Dr. Vadim Dimitrievitch Vladykov

August 2012

Vadim Dimitrievitch Vladykov was born in Kharov, Ukraine on March 18, 1898. Vladykov became a biology student and graduated from Charles University in Prague in 1925 with a major in zoology and a minor in anthropology.

Vladykov arrived in Canada in 1930 and began work as an assistant scientist at the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, at the time the leading federal research organization on fisheries and aquaculture studies. In 1936, Vladykov became a Canadian citizen.

After moving to Canada, Vladykov worked with the Laboratoire de Zoologie at the Université de Montréal as a professor of ichthyology (the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish). Under the direction of Dr. Arthur Labrie, Assistant Minister of Fisheries, Vladykov helped plan and build the Aquarium du Québec, which today has nearly 10,000 specimens of freshwater and saltwater marine life.

In 1958, Vladykov joined the University of Ottawa as a professor where he stayed until his retirement in 1973. After his retirement, Dr. Vladykov was named a Professor Emeritus. Vladykov also served as a fisheries expert and contributed significant collections of fish that were given to the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa. Vladykov was later appointed Research Associate at the National Museum of Natural Sciences.

Vladykov was named a honourary member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, received a Doctor of Laws from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a D. Sc. honoris causa degree from the University of Ottawa. In 1963 he was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Dr. Vladykov’s academic career was unparalleled in terms of literary output. During his career of more than 60 years, he published roughly 290 academic papers and contributed in a significant manner to ichthyology and to fish biology in Canada.

Dr. Vladykov passed away on January 15, 1986, at 87 years old.

In August 2012 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the Canadian Coast Guard named and dedicated the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Vladykov in the name of Dr. Vadim Dimitrievitch Vladykov. The CCGS Vladykov is a highly maneouverable and versatile fishery research platform used for oceanographic, shellfish, pelagic and groundfish research. The vessel has the latest in electronic, satellite and terrestrial radiocommunications technologies.

Works Cited

McAllister, Don E. “Vadim Dimitrievitch Vladykov: Life of an Ichthyologist,” in Environmental Biology of Fishes (23: 1988), pp. 9-20.

News Release:

B-NL-12-09E