PWSAC nets new CEO

Tommy Sheridan named CEO and general manager of hatchery association

From left: Rachel Ertz, Tommy Sheridan and Ken Hodges prepare to capture salmon at Holbrook Pond. (Oct. 2, 2019) Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith/The Cordova Times
From left: Rachel Ertz, Tommy Sheridan and Ken Hodges prepare to capture salmon at Holbrook Pond. (Oct. 2, 2019) Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith/The Cordova Times

The Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation has named Tommy Sheridan its new general manager and CEO. PWSAC is a private, nonprofit hatchery association headquartered in Cordova.

“Tommy is an excellent addition to PWSAC,” said Tim Moore, chairman for PWSAC board of directors. “Tommy’s skills and diverse experience in hatchery operations, fisheries management, and policy are an outstanding fit.”

Sheridan is the past director of government affairs for Silver Bay Seafoods, a primarily fishermen-owned seafood processing company headquartered in Sitka, with facilities throughout Alaska and California. Previously, Sheridan was the Prince William Sound Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, where he managed two of the largest salmon fisheries in the state’s history during the 2013 and 2015 seasons. He also worked in various capacities for Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association in Southeast Alaska from 2002-2010, including serving as the company’s special projects manager. Sheridan also previously served on the PWSAC board of directors.

“I’m excited to join PWSAC and work with its incredible staff,” said Sheridan. “PWSAC exemplifies the innovation and foresight that led to the state’s hatchery programs, which today makes Alaska’s salmon fisheries a model for fisheries across the country and throughout the world.”

A former adjunct instructor for University of Alaska Southeast’s Fisheries Technology Program, Sheridan holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates with a focus on fisheries and rural studies. He has served on boards and committees of organizations like the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and Prince William Sound Science Center.

In 2019, he was nominated by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to serve as U.S. commissioner to the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, an international forum promoting conservation of Pacific salmon, steelhead trout and other ecologically related species in the high seas area of the North Pacific Ocean. Sheridan will be based in Cordova where he lives with his wife and two children.

Advertisement
Advertisement