John is the former Science and Research Director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA, and served as Scientist Emeritus with NOAA Fisheries from 2017 – 2019. The Center’s scientific responsibilities are for living marine resources (e.g., salmon, groundfish, and killer whales) and their habitats of the Pacific Northwest (e.g., salmon) and along the west coast (e.g., groundfish). The improved understanding of these resources and their ecosystems is used to support resource managers in making sound decisions that build sustainable fisheries, recover endangered and threatened species, and sustain healthy ecosystems and coastal economies. He has authored over 75 publications and is an affiliate faculty member in the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, where he also received his PhD. John currently serves as the Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel.
Entering into a second term on the Skagit Watershed Council’s Board of Directors is exciting for me as someone who grew up in Skagit Valley and enjoyed many hours with my father fishing for salmon on the Skagit River. My parents actually lived on the river for several years while operating a boat dock for nearly 50 boats at Edgewater Park. As a high school and college student I also had many summer jobs in the valley’s rich agriculture sector, and now assist my wife, Christie, in running RiverSong Farm. She has operated the fully certified organic farm for nearly 20 years providing Community-Supported Agriculture shares of produce, fruit, flowers and a sense of community to many families in the area. I joined Christie full time running the farm in January of 2017 after retiring from NOAA Fisheries and 37 years as a scientist. I look forward to working with all involved to conserve and protect what we have in the valley and to look for opportunities to further the vital mission of the Skagit Watershed Council.
