This award is named after George D. Holton who was the first president of the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and spent 30 years with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as Chief Fisheries Biologist and Assistant Fisheries Division Administrator.  Shortly after retiring from MFWP George compiled—A Field Guide to Montana Fishes, which was published by the department.  Later, he and Dr. Howard Johnson produced a 2^nd edition, and we are now using the 3^rd edition.

To honor his legacy of working on the fishes of Montana, MTAFS established an Outstanding Fishery Professional Award in his name.

Since 1985, MTAFS has been bestowing this honor on peer-nominated, fishery scientists who are excelling in their fields. (see Past Recipients)

For more information or to apply, please see the main awards page.