I have only just learned the news that Bernie had passed so please forgive me for the late entry. I worked with Bernie and the team at SMRU for ten years from January1984 At that time I was the technical department but mainly involved in the development of the burgeoning VHF tracking program. I worked closely with Bernie in the early days of developing VHF tags, direction finding and remote listening stations including the early Satellite tags. As has been said here by others, he was always ready to get fully involved and was an excellent problem solver. He had a great sense of humour and kept our spirits up during the often damp cold and wet days out in the field. He had this habit of humming the hymn “for those in peril on the sea” when things got a bit hairy out in the boats, I think mainly to wind me up as I was obviously uncomfortable in some of the situations that we found ourselves. A good friend and reliable guy to have around. I particularly remember one day at Seahouses where Bernie and myself were the only two left standing, the other two were sick…

Like so many of those who have joined SMRU over the years, I remember clearly that Bernie was one of the very first people to welcome me. In my case that was back in 2002 and he was playing the role of a cheery guide just showing candidates around the Unit and, of course, at the same time getting to know them while also helping to put them at their ease before their interviews. Fortunately, that worked out quite well for me and so a few months later Bernie then became both a friend and colleague. Naturally, over the years since then we ended up sharing no end of discussions, debates, events, off the wall ideas, stories, and jokes. No doubt for a long time to come many of us will keep catching ourselves waiting for some typical contribution from Bernie. We’ll just have to try to remember, especially at moments like those, he’d want people to smile and even for someone to make everybody laugh. Top photo: Bernie, back in 2017 and so once again helping lay the groundwork ahead of a big breakthrough, leading a new audience in a sea shanty at the big tenth anniversary celebration…

Bernie had that rare quality of always trying to see other people’s perspectives even when he disagreed with them. I think that willingness to step outside his own head made him such a creative person, not only in science but also in all other aspects of life. His poetry is legendary at the SOI, and he always managed to bring a smile to people’s faces. I learned a lot from him, be it in the field or during late evenings in the pub in Crail. It is difficult to fathom that we won’t see him at SMRU anymore, but his ideas and spirit will be with us for years to come. My condolences to his family and everyone else who was close to him….

Like I imagine many others, I will remember Bernie for being the life and soul of meetings, conferences, and parties – the person who knew everyone and welcomed everyone’s input and expertise (no matter whether a research assistant, professor or a neighbour), thriving in turning regular science meetings to these incredible brainstorms. He leaves huge shoes to fill in SMRU with his many talents, from botany to technology, to sniffing out details on Google Earth, to tackling numerical and statistical problems. Obviously, his many interests and passions were not limited work – from music to boat restoration with the Scottish Fisheries Museum (thanks to him I too got involved in painting the bunks of Reaper in Anstruther). Bernie’s role and influence as a mentor is something I can speak to about more personally. I probably wouldn’t be in SMRU if it wasn’t for him taking me under his wing, starting as a research assistant fresh out of the marine mammal masters. Years (even well over a decade) after working on projects with him, he would still be the one person in SMRU I would turn to in the hours of my greatest need. Though incredibly busy, he always made…