BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

 Darren John Pecora was born in 1979, to John S. and Jolanta A. Pecora. He grew up in

Unionville, Connecticut, on a small lake, where he spent his childhood swimming, fishing, and

exploring. As he matured, his curiosity of the outdoors led him to become an avid outdoorsman,

hunting, fishing and camping around New England. He graduated from Avon Old Farms Prep

School in 1997 with an interest in ecology. Darren earned his B. S. in environmental science in

2001, majoring in both wildlife biology and fisheries science at Unity College in Maine. After

graduation, Darren worked around the country for a variety of fish and wildlife agencies. First,

he worked for the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, where he worked on the restoration of

endangered Atlantic salmon. Next, he worked for U. S. Geological Survey's Pacific Islands

Ecosystem Research Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii on an endangered bird

restoration project. Then, he worked for the Connecticut Department of Environmental

Protection Fisheries Division on fisheries management projects and later, was employed by the

U. S. Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory Cook, Washington, where he

conducted research on the efficacy of alternative technology fish screens. Next, he worked for

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Fairbanks, Alaska office on a project that was focused on

estimating the abundance of migrating Yukon River fall chum salmon for in-season management

of the subsistence fishery. Finally, he made his way down to the University of Florida in 2006,

where he started off as a technician for Dr. Bill Pine working on the Apalachicola River and in

Sarasota Bay. In the fall of 2006, Darrenjoined Dr. Daniel E. Canfield, Jr.'s lab, where he

worked on the Lake Griffin largemouth bass stocking project. In August 2007, Darren began his

master's research at the University of Florida, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Darren completed his master's research in 2009.