John Merriner, Douglas Vaughan, and Joseph W. Smith
NOAA Beaufort Lab Oral Histories
Interviews with retired staff of NOAA Beaufort Lab, documenting their academic background, career path, research focus, and reflections on their work in the lab.
Molly Graham
Dr. John V. Merriner, originally from Winchester, Virginia, has dedicated his career to the field of fisheries. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Rutgers University in 1964. John pursued higher education at North Carolina State University, where he earned both his Master's degree in 1967 and his Ph.D. in Fisheries in 1973. From 1970 to 1982, John was employed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. In 1982, he joined the staff at the NMFS Beaufort Laboratory, taking on the role of Fisheries Division Chief. John's tenure at the lab lasted until his retirement from the NMFS in 2005. Dr. Douglas S. Vaughan, who was born in Biddeford, Maine, and raised in various locations in the northeast US, has devoted his career to oceanography and fisheries. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire in 1968. Continuing his academic journey, Douglas earned a Master's degree in statistics from Penn State in 1970, followed by a Ph.D. in oceanography and fisheries from the University of Rhode Island in 1977. From 1977 to 1982, Douglas was employed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where he conducted research and contributed to advancements in his field. In 1982, he joined the staff at the NMFS Beaufort Laboratory, taking on the role of supervisor of the Menhaden Population Dynamics Team. Douglas dedicated almost three decades to the lab and retired from the NMFS in 2011. Joseph W. Smith, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has made significant contributions to the field of marine science and biology. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in biology from St. Joseph University in 1975. Joseph pursued higher education at William and Mary, where he earned his Master's degree in marine science in 1980. From 1979 to 1983, Joseph was employed at the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, where he gained valuable experience in the field. In 1983, he joined the Menhaden Program at the Beaufort Laboratory, where he dedicated over three decades to the research and management of menhaden and other important fish species. Joseph retired from the NMFS in 2015.
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