Max Mayfield was born on September 19, 1948, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. He began his career with the National Weather Service in 1972 and held various positions within the organization before becoming the director of the National Hurricane Center in 2000. Mayfield pursued further education at Florida State University, obtaining a Master of Science degree in Meteorology. During his tenure, he provided expertise and guidance during numerous significant hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Michael Landa was born in Cuba in 1949 and immigrated to the United States in 1957 at the age of eight. Settling near the Miami River in Miami, Florida, Landa developed an early interest in fishing despite having no family background in the industry. By 1974, he began his career as a commercial fisherman, initially focusing on crawfishing. In 1982, he acquired his own boat and expanded his fishing activities to include ballyhoo and hook-and-line fishing.

Dr. Steve Turner was born on May 23, 1949 in Providence, Rhode Island. He began working in 1974 at what was then the Mid Atlantic Fisheries Science Center at the Sandy Hook lab which was merged into the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. He received his PhD from Rutgers University in 1986. He moved to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center from 1984, and is currently the Fisheries Statistics Division Chief at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami.

Professor Chirayath grew up in Southern California with a passion for NASA's mission and space exploration. In 2003, a sophomore in high school, he modified a consumer digital camera and telescope to successfully detect an extra-solar planet, 150 light years away, roughly twice the size of Jupiter. Since then, his research interests have relied on the intersection of multiple disciplines, including aeronautics, astrophysics, earth sciences, engineering, and optics.  

Wan Ho was born in Canton, China, in 1952. He moved to the United States in 1974 at the age of 22, initially residing in New York. He began his career in the seafood industry working for a dealer in New York, where he conducted research on conch meat, also known as whelk, and facilitated its export to China. In 2010, Wan transitioned to the lobster industry, establishing connections with commercial fishermen in Florida. By 2011, he founded his own business, focusing on exporting live spiny lobsters and golden crabs to China.