Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Fish Named in Honor of Whitman Professor

In the shadowy depths of the eastern Pacific Ocean, more than 13,000 feet beneath the surface, scientists recently discovered a new species of snailfish. Soft-bodied and large-headed, this deep-sea dweller is part of a remarkable family of fish adapted to thrive where very few others can. This desert bloom was named Careproctus yanceyi, after a man whose life’s work has illuminated the mysteries of the deep, Paul Yancey, the Carl E. Peterson Endowed Chair of Sciences, Emeritus, at Whitman College.

The honor was formally announced in a paper published in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology, co-authored by a team of marine biologists including Whitman alum Mackenzie Gerringer ’12. 

“Working with him gave me the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge deep-sea research from land-locked Walla Walla, Washington, to go to sea for the first time, and to further develop my expertise and passion for deep-sea systems,” Gerringer says. “It is a privilege to name this species in his honor, in gratitude for his generous mentorship and support and in recognition of his significant contributions to our understanding of life in the deep oceans.”

Jeffrey Drazen, one of the paper’s co-authors, adds, “His work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of deep-sea animal adaptation to high pressure. I am so happy we can name one of these abyssal fishes in his honor.”  

“I am blown away by this incredible honor of having this new deep-sea fish species named after me by Mackenzie,” Yancey says. “I am profoundly grateful to her—and for the 40 years of opportunities I had at Whitman to work with and mentor so many wonderful students.”

An Ambassador of the Deep

Yancey has spent decades exploring how animals survive in the ocean’s most extreme environments. 

The decision to name Careproctus yanceyi after Yancey came as a tribute to his trailblazing contributions to deep-sea life science. Indeed, Yancey’s career has been defined by scientific inquiry. He has authored 94 peer-reviewed publications, led more than a dozen oceanic research expeditions, and given talks across five continents, from Botswana to Belgium, Brazil to New Zealand. His fieldwork has spanned the deep Pacific trenches to the icy waters offshore Antarctica. 

“He was a fearless researcher,” says Heidi Dobson, Chair of the Whitman College Biology Department. “He let his curiosity lead him in his investigations, which took him on ground-breaking explorations of deep-sea life and its associated physiological adaptations.”

Among Yancey’s most influential findings was the discovery that deep-sea animals produce protective molecules called osmolytes—especially trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)—to stabilize their proteins and survive the crushing pressures of the deep.  

Yancey’s work also caught the attention of medical researchers and led to a visiting research position at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, where he collaborated on kidney osmotic research, bridging marine biology and human physiology.

Honoring a Mentor, Scientist & Explorer

Professor Yancey is loved by his students and colleagues alike for his unique personality and his caring scientific mentorship. Known for wearing themed T-shirts that matched the topic of the day’s lecture, he brought a sense of fun and approachability to his teaching. 

As Dobson recalls, “Upon returning from the two-week field trip of his marine biology course to the Friday Harbor Labs, he would bring back a collection of live saltwater organisms that would fill two large aquaria in the Biology Department and would entertain everyone in the department, as well as draw people from the community to come see them.”

Yancey co-authored research papers with over 70 undergraduates. He helped train generations of scientists, not just through lab work, but by taking students with him to national and international research conferences. One of those students was Gerringer, who later led the research team that described Careproctus yanceyi. Now an Associate Professor at SUNY Geneseo, she says, “The experiences and opportunities that Paul Yancey has provided in classes, field trips and in the lab have been truly transformative for so many of us at Whitman.”

Several former students credit Yancey’s mentorship with shaping their scientific careers. Amber Fyfe-Johnson ’99, now a Clinical Epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at Washington State University, says he nurtured her curiosity and stood by her during difficult times. “The best mentors go beyond the traditional intellectual metrics of science and view mentoring as a collaboration,” she says. “This collaboration requires content expertise, intellectual agility and also an enormous heart. Paul embodies all of these characteristics, not because he is looking for affirmation or recognition, but because it is who he is as a human being.”

That same care and rigor defined his work with countless others. Carrie Laxson ’11, now at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, says, “Dr. Yancey’s hands-on approach to undergraduate research was pivotal in shaping my career.” The experience of working with him in the field and in the lab laid the foundation for her current work in comparative anatomy and physiology. “Most importantly,” she adds, “his contagious passion ignited my own enduring love for ... the thrill of unraveling scientific mysteries.” 

Abbey Dias ’20, who now works at the Bodega Marine Laboratory, remembers how he not only answered every question she had, but also encouraged her to write a research proposal of her own. “His belief in me as a young scientist inspired me to pursue graduate school,” she says, “and now I get to pass on his teachings to the students I mentor.”

Yancey also helped shape Whitman’s Biology Department itself. As Dobson notes, “Paul had a big impact. When he was hired in the early 1980s, he modernized the department—and really the sciences overall—by requesting a computer and setting a high bar in research expectations.” Over the years, he gathered data on student demand and enrollment to help justify new facilities, faculty hires and staff support. “He was a strong advocate for science at Whitman,” Dobson adds, “and the strength of the division today is in many ways attributed to the foundation that Paul laid down during his 35 years as a faculty member at Whitman.”

Marine Biology at Whitman

Today’s Whitman students interested in marine biology can pursue either a Biology major, which is flexibly designed to allow students to shape their academic paths around individual scientific interests, or the Oceanography 3-2 program, where students spend three years at Whitman and two years at the University of Washington, earning dual Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. During their time at Whitman, students can build a strong foundation in marine biology through coursework, field experiences and independent research.

One of the most distinctive opportunities for marine-focused students is the Helen Hawkes Thompson Student Research Grant, awarded to students with a demonstrated interest in marine biology. The grant funds summer research at Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL), a premier marine field station operated by the University of Washington in the Salish Sea. Renowned for its contributions to marine biology, oceanography and fisheries science, FHL offers immersive, hands-on learning in a coastal environment rich in biodiversity. The grant was established by Whitman alum Helen Hawkes Thompson ’44 to support internships at a distinguished marine biology institute. Friday Harbor Labs became the natural choice for this partnership, thanks in part to the long-standing relationship fostered by Yancey, whose marine biology course often connected students with research opportunities there.

“Other opportunities include studying abroad for one semester in one of our Off-Campus Studies programs that focus on marine biology, some of which include field research,” says Dobson. Additionally, students regularly pursue summer internships at marine institutes, with guidance and support from Whitman’s Career and Community Engagement Center.

In the meantime, Careproctus yanceyi glides quietly across the deep Pacific seafloor, a living legacy of a man who helped generations of students not only see into the depths of the ocean but also envision their own careers of research and curiosity.

“I am so proud that Mackenzie has become an innovative researcher and teacher of deep-sea biology,” Yancey says. “Her discoveries, including this new species, remind us all about the urgent need to protect Earth’s increasingly fragile marine ecosystems and how much we have yet to learn about them.”

Learn more about student research opportunities at Whitman.