He is professor emeritus of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town, where he is the director of the Marine Resource Assessment and Management (MARAM) research group.
Butterworth attended the Western Province Preparatory School in Cape Town,[1] and he matriculated from nearby Bishops Diocesan College in 1963.
He returned to Cape Town in 1977 to work in applied mathematics for the Sea Fisheries Branch, unable to find a job in physics.
[3] The approach was subsequently applied to calculate annual catch targets for South African hake, sardine, anchovy, and rock lobster,[6] and it spread beyond South Africa: Butterworth has advised at least 12 other countries, as well as fishing industry associations and international bodies (among them the scientific committees of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).
[4] In October 2008, President Kgalema Motlanthe admitted him to the Order of Mapungubwe,[7] granting him the award in silver for, "His excellent contribution to the betterment of the environment and sustainability of fisheries.