Tom is the Director of the Oregon Kelp Alliance. The Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA) unites diverse stakeholders passionate about kelp forest ecosystems, including commercial urchin divers, marine scientists, resource managers, conservationists, tribal communities, tour operators, recreational divers, students, culinary professionals, and coastal residents. Together, we confront an urgent ecological crisis: the disappearance of two-thirds of Oregon’s vital kelp forests since 2010.
Tom has a Master of Science degree in Fisheries Science from OSU, where he used acoustic telemetry to study the movement behavior of rockfishes at the nearby Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve. He also works as a commercial diver in Oregon’s red sea urchin fishery, and is a member of the Port Orford Seafood Market, a fishermen’s cooperative. In his free time, he enjoys kayaking, fishing, surfing, and diving the waters around Port Orford, and snowboarding at Mt Bachelor.