Robert S. Hooton was born and raised in the Vancouver area and spent all his school years there, including attending Simon Fraser University as a charter student. Entry into a career in fisheries came a year after graduation, and his career path took him from the East Kootenays to Victoria, then Nanaimo and on to Smithers before returning to Nanaimo. Steelhead and steelhead management dominated his professional and leisure pursuits. After 37 years of public service, Bob retired and eventually authored his first book, Skeena Steelhead: Unknown Past, Uncertain Future (Frank Amato Publications, 2012). Bob and his wife, Lori, live in Nanaimo, British Columbia.