Speakers
Captain Damon Sacco is the founder of Castafari Inc., a Cape Cod based sportfishing entity which was founded in 1997. After earning a bachelor degree at Hobart College in 1991, Damon continued his fishing aspirations, working as a mate on three different Cape Cod based commercial tuna fishing vessels. His propensity for the sea eventually developed into a full time career on the water. In the Spring of 1997, Damon established his own private sportfishing charter operation, Castafari Inc. Over the passed 12 years, Damon has garnered continued success with tournament fishing results. Two Massachusetts big game state records have been set on the Castafari. In 2007, the Castafari won money in every tournament it fished, and earned a first place win in 2009. Damon and the Castafari crew's fishing exploits have been featured on ESPN, Spike, National Geographic, and Versus. Damon was also featured on CNN, ABC, CBS, The Scarborough Show, and even interviewed on the Today show by Katie Curic.
Damon's latest focus is persuing an interest in t.v. videography and production. Damon is planning to launch his career as an offshore boat captain into the world of video, and to share with viewers, one of the most entertaining and exciting jobs that the ocean has to offer. Captain Damon is an active sportfishing writing and photography enthusiast, and has had several of his fishing related photos and stories published in just about all of the major fishing publications. Some of his latest contributions were in Marlin Magazine, The Big Game Journal, Saltwater Sportsman, and On The Water Magazine. Damon is also a speaker at the annual Saltwater Sportsman Seminar series hosted by George Poverom, and has spoken publicly at a variety of other fishing related events.
Damon is now an active member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, Coastal Conservation Association, International Gamefish Association, and Billfish Foundation which all act to preserve North Atlantic fish stocks and, more importantly, the future of our recreational angling industry. Damon is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, and has logged over five thousand offshore hours at sea in waters from Maine to Florida. Damon has also logged well over a hundred trips to the offshore canyons of the Northeast. Damon has fished at many world wide destinations, including Panama, Bora Bora, Costa Rica, The British Virgin Islands, Cabo San Lucas, Belize, The Bahamas, Venezuala, and right here in America.
Captain Eric Stewart has been fishing the waters around Cape Cod since he was a child. Starting as a1st mate at age 13 and then earning his captains license at nineteen he has been involved in charter fishing since 1978. He is a certified IGFA captain and co-owner, with Cliff Hampton, of The Hook-Up! LLC. Capt. Eric has fished three oceans from Midway Island in the Pacific to the eastern seaboard of the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean off of Mozambique, Africa, he brings a world of fishing knowledge and experiences to his Cape Cod based operation. Since he turned his attention to Bluefin Tuna his record has been remarkable. Captain Stewart is a serious fisherman who has honed his skills on years of being on the water. He has owned and operated the “Tammy Rose” charter boat since 1988 and started “The Hook-Up!” Bait & Tackle in 2001. Capt. Eric has written numerous articles for “On The Water” magazine and he has been featured twice in their television show as well as the Canadian television show “Fins and Skins”. He has fished in many of the local offshore tournaments where he has placed in several. He takes great pride in his family and business. You will find his mark on every aspect of The Hook-Up!, from the quality of the charter experience to the products and professional staff . With his 27 years as a licensed captain he knows what works, and he is very willing to share the key points that make him one of the most successful charter boat captains on the water today. Capt. Eric is married to his wife Tammy and they have three children, Corey who is 20 and the twins, Kimberly and Shylee, who are 15. They reside in Eastham.
Originally from Holbrook MA, Terry Nugent has been fishing the lakes, ponds and coastal waters from New England to Florida for over 30 years. In 1998 that experience was put to good use and Riptide Charters was born. As a professional guide, Terry is also the captain of the Navionics Tournament Team. With major Striped Bass tournament top 10 finishes to his name and several top 3 finishes in ASA and FLW events. Capt. Terry has proven successful with inshore species and offshore pelagics from the islands to the canyons. He has guided his sports to a Massachusetts Governors’ Cup and back to back 2006/2007 IGFA World Records for Thresher and Blue Shark.
In addition to the accolades, Terry is best known for helping to mainstream a booming New England School Bluefin casting fishery. An uncanny ability to put novices and experts alike within reach of trophy school Bluefin has made him the face of inshore Cape Cod tuna casting. A neo-fishery that is evolving at an exponential rate, Terry continues to foster innovation by serving on the design and field testing teams for Navionics, Salty’s Lures, Ocean Saltwater Lures, Offshore Innovations, and Hogy Lures as well as his own line of inshore Tuna spinning rods (Riptide Big Gun). An IGFA certified Captain, Terry is also on the Pro Staff for Berkley Pure Fishing, Costa Del Mar, St. Croix Fishing Rods, and Penn Reels.
Over the past decade Terry has been sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge gained from a life spent on the water with the fishing public through a variety of media. Terry has appeared in several TV shows from the local “On the Water” on NESN to international TV with Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing on Versus and The Spanish Fly on ESPN2 (Jan 2010). Terry has also been featured in several books and publications including “Tuna on the Fly” (Gilmore, 2006), Saltwater Sportsman, Center Console Angler, Northeast Boating, On the Water, Field and Stream, Fishing Boats Registry, and The Fisherman Magazine. During the off-season Terry occupies his time tinkering with tackle, at the local fishing shows and speaking at Clubs and Seminars large and small. Capt. Nugent has been a guest speaker for the Buzzards Bay Anglers Club, Osterville Anglers Club, CCA, “BFT” seminar (’08 & ’09), Tuna Mania (’07 & ’08), the Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series, and now the 2010 Big Game Bash.
Dr. Gregory Skomal is a well accomplished marine biologist, underwater explorer, photographer, aquarist, and author. Greg has been a senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries since 1987, and currently directs the Massachusetts Shark Research Program (MSRP). Through the MSRP, Greg has been actively involved in the study of history, ecology, physiology, and preservation of shark populations. Greg's extensive research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe taking him from the frigid ice berg laden waters of the Arctic Circle to coral lined ocean in the heart of the tropical Pacific. He has expedited a vast assortment of investigative work for the nationally renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and is the first scientist on the east coast to insert a satellite pop up tag into a great white shark.
Greg is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology. He also teaches at the Center for Shark Research in Sarasota Florida. Dr. Skomal has collected and contributed an exorbitant amount of data to the scientific world of studying fish. One of his latest focuses, which received a lot of tv exposure, was to assess the physiological capture stress impacts on the release, survivorship, and behavior of fish. In 2007, Greg appeared on the Discovery Channel in a documentary revolving around his research on this subject. Through the use of acoustic and pop-up computerized tags, Greg was able to successfully catch, release, track, and study several different pelagic species off the southern coast of Marthas Vineyard.
Greg holds a master's degree from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. from Boston University. Much of his current research centers on the employment of some of the the latest technology available to aquatic study. Greg's knowledge and experience is highly specialized in the tagging of fish, using acoustic telemetry(fish probes and monitors to track them), satellite-based technology(time release computerized memory tags that are inserted in fish), and animal-borne imaging.
Greg is no novice to the camera or television industry. He has been profiled in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and numerous local cable television networks. Greg is also a well accomplished author, and has authored eleven books.
Molly E. Lutcavage,Ph.D., is an Associate Research Professor at the University of New Hampshire and the Director of the Large Pelagics Research Center. Along with her colleagues, Lutcavage helped develop popup satellite tagging methodologies for large marine animals. She is the director and founder of the “Tag-A-Tiny” program. Much of her research has involved research partnerships with commercial and recreational fishermen. The UNH bluefin tagging and ecological research program includes collaborations with US, Canadian, and Mediterranean researchers and fishermen, and supports many graduate student and postdoctoral projects. Dr. Lutcavage has served on the U.S. Scientific Advisory Committee for ICCAT since 1995. Dr. Lutcavage and her team are frequently found on the decks of the “Tammy Rose” tagging juvenile bluefin tuna with pop-up PSAT tags, and in 2007 they tagged the very first juvenile bluefin tuna with a PSAT\SAT tag. She is a resident of Gloucester, MA.
Scott graduated the University of Rhode Island where he studied Marine and Coastal Management. After college, Scott went to work for the Fishermen's Outfitter Tackle company for 10 years, eventually becoming a shop manager at the Yarmouth store on Cape Cod. His tackle building/rigging experience is substantial, as he has a vast knowledge to offer anyone willing to listen. Over the last 15 years, he has had the opportunity to mate on many luxury sport fishing boats from Maine to Florida. For the past 9 years, Scotty has been a mate in the Castafari lineup. In 2007, Scott earned his position as first mate on the Castafari, and continues to work on the boat full time during the fishing season. The Castafari has won almost 200,000 dollars with Scott working in the cockpit.
Scott is a licensed USCG captain. He is a highly sought after speaker in demand on the lecture circuit offering presentations on coastal habitat, legislation, tag & release programs, migration patterns of pelagic species and the future of our oceans. Scott has spoken at many fishing seminars like the Big Game Bash on trolling techniques for bluefin tuna.
John has over 10 years of offshore fishing experience. He has been working as a mate on a variety of different sportfishing charter boats, and eventually joined the Castafari line-up in 2007. John earned a bachelor degree at Salve Regina University in 2005. During the summers he worked at the Falmouth based tackle shop, Eastmans, and earned 3 years as the tackle shop manager. His tackle experience is extremely well rounded. John has since worked on several different reputable sportfishing vessels. His mating experience has brought him to waters from Cape Cod to South America. John has garnered continued success as a member of tournament winning crews, including that of the Castafari. He has 2 first place victories behind his belt, and has placed in the top 3 at 6 other events. John is currently employed as a full time mate on the Castafari.
Captain Corey Stewart had a fishing rod in his hand before he could walk. His knowledge and experience has brought him to a level of fishing competence that few will ever obtain. He grew up fishing on his father’s charter boat and started as 1st mate at age 12. He became a licensed captain in 2008 and co-captains the "Tammy Rose" and “Tuna Fever” charters with his father Captain Eric Stewart. His fishing wisdom is betrayed by his youth. Few adults have caught the fish in their lifetime that Corey has, both in size and numbers. Capt. Corey is also a very accomplished freshwater angler and when he is not offshore you will find him in one of the many ponds on the Cape casting for trout, salmon or large mouth bass. Capt. Corey is in his second year at Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he is studying Marine Engineering. He is always ready to share his knowledge and love of fishing.
Mr. Daniel Westhaver is the International Division Director of Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc. (ROFFS™ - www.roffs.com) West Melbourne, Florida that provides oceanographic consulting services worldwide. He was born and grew up in the Boston area and moved to Miami, Florida where he earned a Bachelors degree in Marine Science at the University of Miami. Mr. Westhaver has been affiliated with Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc. for over fourteen years. As the International Division Director at ROFFS™, he has overseen the expansion of providing satellite derived oceanographic analyses internationally to fishermen in Africa, Australia, Central America, Pacific Islands, South America and Europe.
ROFFS™ fishing products are designed to provide real-time, value-added, detailed information on ocean currents and fish catchability to help anglers locate concentrations of feeding fish. These “road maps to the fish” are derived from Earth orbiting satellite data, which are integrated with information on the ecology of fish. ROFFS™ integrates infrared, ocean color_chlorophyll, and altimeter satellite data, as well as, HF radar, current meter, and meteorological data to produce detailed oceanographic analyses daily. While ROFFS™ is well known for providing fisheries oceanographic services, it has also been providing other oceanographic services to the oil and gas industry, academic institutions, the U.S. government, various states, and environmental organizations for twenty years.
He will be presenting a seminar “Effects of the ocean environment on the distribution, movements and catchability of tuna, marlin, mahi, kingfish and sharks” which will be scientific talk and not a commercial on ROFFS™. The seminar will be followed by an extended question and answer period.