It is with shock and great sadness that we heard of the sudden passing of our distinguished colleague and friend, Professor Patrice Francour, at the age of 59, from pancreatic cancer against which he courageously fought till the end. During his whole life, he worked to protect the seas and the oceans, especially the Mediterranean Sea, which was so dear to him. Born in Paris in 1960, Patrice Francour studied marine biology and ecology at Paris VI University. For his master’s degree internship (DEA) in 1984, he went to Marseille to study the fauna of the Posidonia oceanica meadows with Prof. C.F. Boudouresque’s team. A few years later (1990), he completed his PhD at the Banyuls-sur-Mer Marine Station, under the dual auspices of Paris VI University and Aix-Marseille II University. His PhD thesis was centered on the study of the dynamics of the Posidonia oceanica ecosystem in the Port-Cros National Park. He focused his research on quantifying the biomass variations of the different compartments of this ecosystem in order to develop the modeling of its trophic functioning. Subsequently (1994–1995), he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Portobello Marine Laboratory, in New Zealand, collaborating with Prof. E. Harvey and his associates…

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