As someone who grew up exploring the natural environment, including catching minnows, tadpoles, and crayfish in the local creeks and bringing them home for his aquarium, one could say a career in aquatics was always in the cards for Robert.
Robert Eakins, Senior Fisheries Ecologist.
He went to college to study fish and wildlife, where he quickly realized that he wanted to pursue his passion for fisheries, and began his career with the Salmonid Ecology Unit at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).
Following a brief contract with MNR, he joined Beak International, one of the first environmental consulting firms in Canada. There, he began in the toxicology lab, running bioassays and participating in aquatic fieldwork. In 2004, along with other former Beak International employees, he became part of the founding team at Ecometrix.
Today, he works at Ecometrix as a Senior Fisheries Ecologist, helping clients on projects ranging from transferring freshwater fish to a new habitat to developing and implementing a biological monitoring program to support remediation efforts.
“One of the things I’m proud of is the number of long-term clients I’ve served over periods spanning 20 or 30 years,” Rob says. “You’re often doing work for them that they must pass along to regulators, boards, or the public. When your work meets their needs and satisfies their commitments and requirements; their job is easier.” As Rob says, “the value is not all about dollars.”
Robert in the field.
Throughout his experience at Ecometrix, Rob mentions how he’s had the opportunity to work abroad in countries like Peru and Panama, and shares that his expertise has seen him employ Environmental Intelligence™ in almost every province in Canada. For him, the ability to work in a diverse range of geographies or environments is a true highlight of consulting.
A pet project that Rob works on alongside his client work is the development and maintenance of the Ontario Freshwater Fishes Life History Database. It's a project he started in 1999 when he began to compile basic life history information for Ontario’s freshwater fish into a database and has been regularly updating it and adding information ever since.
Today, the database features information compiled from over 200 sources, including books, peer-reviewed scientific papers, and online sources, as well as unpublished data collected over the course of Rob’s career. It has become a well-known and reputable resource among fisheries professionals and the public.
For those looking to join the team of experts at Ecometrix, Robert shares how there’s an opportunity to be exposed to a variety of different disciplines. “You’re not going to be constrained to one thing. We have a variety of work, and there’ll be opportunities to be involved in a lot of different things,” he says. “And at a more senior level, you can develop your own client base and work.”
Read more about the freshwater fish database
The Ontario Freshwater Fishes Life History Database is known as “the online resource for Ontario’s fisheries professionals.” Find out more about it.
