CHIEF OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

Pat was named Chief of Fisheries Management on September 16, 2019. Before that he served as the Division’s Deputy Chief since April 2018. Prior to joining the VMRC staff, he worked 16 years for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division, the past eight as their Chief of Marine Fisheries. Pat started his career at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science where he was a marine scientist and principal investigator on several projects including the Juvenile Fish and Blue Crab Trawl Survey.

He is responsible for managing the state's recreational and commercial saltwater fisheries. His division sets the size, season and creel limits for a variety of saltwater species and creates management plans to achieve and maintain sustainable fisheries, working closely with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

His division also manages fisheries-related data, an extensive artificial reef system, water access projects, the Marine Recreational Informational Program (MRIP), fish ageing lab, the popular Saltwater Fishing Tournament, and a number of research and monitoring surveys. Pat has held a number of roles with various interjurisdictional organizations. He has served as an ASMFC commissioner or proxy for the past 15 years, has been the state designee to the MAFMC, serves on the Executive Committee of NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team, and chairs their Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee.

Pat earned a degree in Biology with a Marine Science Minor from SUNY Oswego, and a Master's Degree in Biological Oceanography at Old Dominion University.

He lives on the Peninsula with his wife and has two adult children. He is an avid kayak angler and enjoys woodworking.