FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 1, 2009 Contact: Diana McCloy, 978-697-9414
Brian Skerry named Aquarium’s first Explorer-in-Residence
With a resume that spans the globe, Brian Skerry, an award-winning National
Geographic Magazine photographer, will become the New England Aquarium’s first
ever Explorer- in-Residence.
His first expedition in this new role will be to the remote Phoenix Islands in the Central
Pacific Ocean from Sept. 5 to 30. Skerry will travel nearly 6,000 miles from his home in
Uxbridge, Mass., along with Aquarium scientists Gregory Stone and Randi Rotjan, for an
expedition to examine the islands’ coral reefs and vast marine fisheries. Skerry will shoot
photos for National Geographic magazine and the Aquarium’s publications. Stone and
the Aquarium played a crucial role last year in creating the Phoenix Islands Protected
Area, the world’s largest marine protected area.
“The NEAq is one of the foremost marine research organizations in the world, and it is a
privilege to join this team,” Skerry says. “We live in a very exciting time for ocean
conservation and exploration. As the Aquarium's Explorer in Residence I hope to work
with their staff to broaden the scope of this work and help articulate the message.”
As a part-time consultant to the Aquarium, Skerry will write blogs about his ocean
expeditions for the Aquarium website and will contribute articles and photographic
essays to Blue, a magazine for Aquarium members. He will give lectures and educational
presentations and will also become a member of the Aquarium’s new Ocean Exploration
and Conservation Committee with Gregory Stone. Skerry had been a member of the
Aquarium’s board of overseers for four years and has worked closely with several of the
staff scientists.
“Not only is Brian a world-renowned underwater photographer, he shares our deep
commitment to ocean conservation,” said the Aquarium’s President and CEO Howard
“Bud” Ris. “There is a strong synergy there. Brian has such a talent for storytelling
through photos and prose, and that is a huge asset for the Aquarium as we try to build a
constituency for the oceans.”
Since 1998, Skerry, 47, has traveled by boat, snowmobile, canoe, and helicopter to shoot
underwater images in the world’s most exotic locations for National Geographic. He has
spent more than 15,000 hours underwater over the last 30 years in a variety of settings
beneath the sea, beside tropical coral reefs, and underneath Artic ice.
His work has taken him to Japan, Mexico, Canada, France, Italy, Cuba, Indonesia,
Trinidad, Tobago, Ireland, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Cayman Islands, Venezuela,
Spain, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, French Polynesia, the Azores, Scotland, the
Phoenix Islands, and New Zealand. The range of his assignments runs from capturing
images of sharks in the Bahamas to right whales in New Zealand and the North Atlantic
to harp seals in the Arctic.
Last year, Skerry swept the Underwater Category in the prestigious BBC Wildlife
Photographer of the Year awards winning First, Second and Third place and won in other
BBC categories as well. This year, Brian won three awards in the Pictures of the Year
International competition and was celebrated with the Boston Sea Rovers Diver of the
Year Award. He also recently spoke about his exciting work to the National Press Club in
Washington, DC.
His work has also appeared in People, Sports Illustrated, US News and World Report,
BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian, Playboy, Esquire, Audubon, Outdoor Life, GEO, Maxim, and
Men’s Journal. He is also the author of three books.
About the New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is one of the most prominent and popular aquariums in North
America and is a recognized international leader in ocean conservation, education, and research.
From leading expeditions to some of the most remote places on the planet to running education
programs in Boston’s inner-city neighborhoods, the New England Aquarium has a vast array
of projects that are all dedicated to educating the public about the most challenging problems
facing the oceans today. Visit www.neaq.org.
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