Martin Burkenroad
| M. D. Burkenroad | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 20, 1910 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Died | January 12, 1986 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Carcinology, fisheries science |
Martin David Burkenroad (March 20, 1910 – January 12, 1986) was an American marine biologist. He specialized in decapod crustaceans and fisheries science.
Burkenroad was born in New Orleans in 1910 as the only child of a coffee importer and his artist wife. His family contained many eccentrics, and Martin was similarly labeled "headstrong". He entered Tulane University in 1926, but although he published his first papers during that time, his studies ended when he was "'encouraged' to leave" in 1929. He then began working for the Carnegie Marine Biological Laboratory in the Dry Tortugas, before joining the Louisiana Department of Conservation in 1931, where he studied the local shrimp fishery. After brief spells at several museums, he joined Yale University under the guidance of A. E. Parr. Burkenroad spent many productive years at Yale, where the usual time limit for research for a dissertation was permanently waived for him, but he never submitted a dissertation.
Burkenroad left Yale in 1945 and was married to Marianne soon after. He became the chief biologist of the North Carolina Survey of Marine Fisheries, but fell out with his superiors, and so moved to Port Aransas to work at the marine facilities of the University of Texas. This was followed by what Burkenroad considered to be his most meaningful position, as a consultant on shrimp fishery to the governments of Panama and Costa Rica. Following a burst dam, however, Burkenroad's attempts to build a shrimp farm were thwarted. In the 1960s, Burkenroad and his family returned to New Orleans, where he worked in association with Tulane University. From 1978, he was affiliated with the San Diego Natural History Museum.
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