{"id":10294,"date":"2026-01-14T09:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/units.fisheries.org\/habitat\/?p=10294"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:53:54","slug":"in-memoriam-stan-moberly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/units.fisheries.org\/habitat\/in-memoriam-stan-moberly\/","title":{"rendered":"In Memoriam: Stan Moberly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We are deeply saddened to hear of the recent passing of Stan Moberly, a wonderful colleague, friend, and inspiration. Stan was a very active member of our Section and AFS, and his life and career touched countless people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stan passed away peacefully in Tucson, Arizona on December 6, 2025, with family surrounding \u2013 he will be dearly missed.  Stan lived with his wife of 35 years, Linda Perine, in Tenakee Springs, Alaska; they spent the winters traveling in their Fifth-wheel trailer and visiting friends up and down the West Coast, staying ahead of any cold weather.  He enjoyed riding eBikes with his \u201cbiker gang\u201d (their motto: \u201cBorn to Be Mild\u201d), reminiscing about and sharing stories of fishing, meeting new people and socializing in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stan worked as director of marketing and assistant to the President for\/with his good friend, Keith Jefferts, at Northwest Marine Technologies (NMT).  There, he\/NMT helped researchers, businesses and government Agencies worldwide solve their various problems with marking and studying aquatic species for research and management.  That was a natural progression from Stan\u2019s work for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, where he retired as the Director of the Fisheries Rehabilitation and Enhancement (F.R.E.D.) Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stan was always deeply engaged with other professionals in fisheries issues. He joined the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in 1964 – he served as president of both the Alaska Chapter (1979-1980) and Western Division (1983-1984), and eventually served as President of AFS (1987-1988).  He was a persistent and tireless advocate of protecting fisheries habitat, and worked both on and with numerous committees and commissions \u2013 nationally and internationally – including on the Board of the National Wildlife Federation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stan\u2019s 20+ years of effort, leadership, and vision helped to establish the National Fish Habitat Partnership, an amalgamation of 20 regional groups into a fish habitat partnership, overlapping all 50 states, working diligently to enhance, conserve, and restore fish habitats.  He was also a founder of F.I.S.H. (Fishermen involved in Saving Habitat).  Stan received many recognitions and awards and appointments along the way. In 1992 he received AFS\u2019s Carl. R. Sullivan Award, recognizing his leadership in focusing public attention on the need to protect and enhance aquatic resources.  The penultimate award was receiving the inaugural \u201cStanley A. Moberly Award for Outstanding Contributions in Fish Habitat Conservation<\/a>\u201d in 2019.  The award is presented annually to an individual who has achieved significant success in fish habitat advances through research, policy, management, education, project implementation, vision, communications and\/or outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not bad for a Kansas Boy, born in Elkhart and raised in Oberlin.  Stan graduated with a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Kansas State University. He started his career with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.  In 1970, Stan moved with his then-wife, Janet Moberly, and their young son, Michael (Anchorage, Alaska, with his wife, Rebecca Hozubin, and daughter, Charleigh), to Alaska in 1970 to work in \u201cThe Last Frontier.\u201d  Another son, Matthew (Kalamazoo, Michigan, with his wife, Debra St. Aubin), was born to them in Juneau in 1976.  After \u2018early retirement\u2019 from the State of Alaska in 1988, Stan moved to Seattle, Washington, to work for NMT.  That is where he met Linda – they married on February 13, 1991, 3 years to the day after they\u2019d met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stan\u2019s work and advocacy took he and Linda around the world and introduced them to innumerable other professionals, many of whom became colleagues and good friends.  These friendships \u2013 spanning from the United States, to Australia, Asia and Europe – endure to this day.  While he will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and those fortunate enough to have met him, he should be remembered by the happy memories and fishing trips and tales he shared with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will miss you, Stan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is a message from Stan’s son, Michael, and a copy of Stan’s contribution to Lessons in Leadership<\/em>. If you wish to send condolences or share memories, please feel free to share them here<\/a> and we will pass them along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AFS played a large part in Dad\u2019s life, and he was proud and felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to contribute as he did.  He was especially proud to have received the Sully<\/em>, and could not have asked for a better recognition than the creation of his namesake award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are planning a small gathering in Tenakee Springs this summer to celebrate his life and spread his ashes at a special spot in Kadashan Bay (across Tenakee Inlet in the picture).<\/p>\n– Michael A. Moberly, Stan’s son<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n