Professor E.K. Balon, the pioneering epigeneticist and ichthyologist f
rom the University of Guelph in Canada, was interviewed by Professor M
.N. Bruton of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology when they both
attended the VII European Ichthyological Congress in The Hague, in Au
gust 1991. The interview was continued at the University of Guelph, in
November 1992. The discussion provides revealing insights into the de
velopment of Professor Balon's innovative and thought-provoking ideas.