spermaceti whales and their cephalopod food. This museum has been open since 2003”.

That was done against all odds. Politicians offered their support, the merit of the idea was recognized and even the place was announced publicly: an old whaling factory in Pico. But these were pie-crust promises and soon were broken. Malcolm had a type of stubbornness that is called perseverance. Instead of giving up, Malcolm and Dot built a museum with their own hands, from the foundation to the ceiling, laying bricks at the same time they planned and developed the exhibit; literally all the exhibit contents were created by them, from the small pump-activated contraption from which you can feel the smell of ambergris, to the life-sized depiction of a pregnant sperm whale, not forgetting the anatomically correct, life-sized stuffed cephalopods cut and sewn by Dot.

All along, Malcolm kept publishing. He left over 150 research contributions plus being editor of several books. He worked to the last day of his life.

My apologies, but I have to stop here; Oh Malcolm, we will miss you.

Rui Prieto

Curriculum Vitae

Malcolm R.Clarke

Born 1930 in UK. Married 1958 4 children.

Education.

1979. D.Sc. Marine Zoology. Hull University, UK.

1959. Ph.D. Parasites of Marine Mammals. Hull

University,

1955. B.Sc. Special. 2 i Zoology. Hull University.

Career

1987-2013 Independent research (unpaid).

1972-1987. Marine Biological Association of the UK,

Plymouth, UK Principal Scientific Officer

and later Senior Principal Scientific

Officer (Merit)

1958-1972. National Institute of Oceanography,

Wormley, Surrey. Scientific officer and later Principal Scientific

Officer.

1954-1955 Government Whaling Inspector in Antarctic.

1950-1951 Teacher in a Secondary Modern School in Scunthorpe

1948-1950 National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Honours.

1981. Elected to Fellowship of The Royal Society, UK.

1989-2005. Visiting Professor. Liverpool

University ,

1990-2011. Visiting scholar. University of

the Azores, Portugal.

1993-1997 Leverhulme Research Fellow. Research on cetacean

physiology and anatomy.

2001-2003 Visiting Professor. National Institute of

Atmospheric and Water Research, New

Zealand.

2003 Visiting Professor, Kaichung University, Taiwan.

Research has included

1. many aspects of the biology of cephalopods including their taxonomy, vertical and horizontal distribution, swimming, buoyancy, growth,

2. evolution and palaeontology of cephalopods.

3. study of the buoyancy control and the sound production, conduction and control in spermaceti whales.

4. dietary studies of many species of fish, birds, seals and cetaceans

5. calculations of biomass of cephalopods

6. development of new sampling gear and methods for

catching and studying cephalopods including new trawls and

the use of lights on trawls.

Publications.

Over 150 research contributions (mostly papers in international, refereed journals) and contributions to books. List attached.

Editor or joint editor of 6 books including

1.'The identification of cephalopod beaks.'

Oxford U.P,

2.'Cephalopod Paleontology and Neontology.'

eds. Clarke & Truman. Vol 12, The Mollusca. Ed. Wilbur,

3.'Physiology ' eds. Truman & Clarke. Vol 9 The Mollusca. Ed. Wilbur,

4. 'Cephalopod Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.' eds. Roeleveld, Lipinski &Clarke. South African Journal of Fisheries. Special vol.

5.'Identification of Cephalopod paralarva'

Smithsonian special Vol.,

6.'Deep Oceans'

eds Herring & Clarke. Wiedenfeld &

Nicholsen

Field experience.

8 months served on a Whaling Factory Ship as a British Govt. whaling inspector and biologist and a total of over 6 years on various research ships including over 30 cruises as chief Scientist.

Committees served on.

Royal Society, National and International Committees concerned with deep sea research, global fisheries and research vessel design.

Secretary for 6 years and President for 3 years and life member of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council.

Consultant.

Advice and service in the field has been provided on cetaceans and cephalopods for video productions by

The National Geographic Society, USA.

The BBC, UK.

Discovery Channel. USA

The Open University, UK.

Pitcairn Productions, USA

Windfall Films Ltd. London

Talks.

Public talks are occasionally given. Most recent were on 'Giant squids' 'In search of oceanic squids.' 'The importance of statoliths in the interpretation of coleoid evolution.' ‘Sperm whale buoyancy’and ‘Sound production and control in pigmy sperm whales.’. They were given in London, Berlin, Taiwan and Thailand

Workshops and training courses.

Three workshops have been organised on ‘”Identification of cephalopod beaks”. Many post docs have been trained individually or in classes on the same subject

Supervision.

A number of Ph.D. students at Liverpool, Bangor, Aberdeen, Cambridge, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Canadian Universities as well as one D.Sc candidate have been supervised or examined.

Work Abroad.

Research has been carried out in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban & Port Elizabeth), Indonesia, Australia (Perth & Melbourne), New Zealand, USA (Florida & Hawaii), France, Portugal (Madeira & Azores), Spain (Canary Islands), Denmark, Faroe Islands, Norway

Training.

Post doctoral students and some doctoral students of Universities of England, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Australia and the USA have been personally trained in cephalopod and cephalopod beak identification.

Editorial activities

I have served on the editorial board of 'Arquipelago' and referee several papers each year for other international journals.

Museum experience.

I have worked in the London,, Washington (Smithsonian), Los Angeles, Melbourne (Australia), Wellington (N.Z.), Taipei (Taiwan), Tokyo, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (South Africa) Museums and have examined the methods of exhibition in those as well as in Berlin, Paris and Santa Barbara Museums.

From that experience I planned, designed and constructed all the exhibits for my own museum on the biology of spermaceti whales and their cephalopod food. This museum has been open since 2003.