John F. Storr
Dr. John Frederick (Jack) Storr (1915–1993) was a Canadian marine biologist, oceanographer and limnologist. He taught at the University of Miami and, from 1959 until his retirement, at the University of Buffalo. Storr carried out extensive research in Florida, the Bahamas, as well as research in the Finger Lakes in New York and in the Gulf of Mexico. He was an avid proponent of underwater photography and produced a television series called "Survival in the Sea" from his footage, which aired on stations across the United States.[1]
Early life
Storr was born in Ontario, Canada on 15 August 1915.[2] He obtained a bachelor of arts degree from Queen's University in Kingston in 1942 followed by a masters of arts in physiology from Columbia University in New York in 1947 and a Ph.D in marine ecology and oceanography from Cornell University in 1955.[3][4]
Career
Storr was an assistant professor at the University of Miami for 3 years.[3] He researched reef zonation in the Bahamas.[3] He also carried out a study of sponge ecology for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.[3][5] He was also the director of the Adelphi College Bahamian Biological Expedition.[6][7]
In Florida and the Bahamas, he pursued underwater photography and videography.[6][3] Between 1957 and 1959,[3] Storr amassed 3,500-4000 hours of underwater footage in the Bahamas.[1][8] He turned the footage into a 12 part television series called "Survival in the Sea" that aired across the country,[1][3] and was still being aired in 1966.[9] The show was made for the National Education and Television Center.[10]
Storr also presented an episode of Bold Journey called "Coral Reef".[3]
In 1959, Storr was appointed an assistant professor of biology at the State University of New York at Buffalo (also known as the University of Buffalo).[1][6] In 1968, he was hired by Rochester Gas and Electric to carry out ecological tests on Lake Ontario potentially affected by the Ginna Power Plant.[11]
Death
Storr died in Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas on 18 August 1993.[12] He was 78. He was survived by his wife Rhoda,[12] whom he had married in 1942,[13] and one son.[12]
Publications
- Storr, John F., Patricia J. Hadden-Carter, Julian M. Myers, and A. Garry Smythe. “Dispersion of Rock Bass along the South Shore of Lake Ontario.” Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 112, no. 5 (1983): 618–28.
- Storr, John F., Alexander L. Costa, and David A. Prawel. “Effects of Temperature on Calcium Deposition in the Hard-Shell Clam, Mercenaria Mercenaria.” Journal of Thermal Biology 7, no. 1 (1982): 57–61.
- Storr, John F. “Tagging Yellow Perch in Lake Ontario.” Underwater Naturalist 11, no. 1 (1978): 8.
- Storr JF. Ecological factors controlling sponge distribution in the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting zonation. In: Harrison FW, ed. Aspects of sponge biology. New York, NY: Academic Press; 1976. pp. 261–276.
- Storr JF. Ecology and Oceanography of the Coral-Reef Tract, Abaco Island, Bahamas. Geological Society of America. Boulder, Colorado. 1964. Library of Congress catalog no. 64-66221.
- Storr JF. Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Sponges and its Relation to the Fishery. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; 1964. Special Scientific Report—Fisheries no. 466.
- Storr, John F. "Delta structures in the New York Finger Lakes and their relation to the effects of currents on sediment distribution and aquatic organisms." Proceedings 1962 Conference on Great Lakes Research. International Association for Great Lakes Research. pp. 129–138
- Gans C, Storr JF. Comparative anatomy atlas. New York, NY: Academic Press; 1962. Library of Congress catalog no. 62-18532.
- Storr JF. The Sponge Industry of Florida. Marine Laboratory, University of Miami; 1957.
References
- ^ a b c d "UB Prof Finds Adventure in 3500 Hours under Sea". The Buffalo News. 18 April 1959. pp. B1. Retrieved 8 February 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Entry for John Frederick Storr, son of Alice S Twigge and John Storr". Family Search. Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Plans Formulated for Exciting Panel Program". Springville Journal. Springville, New York. September 23, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 8 February 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Bulletin of the University of Miami: General Announcement for the Academic Year. The University. 1955. p. 43.
JOHN F. STORR, 1955, Research Assistant Professor, Marine Laboratory. A.Β., 1942, Queen's University; A.M., 1947, Columbia; Ph.D., 1955, Cornell.
- ^ "Summer Sponge Fungus Called Temporary". Tampa Bay Times. 5 Oct 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 8 February 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Underwater Explorer is Women's Club Speaker". The Hamburg Sun and the Erie County Independent. Hamburg, New York. 29 October 1959. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Submarine Photographers Plan Turtleburger Meals". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. NANA. 7 June 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Schuler, Dick (8 Jan 1963). "Big Water-Pumping Sponge Oceanographer's 'Old Friend': Unfolding Sea Pastures to Fish Hobbyists, Dr. Storr Warns of Damage by Speedboats". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 7 Feb 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "WCBB Program Highlights". Biddeford-Saco Journal. Biddeford, Maine. 7 May 1966. pp. TV4. Retrieved 8 Feb 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Robert (14 July 1959). "Series to Explore Sea's Mysteries". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. p. 8. Retrieved 9 February 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Half page ad by Rochester Electric & Gas". The Times-Union. Jan 19, 1972. pp. 3C. Retrieved 7 Feb 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries". Abaconian. Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. November 1993. p. 12.
- ^ "Rhoda Gordon Weds John Frederick Storr". The Evening Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. 1942-08-17. p. 5. Retrieved 8 February 2026 – via newspapers.com.
External links
- JF Storr Articles at Google Scholar
- Life at Salt Point: Salt Water Ecology. (Short film) Coronet Instructional Media. Chicago. 1978.