Dave McClellan
RVC Team Lead / Scientific Diver
Bio
After military service, Dave completed his BSc degree in Biology at the University of West Florida, and began his career at the Miami Laboratory in April 1977. After studying migration patterns of the billfishes with the Cooperative Gamefish Tagging Program, tagging bluefin tuna and research aboard Japanese and US longliners with the Oceanic Pelagics Team, and tournament and taxidermy sampling of sharks, he became a member of the Reef Fish Investigation Team in 1982. Their research has helped in the creation of Marine Protected Areas throughout the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, is being used in stock assessments of the snapper-grouper complex, and is being analyzed to show abundance trends over a 30 year time series. A vessel utilization project for the Florida Keys, Biscayne National Park, and Everglades National Park was undertaken to determine an accurate way for managers to deterine vessel usage in their areas of concern. Regression curves were developed to compare number of trailers in parking lots versus number of vessels counted from small airplanes and helicopters. Other duties have included being the Unit Diving Supervisor for the Miami facility and the vessel Operations Coordinator for the small boat program.
