John is the former Science and Research Director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA. He retired from NOAA in 2017 after 36 years. John was also an affiliate faculty member in the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences and served as the Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel.
John grew up in the Skagit Valley and enjoyed many hours fishing for salmon on the Skagit River with his father. His parents lived on the river for several years while operating a boat dock with nearly 50 boats at Edgewater Park. As a high school and college student, John had many summer jobs in the valley’s rich agriculture sector. John and his wife, Christie, own and operate RiverSong Farm, a fully certified organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business. RiverSong Farm has offered fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and a sense of community to families in the area for more than 20 years.
John continues to work tirelessly to conserve and protect the Skagit Valley and to look for opportunities to further the vital mission of the Skagit Watershed Council.
