Event Speakers

Since founding Sustainable Aquatics, Matthew has pioneered new advances in hatchery operations for marine ornamentals, workingthrough more than a dozen metrics to create a hatchery with performance gains in yield, color, size, health, quality and grow out time that set new standards in the field. Matthew has degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Marine Biology, EEB, and French. Matthew has been the primary biologists at SA since its founding.

Matthew is a marine biologist with extensive field experience: In 2005 was a lab tech on the William Seward steaming out of Harbor Branch on a voyage to sample the waters of the Atlantic north the edge of the ice cap. Taking samples at multiple depths several times a day for weeks on-end, the team created a record of the bacterial and viral life forms in these waters as a bench mark for future reference;

In 2003 on two occasions worked as a lab tech on similar voyages on Lake Ontario;

Worked as a lab tech in the molecular biology lab at UT specializing in PCR;

Spent a semester while in college in the Florida Keys studying and cataloging
marine life;

Matthew has led multiple field trips to the Solomon Islands, the Arabian Sea, Oman, Florida, Hawaii, the Caribbean, the BVI, Norway, California and Mexico. Matthew is an advanced open water diver with advanced certification for mixes gases as well as other PADI qualifications.

Chad Clayton grew up in Indiana and, as a child, was inspired by Jacques Cousteau and his passion for all things marine. In 1984, armed with this new found inspiration, he started his first marine aquarium at age 14 and kept everything from anemones to an octopus and jellies as well as a number of different species of fish. In 1992, Chad left Indiana to attend Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida and quickly found interest in the emerging field of Aquaculture. After graduating in 1997 with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a B.S. in Aquaculture, Chad began working with fish, invertebrates and live feeds in a variety of different areas. His ultimate goal was to eventually work in aquaculture breeding and rearing marine finfish.

In 1999, Chad applied for an opening in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) laboratory as a husbandry and molecular biology technician position at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Chad got the job and began working with zebrafish in a laboratory that studied the genetics of the animal’s melanocytes and ability to regenerate fins. During this time he got his first taste of larviculture and fish husbandry. He quickly learned the art of in vitro fertilization and keeping genetic lines of zebrafish alive and healthy for research purposes.

Since 2002, Chad has worked at Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums (ORA), Kona Blue Water Farms in Kona, HI. In 2008, Chad moved to Santa Cruz, CA. While job hunting, he remembered that Reed Mariculture was in the San Jose area because he had used their products at his previous jobs. He called up and sent in his resume. After an intensive interview process, he landed the job and remains there today. At Reed Mariculture, Chad is involved with product development, copepod culture, trade shows, biosecurity, speaking and overseeing macro algae culture.

During the past 13 years, Chad has successfully cultured 37 species of fish and invertebrates including marine invertebrates, freshwater fish and marine fish. He looks forward to adding to the list and will remain dedicated to sustainability in aquaculture.

Martin A. Moe, Jr. is a retired fishery biologist and marine fish aquaculturist. He holds a Masters Degree from the University of South Florida in zoology and marine biology. His career includes ten years as a fishery biologist with the Florida Marine Research Laboratory where his primary research was on the biology, age, growth and reproduction, of the red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. Moving into the aquaculture of marine fish, he then developed the basic technology for the culture of pompano with a private company in 1971, and later reared clownfish in his garage while pursuing a doctorate (never finished) at the University of South Florida. Many species of marine tropical fish soon followed, clownfish, gobies, porkfish, jewelfish, and angelfish, among others. With his wife Barbara, he founded Aqualife Research in 1973, the first company to produce hatchery cultured marine tropical fish, and Green Turtle Publications in 1982, a small publishing company for the production of books on marine aquarium keeping and marine technology. He has authored many scientific papers, popular articles, and books on marine aquariology and marine biology including a basic reference on Florida spiny lobsters. He is currently a member of the Florida Keys Sanctuary Advisory Council and an adjunct scientist with Mote Marine Laboratory. He is supposed to be retired at this point but has yet to fully understand this concept. His present research is on coral reef restoration through enhancing population recovery of the keystone herbivore of the Atlantic coral reefs, the long-spined sea urchin, Diadema antillarum.

David Watson is a large animal veterinarian residing near Madison, Wisconsin. He specializes in dairy medicine, but likes to help out fellow hobbyists when they have a sick or injured fish. Dave will talk about his experiences breeding Cardinalfish, beyond Banggais, and give tips on constructing a larval rearing system for the small fishroom.