Chief Scientist and Festival Administrator

Steve has served as Chief Scientist for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries since 1998 and was manager of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary from 1992 to 1998.  He has broad experience in conservation science, including ecosystem characterization and monitoring, damage assessment, recovery and restoration, and spill response. He specializes in coral reef ecology.  Recently, Dr. Gittings has been developing traps designed to catch lionfish in waters beyond scuba depth. The traps minimize by-catch, prevent ghost-fishing, and could create new opportunities for fishermen to help create a steady supply of lionfish to seafood and other developing markets.