Tonya grew up far from saltwater in Michigan and North Texas but developed a love for the ocean during family vacations to Florida and caught her first shark while fishing with her dad in Charlotte Harbor. Following a stint in the US Navy, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Fisheries from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She completed an internship with the White Shark Research Institute in South Africa, and then a temporary research project on endangered suckers with US Geological Survey in Oregon. Tonya has worked for the Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a Marine Finfish Hatchery Technician, Ecosystem Management Technician, and Fisheries Outreach Specialist; and for Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research on the Sawfish Research Project leading field surveys for endangered smalltooth sawfish from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. Tonya is now the President of Havenworth Coastal Conservation, founded to promote the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources through research, outreach, and education.
Tonya has been conducting conservation biology studies of sawfish since 2001, including research on the endangered smalltooth sawfish in Florida, becoming an authority on the biology and ecology of the species. She is an appointed member of, and team leader for, the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Implementation Team, a multi-institutional panel of experts working to protect the remaining sawfish population in the US and prevent the species from going extinct.
With the monthly “Sawfish News” article Tonya will bring you interesting facts about sawfish, updates on current research projects, explanations of management tools such as the Endangered Species Act, descriptions of ways you can be involved in the recovery of sawfish, and other information about this fascinating fish.
Tonya lives with her husband, Chris, on Terra Ceia Bay and enjoys any activity that gets her on the water or outside including fishing, boating in their Robalo 246 Cayman, snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking. Her favorite place to fish is in Everglades National Park, particularly Ponce de Leon Bay.
Tonya can be reached at 941-201-2685 or Tonya@havenworth.org
You can follow Havenworth Coastal Conservation:
Web: www.havenworth.org
Facebook: @HavenworthCoastalConservation
Twitter: @coastalelasmos
Instagram: @coastalelasmos
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media