Meet the Tuna Team
Lead PI & Assistant Professor at the University of Maine in the School of Marine Sciences
Dr. Walt Golet completed his Undergraduate degree right here at the University of Maine! He then completed a Masters degree and his Doctorate at the University of New Hampshire, where he produced a dissertation on the “Somatic condition, growth, and distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Maine.”
After receiving his PhD, Dr. Walt Golet established the Pelagic Fisheries Lab in 2011 with the goal to close life history gaps of highly migratory species in the Northwest Atlantic. Plagued with uncertainty, stock assessments for highly migratory species often lack basic information like age structure, stock delineation, predator prey interactions, size at maturity, indices of abundance, basic sampling, fecundity, and more.
Lab Manager
Sammi has been a part of the Tuna Team for about 6 years. She started in the lab as a Graduate Student conducting her Masters thesis “Evaluating the Foraging Ecology and Energetics of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Maine.” After defending her thesis, Sammi transitioned into the role of being the Pelagic Fisheries Lab’s Lab Manager where she continues to make great strides. As our Lab Manager, Sammi oversees all lab operations, coordinates many public outreach opportunities, leads our Atlantic bluefin tuna & billfish tagging initiative, ensures the lab supplies are stocked, coordinates with local bluefin tournament committees, and SO MUCH MORE!
“Working with highly migratory species has been one of the coolest and most rewarding experiences of my life. I am one of those very fortunate people that gets to say I genuinely love what I do!”
Research Assistant
Mackenzie joined the Tuna Team in the Summer of 2021 as an undergraduate intern during her time at the University of Maine. She conducted her senior capstone project on the “Foraging ecology of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Northwest Atlantic.”
After graduating in 2023 with a B.S. in Marine Biology with a minor in Fisheries Management, Mackenzie transitioned from an Undergraduate Intern to Fisheries Technician to Research Assistant. She now leads the biological sampling program, manages the Pelagic Fisheries Lab’s Internship Program, and creates & manages our online media presence.
“The Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program is the most rewarding aspect of my job. The excitement you see on the intern’s faces when they see their first tuna & process their first head is priceless. The connections, skills, and memories I have gained from the Pelagic Fisheries Lab are ones I will carry with me professionally throughout my career.”
Quantitative Analyst
John joined the Tuna Team in the Fall of 2023. He completed both his Undergraduate & Graduate degrees at the University of Maine. John received his Masters studying the population dynamics of several groundfish species in the Eastern Gulf of Maine. During his first year at the PFL, he created a data logging application for our biological sampling program, analyzed MANY tagging tracks for Atlantic bluefin tuna & billfish, and is currently developing an application to share with local fishermen & the general public that allows folks to view Atlantic bluefin tuna tracks.
“I’m the number cruncher. I manage the organization of all of the datasets in the lab, analyze the data, and assist the lab members with any statistical help they may need. Coming from groundfish and diadromous species I can say I have never worked with a cooler suite of fish as I do here.”
Doctoral Student
Kay Zipp joined the Tuna Team in the Summer of 2022. Originally from New York, Kay likes to say she has chased fish across the country, living in Texas, West Virginia, and now Maine. She completed her undergraduate degree in environmental science with a watershed concentration at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry (SUNY ESF) in 2014, where she was first introduced to otoliths and otolith chemistry. Kay came to the University of Maine during the summer of 2022 after completing her Masters degree at West Virginia University. Kay’s Doctoral dissertation centers around stock identification methods, population structure, and spatial distributions using various data science techniques, including machine learning and pop-off satellite tags.
“In the lab, I do various things, from processing tagging data to aiding in head dissections and working at local bluefin tournaments, which happens to be one of my favorite aspects of the Pelagic Fisheries Lab. I enjoy interacting with the fishermen and the general public, plus there’s nothing like seeing someone’s face when they see an Atlantic bluefin tuna for the first time!”
Doctoral Student
Joe joined the Tuna Team in the Fall of 2022. Joe completed his undergraduate degree at University of Massachusetts Amherst. For his PhD, Joe is studying the application and analysis of satellite telemetry for Atlantic tunas, specifically yellowfin and bluefin, with a scope on its implications for international management and involvement of the fishing community in research.
“In the lab, I’m often found coordinating with captains, analyzing data, working tournaments, or helping dissect heads and guts for our biological sampling program! Being a part of such a diverse and applied lab is definitely one of the highlights for me.”
Graduate Student
Blaise joined the Tuna Team in 2022. Blaise completed his undergraduate degree at the University of New England. Blaise is currently completing his Graduate degree at the University of Maine where he is establishing and conducting a long term monitoring project on the foraging ecology of bluefin tuna, which is a collaboration between the Pelagic Fisheries Lab and the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
FUN FACT! Before pursuing a Graduate degree, Blaise was a Field Technician during the 2017 Atlantic bluefin tuna season!
Graduate Student
Brain is a recent addition to the Tuna Team joining as a Graduate Student in January of 2025. Brian completed his undergraduate degree at the University of New England receiving a B.S. in Marine Sciences with Minors in both Applied Mathematics, and Aquaculture and Aquarium Sciences.
FUN FACT! Before pursuing a Graduate degree, Brain was a Field Technician during the 2022 Atlantic bluefin tuna season!
Questions? Email us!
pelagicfisherieslab@gmail.com