It is with deep sadness that we mourn for the passing away of Emeritus Professor Brian MORTON on March 28, 2021 in his sleep, at the age of 78. We honour the memory of Professor Morton in many aspects, be it his relentless commitment in founding the Swire Marine Laboratory (later renamed as the Swire Institute of Marine Science) 3 decades ago, or his significant contributions in teaching and research in marine biology as well as in pioneering the marine environmental conservation in Hong Kong. He had served HKU for almost 34 years and was appointed Professor Emeritus of Marine Ecology on retirement.
For his many achievements, he was made a Life Fellow of the Pacific Science Association (1993) and elected to the Global 500 by UNEP in recognition of his contributions to Pacific marine science and conservation, respectively. In 1997, he was invested as Knight (Ridder) in the Order of the Golden Ark, The Netherlands, in 1999 invested OBE, the UK, for contributions to conservation and marine science, respectively, and was the recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Gold Medal in 2004 and Doctor of Science of The University of Hong Kong in 2014.
We honour the memory of Professor Morton for his lifetime dedication to the research in local marine fauna and flora. He will be dearly missed by all whose lives he touched, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family.