Tom is the newest addition to Suffolk County Fish & Reef, and brings with him more than twenty-five years of experience in the fields of marine biology and aquaculture. Born into a family of avid fish-keepers, Tom grew up surrounded by marine culture. In 2003 he graduated cum laude from Southampton College of Long Island University with a degree in marine biology, focusing his energies in the field of marine ecology with a concentration in reproduction and recruitment of marine fishes. Tom then went on to pursue post-graduate studies in marine biology and aquaculture at Florida Institute of Technology. While in attendance at F.I.T, Tom worked as a teaching assistant for molluscan and crustacean aquaculture. He also worked as a laboratory supervisor, overseeing maintenance of all wet-lab equipment, space, water supply, and usage.

Following his course of study at F.I.T, Tom worked as a larval culturist and broodstock overseer at O.R.A in Port St. Lucie, Florida. There, his responsibilities included broodstock husbandry, egg acquisition, and larval rearing, as well as live feed. Some of the species he bred and reared included clownfish, dottybacks, gobies, and damsels. Upon returning to New York, Tom has spent the past several years as an on-site marine biologist and aquaculturist for several of Long Island’s most prominent fish, reef, and aquarium stores. He also served as the sole aquarium maintenance and design consultant for a number of businesses and private hobbyists across the Island.

In addition to Tom’s many other academic and hands-on achievements, he also spent a significant amount of time in both Fiji and the Solomon Islands studying tropical marine biology and reef ecology. He has also had a scientific research paper published in the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society in which he discussed the larviculture of red front shrimp.