Matt Parsons

Spending time as a child in the salt marshes behind Moriches Inlet hooked me for life.

 

In high school at Westhampton Beach, I won the Marine Biology award. I later graduated from NYU in 2003 with a BA in Biology, spending my summers lifeguarding at various public and private beaches on the south fork. During this time, I also worked with The Cornell Cooperative Marine Program in Southold, working for Chris Pickerell who was using innovative ways to attempt to restore eelgrass to its historical range in the Peconic Bay.

 

Upon graduating, I spent seven years and over 1,000 days at sea working as a Commercial Fisheries Observer for The National Marine Fisheries Service on fishing vessels from every major port from Virginia to Maine. During this time, I gained a deep respect for the hard work and responsibilities of the Captains and Crews, as well as a deeper understanding of resource management. In 2011 I was promoted to Assistant Program Manager.

 

In 2015, facing budget cuts, I decided to leave Fisheries Management and devote my energy to my aquarium installation and maintenance business which has thrived.

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Since 2009 I have been involved in the commercial harvest of Peconic Bay Scallops, and for the last 14 years, I have seen firsthand how Cornell's efforts to repopulate the bays with scallops were initially highly successful but doomed by the rising summer temperatures.

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I dedicate the rest of my time to my Wife and three children. We enjoy the year-round beauty of the East End’s woods, beaches, and bays.

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In the Spring of 2022, I started volunteering as an assistant Coach for my daughters' Little League softball teams and am continuing to do so this year. I love all the East End has to offer and am dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of our local bays and waterways.