James Bohnsack was born on September 3, 1947 in Flint, Michigan. He began working at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in 1984 as a research fishery biologist. At the time of this interview in 2016, he was the Division Chief at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, a position he has held since 2004.

Born in 1926, Ray Fritz grew up in Detroit, Michigan and attended Michigan State College. He graduated in 1953 with a Bachelors in Biology and Zoology. He began his career with the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries as a biologist at the Woods Hole Lab in 1956. During his time in Woods Hole, he spent time at-sea on the R/V Albatross III and R/V Albatross IV. He served as Chief Scientist on both vessels. In the late 1960's, he moved to Headquarters in Washington where he worked with the Federal Aid Program and served as Chief of Law Enforcement for National Marine Fisheries Service. Mr.

Phillip Levin was born in Champaign, IL in 1962. He studied at the University of Texas receiving his Bachelor's in Zoology. During college, a fish class led to his interest in marine biology and field work. After teaching marine science at a San Antonio high school, he attended the University of New Hampshire where he received his PhD in Zoology. He then was an Assistant Professor at Texas A & M before he joined NOAA Fisheries at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in 1999 as a Research Fisheries Biologist.

David Packer received his undergraduate degree in zoology from Ohio State University. He started to become interested in marine biology and received his Master’s degree from the University of Maine in 1988. He is the editor of Essential Fish Habitat and studies deep sea corals.

Interview contains discussions of: Grain size analysis, dump site project, deep sea corals, benthic communities, EFH, species source documents, stock assessment, and ecosystem based management, Gulf of Maine deep sea coral, research cooperation between NOAA line offices.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Dr. Seki received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon- Eugene, his M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and his PhD in Marine Environment and Resources from Hokkaido University Graduate School of Fisheries Science in Hakodate. He began working with at the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center in 1980. He is currently the Science Center Director.

Interview contains discussions of: Seabirds, high seas drift nets, satellite technology, seamounts, long line fisheries, swordfish, tuna, JIMAR.

Heeny Yuen was born in 1926 in Hawaii. After leaving the Army, he completed his bachelors degree at the University of Michigan. He then returned to Hawaii and began a career in fisheries management at the Honolulu Lab while a graduate student. His first job was as a plankton picker. Over his long career, Heeny‘s research focus was varied with his later work focusing primarily on tuna and shark. He participated in numerous research cruises throughout his career over the vast Pacific territory. He retired in 1991 and as of this interview still lives in Hawaii.

Dr. Rusty Brainard began work for NOAA on the first day he graduated from Texas A&M University in May of 1981. Shortly thereafter he was assigned as Station Chief for the Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Change Station at the South Pole, Antarctica. From 1984-2002, he was based at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey, California studying

Patricia Gerrior was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and grew up in Weymouth, Massachusetts where she would spend time on the water with her father which led to her interest in marine science. She studied Biology at Colby College in Waterville, Maine and began her 40 year career during her junior year in college with the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries which became NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.

Jason Link is Senior Scientist for Ecosystem-based Management for the National Marine Fisheries Service, still sitting at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole. Dr. Link earned his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Central Michigan University. He then received his Ph.D. from Michigan Technological University. He began his career with NOAA NMFS at the Pascagoula Lab before moving to the Woods Hole Lab.

Dr. Rohinee Paranjpye was born in Pune, India in 1955 and has been working at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center as a microbiologist since 1979. As part of a microbiology product quality and safety team, she helped improve the safety and marketability of fishery products by identifying hazards in seafood. She also researches the role of abiotic and biotic environmental factors on the presence of marine pathogens in order to develop improved risk assessment tools for early warning systems. Rohinee has a B.S. in Chemistry from India, a B.S.