DR. JOHN REYNOLDS

d

Independent Scientific Advisor to the SCCN Board, Dr. John Reynolds graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Honors in Biology from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1974.  He received his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees in Biological Oceanography from University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 1977 and 1980, respectively.  Following graduation he was employed at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL from 1980-2001, where he served as Professor of Marine Science and Biology and Chairman of the Natural Sciences Collegium; he was integral in establishing the college’s renowned marine science major.   In 1989, Reynolds became a member of the Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals for the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, the federal agency with oversight for all research and management of marine mammals in the United States.  In 1990, he became Chairman of the Committee of Scientific Advisors, and in 1991, he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to serve as Chairman of the Marine Mammal Commission, a position for which Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have retained him.

In 2001, Reynolds began working for Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, where he serves as Senior Scientist and Director of the Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research.  That same year, he became co-Chair of the IUCN Sirenian Specialist Group through 2008.  For the period 2006-2008, Reynolds was elected to serve as President of the international Society for Marine Mammalogy, and he currently serves on the Board of the International Federation of Mammalogists. 

Recently he has worked closely with the United Nations Environment Programme to develop and implement a Caribbean-wide Marine Mammal Action Plan, and he co-authored a revised Caribbean-wide Manatee Action Plan.  Reynolds is a member of Phi Beta Kappa; has received awards for his teaching, leadership, and scholarship; has been nominated for international awards for his accomplishments in conservation and science; and has published more than 240 books, papers, and abstracts.

"Working the past few years with the United Nations Environment Programme staff and with representatives of a number of countries to develop a Caribbean-wide Marine Mammal Action Plan, it was apparent to me that there is a great deal to learn about the status of and threats to marine mammals in the region.  To inform effective management decisions, it is vital that interdisciplinary groups come together quickly both to acquire quality scientific data on marine mammals and the ecosystems of which they are a part and to provide managers with results that can lead to focused conservation actions.  The SCCN has the leadership, breadth, and energy to provide an excellent model for the sort of group that is needed for effective marine mammal research and management in the Caribbean."