Meet the Council: Chairman Kevin Anson

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

Do you ever wonder what qualifies members of the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council to make decisions about our fish? After all,
they play an important role in fisheries management, and decisions they make
could potentially affect us all.

Council members are tasked with a very difficult challenge;
to balance competing interests in the fishery to make management
recommendations that achieve the greatest overall benefit to the nation.

Each Council member is selected to serve because they have
personal experience, expertise, and interest in the Gulf fisheries. Lets get to
know another member of the Gulf Council so that we can better understand his
perspective.

Kevin Anson, the Chairman of the Gulf Council, laughs
when asked how he got into fisheries. “To this day my parents joke that my entertainment
wasn’t a toy but an aquarium,” he said.

Beginning at about age 2, the fish tank in Kevin’s family
home mesmerized him, and he could sit in front of it for hours without losing
interest.

Kevin’s passion for marine life grew along with him. During
his childhood, Kevin’s family moved around the state of Florida where he was
exposed to both salt and freshwater environments. His family spent every spare
moment at a vacation home in the lower Florida Keys. Kevin would disappear each
morning with a goal to bring home dinner. He spent his days diving for lobster,
spearfishing, trolling for Dolphin and mackerel, and bottom fishing.

When it came time to choose a career, Kevin decided to
attend Florida Atlantic University to pursue a degree in Ocean Engineering. Within
a couple of years he realized engineering was not his passion, and he graduated
with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. Kevin then attended Auburn University where
he earned a Master of Science in Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures.

Kevin in the Florida Keys

For a short time after graduation Kevin worked for the
Alabama Cooperative Fish Research unit sampling fish populations living in
rivers associated with hydroelectric dams. He moved on to work for a tropical fish
hatchery in South Alabama. Kevin even worked for a few years at the company’s aquaculture
facilities in Belize growing shrimp, Australian red claw crayfish, and tilapia.

Kevin is currently the Chief Marine Biologist for the
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources/Marine Resources
Division. He has been with the Department for 14 years, and has served as
Alabama’s representative on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council since
2008.

His passion for fisheries extends beyond his professional life.
He lives in coastal Alabama and fishes from his 23-foot walk-around boat. If
you want to get in touch with Kevin you are welcome to email him directly at: [email protected]

To conclude our get-to-know-you with Kevin, here are his
answers to a few questions about fisheries management in the Gulf:

“Improvement of fisheries science is a top priority on
everyone’s mind, including mine. I want to make sure that more data about
artificial reefs and the fish populations living on them are included into the
stock assessments and considered by the Council’s Scientific and Statistical
Committee to inform management decisions made by the Council.”

“We must continue to enhance our relationships with
stakeholders. We need to be sure that information is user-friendly and easy to
access, and we need to take every opportunity we can to engage the public in
the management process. Bringing the Council into the public arena will make it
easier for us to collaborate with, and learn from, the folks who are affected
by Council decisions.”

“Fisheries management should maximize people’s enjoyment of
our resource now, and in the future. Our fisheries should be protected so that
we can enjoy them for future generations. At the same time, when populations
are healthy and sustainable, we should strive to provide every opportunity to
utilize them.”

“Some of my fondest fishing memories involve taking novices
out for their first taste of saltwater fishing.

“I took a friend offshore for his first time to catch red
snapper. We anchored over a nice artificial reef, baited our hooks, and dropped
our lines off opposite sides of the boat. Almost immediately, my buddy hooked
into a nice snapper and began to pull her to the surface, and I hooked up as he
was mid-fight.

“My friend reeled his fish to the surface and decided to
wait for me to finish my fight so I could help him boat his fish. As he was
waiting, he noticed something dark swimming below the boat. I heard the tone of
his voice shift, and he was on the brink of panic as he informed me that a
shark was after his snapper.

“I quickly released my fish and went over to help him, only to
discover that the “shark” causing my buddy so much distress was actually the
biggest cobia I’ve ever seen in my life. After boating his sow and poking a bit
of fun at him, I tried every trick I knew to coax that big cobia onto my hook.
I never did manage to catch him, but really enjoyed the opportunity to see such
a huge cobia.”