Dr. Robert J. Behnke (December 30, 1929 – September 13, 2013) was an American fisheries biologist and conservationist who was recognized as a world authority on the classification of salmonid fishes.

[6] Upon leaving the military in 1954, Behnke attended the University of Connecticut and earned a Bachelor's degree in zoology, graduating with honors in 1957.

[6] He earned Master’s and Doctorate degrees in ichthyology from the University of California Berkeley,[7] where he studied under noted conservationist Starker Leopold.

[10] Dr. Behnke is also widely credited with influencing generations of fish biologists and conservationists while serving on faculty at Colorado State University.

[11] In 2006, Dr. Behnke donated over 60 boxes of personal papers and project research to the Bud Lilly Trout and Salmonid Collection at the Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library[12] of Montana State University Library in Bozeman, Montana.

[13] In 2007, Dr. Behnke along with others endowed the "Robert J. Behnke – Rocky Mountain Flycasters Research Fellowship" to provide opportunities for Colorado State University graduate students to study fisheries related to the restoration of native greenback cutthroat trout in Colorado.