Meet Peter Etnoyer

Dr. Peter Etnoyer is a marine ecologist who worked with NOAA and the Natural History Museum to collect and identify deep-sea corals in North American waters. Read the full text of Peter's interview below to learn more about his job.

About the Job

What is your title?

I am a Marine Biologist with NOAA’s Coastal Center for Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR).

Where do you work?

I have an office in Charleston, SC. My research is “in the field," usually out on a boat somewhere.

Do you travel often?

I travel a lot, both domestically and internationally. I go all over the USA for meetings and conferences. I have also been to Mexico, Venezuela, the Philippines, Panama, Germany, and France.

What are the educational requirements for your job?

You need a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in one of the marine sciences, e.g. biology, ecology, oceanography, or marine systems science.

What is the salary range for someone with your type of job?

$80,000 to $100,000 per year.

How many hours do you work per week?

40-60 hours per week.

Job Duties

Tell us about your research and the types of things you do.

I look for “sweet spots” in the ocean, places where life is rich and abundant, and then I work with governments and nonprofit organizations to secure protection of those resources for future generations. I have experience with coral reefs, seamounts, and open-ocean or “pelagic” habitats. Most everything I do relates to the fact that in 1986, the United Nations granted nations exclusive rights to all territorial waters within 200 miles of their coasts. International law allows coastal nations to manage the resources they value, whether it be coral reefs, fisheries or energy resources.

What is the most fascinating thing you have ever seen or done?

The most fascinating thing I have done lately is to drive a robot through 1,500 ft of water looking for deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Mexico. That was incredible.

I must say, though, that the most intense moments I have had are encounters with big fish, turtles, sharks and mammals. These animals have thoughts and feelings, and you can sense that. Every time I go underwater, I feel like I am visiting an alien world.

What are the personal rewards of your work and how does your work benefit the public?

I help federal governments plan for the future of their marine resources. My personal reward is to start with a big unknown, bring new results to light, and share them with marine managers so that they can help their governments secure the resources for future generations. Most of science is about looking for the truth, and being able to quantify the truth so that we can make better decisions as a society. When I say "quantify the truth," I mean running analyses that provide statistics.

In the Pacific, we found deep-sea corals as deep as 3,000 m. That is important to know. There is life in the deep sea, so we need to respect that. I would like to be able to use this information to balance our human rights to survival, progress, clean water and recreation with other species' right to exist. Our society benefits from clean water and healthy marine life the same way our neighborhoods benefit from clean parks, forests and wildlife.

What else could someone with your background do?

I could teach or work at a public aquarium. I worked in construction before and after college, and then I worked on movies for 10 years after college. Then I returned to graduate school for marine science. If the oceans dried up, I suppose I could always go back to making videos or remodeling houses!

About Peter

What sparked your initial interest in ocean sciences?

I had an aquarium when I was a kid, and started scuba diving when I was a teenager.

I decided I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was about 8 years old. I remember being torn between marine biology and oceanography, because biology studies the animals, and oceanography studies the ocean itself. It’s funny to me that I now work at the intersection of these two disciplines.

My initial fascination was with big sea creatures like whales, sharks, turtles and sea lions. Then I got into things like jellyfish, corals, barnacles and pelicans. I love them all. As I got older, I became more interested in patterns and processes that support these communities. You might say I learned to appreciate the oceanographic and environmental conditions that drive the patterns and processes. Now I use orbital satellites and deep-sea surveys to make new discoveries, and these mysteries keep me interested.

Who influenced you or encouraged you the most?

I became a competitive swimmer when I was 6 yrs old, so my earliest role models were older swimmers and coaches. My father and my friends taught me kindness and coolness.

My mother and father taught me about opportunity and determination. My high school teachers told me I had a wide range of talent. My graduate school professors at Duke University helped me chase my dream in the Philippines, and also helped me come to terms with the poverty I encountered there.

Looking back, was there anything you would have done differently in your education or career journey?

I would have lived abroad or enrolled in a “semester at sea” or a “semester abroad” program. It is important to understand that different countries have different perspectives on things. Studies at sea and abroad are both opportunities students should start thinking about and preparing for as soon as they get to college. My sister Kirsten joined the Peace Corps and lived in Jamaica for two years between college and graduate school. That is another way to see the world.

What obstacles did you encounter along the way?

Keeping my car running presented a pretty big challenge for a while there! Seriously, I had some daunting financial obstacles in graduate school, but my friends, my family and the federal government were a great source of support to whom I am forever indebted.

What are your hobbies?

I like scuba diving, kayaking and collecting comic books from all over the world. I've had a comic-book collection from since I was a kid, and it's still growing, with really innovative stuff from Germany, Czechoslovakia and Belgium.

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