It is with deep sadness that the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and its staff share the news of the passing of Dr. William “Bill” Bayliff in his sleep on 11 September, 2020, a passing befitting his gentle and quiet nature. He had just turned 92 and before having to retire completely and definitively for health reasons only two years ago, he had completed 60 years of uninterrupted work in the Commission, becoming its institutional and human memory, in addition to his valuable and constant contribution to the functioning of the organization. All his colleagues and friends mourn this loss and will continue to miss him deeply. Bill was well-respected and beloved by his friends and colleagues at the IATTC and around the world. Prior to coming to the Commission, Bill worked for the Oregon Fish Commission and the Washington Department of Fisheries, received his Master’s degree from the University of Washington in 1954 and his draft notice immediately thereafter. With his typical understatement, Bill described his military service as: “After basic training, I found myself on a troop ship headed for Korea – the fighting was over by then, so I just did what I was told to do. Then, I found myself on another troopship back to the USA.”

He joined the Commission in 1958 tagging anchoveta in Panama. He turned these studies into a PhD from the University of Washington in 1965 and earned the W.F. Thompson Award from the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists for the best student publication that same year. This was the beginning of a long and passionate involvement in the AIFRB. As a Member, Fellow, and then Emeritus Fellow, Bill was active in the organization, serving as the editor of the AIFRB Briefs and documenting the history of the organization and biographies of the 26 Founding Fellows, Bill was honored with the Distinguished Service Award in both 2003 and 2013 and his contributions no doubt played a part in the IATTC receiving AIFRB’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2014. Another passion of Bill’s was his participation at the annual Lake Arrowhead Tuna Conference. Again, he compiled a comprehensive history of the Tuna Conference since its inception in 1949.

As the leader of the IATTC’s Tuna Tagging Program, his field work and his publications gained him international recognition: his tagging and life history studies of anchoveta, his numerous papers and bibliographies on tuna tagging, his studies and FAO synopsis on Pacific bluefin tuna, his papers on fishing capacity, his annual tuna fishery reports to fishermen publications, and his review of the history and description of the IATTC (lists of these publications can be found on the IATTC website, which, not surprisingly, were also compiled by Bill).

Bill also served as the Scientific Editor for all the IATTC publications. He came to this naturally because of his appreciation for good writing and his love of libraries. His edits were legendary. He usually made copious comments, turning manuscripts into concise, accurate, and unambiguous scientific papers. He did this without ego and with self-deprecating humor. What was important to him was communicating our science well.

Bill became an Emeritus Scientist in 2003, but he never really retired. His curiosity and sense of purpose would not let him. Even after he stopped coming into his office at the age of 90, he still carried our institutional knowledge and he still communicated with the staff about projects he was interested in. Bill’s serene and kind presence will be greatly missed by his colleagues but his legacy and spirit will live on through all of the Commission’s publications and the standard of excellence his research laid down for future researchers.