Growing up in south Jersey, fishing with his grandfather on the Ventnor Pier, John DePersenaire used that love of the ocean and the marine resources to pursue a BS in Marine Biology from UNCW and continued with graduate level courses in Marine Ecology at Rutgers University.
John joined the Recreational Fishing Alliance in 2002 as a Fisheries Researcher assisting the team with data analysis and interpretation associated with fishery management plans and legislation. In this role, John was successful in leading and securing funding for the first recreational focused research project through the Research Set-Aside program.
John currently serves as the interim Executive Director of the RFA and also sits on the Fisheries Conservation Trust board of directors which owns the Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Tournament and the Manhattan Cup Striped Bass Release tournament. In addition, he is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Viking Yachts.
John looks forward to actively contributing as an advisor with Gray FishTag Research and assisting the Gray’s team. He is interested in finding ways to better incorporate the data and findings of this work into the fishery assessment and management process. In addition, he seeks to secure more participants and supporters of this important work.