Long Island Soundkeeper
Bill works for the regional non-profit “Save the Sound” as the Long Island Soundkeeper advocating for water quality and fisheries. A native of CT, Bill holds a graduate certificate in fisheries management from the University of Oregon and a B.S. in fisheries biology from the University of Vermont. After college he joined the US Peace Corps as a fisheries extensionist in Central America. From there he took a job as a federal fisheries technician in Yakutat, Alaska where he remained for 20 years moving over midway to work for the local municipality dependent on commercial fishing as its primary industry.
From 1997 to 2013 he held troll, gillnet and long line permits for salmon and halibut operating small boats in the Gulf of Alaska. At the same time he continued working as a field biologist conducting multiple research projects with fish and marine mammals while restoring salmon rivers. As a coastal program planner he brought in funding for upgrading fishing related infrastructure, a regional seafood branding program and promoted beneficial fisheries policies at the state and federal level. His dual careers as a fisherman and biologist complement each other providing an understanding that they are equally valid viewpoints.