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The DPNR Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) preserves, protects, restores, and manages the fish and wildlife resources of the Virgin Islands for ecological conservation and sustainable use by the community. The Division of Fish and Wildlife consists of three (3) Bureaus, the Bureau of Fisheries, the Bureau of Environmental Education, and the Bureau of Wildlife.
The Bureau of Fisheries focuses on collecting fisheries-dependent and fisheries-independent data and collaborates with federal partners to aid in fisheries management decisions for the Territory and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The DPNR Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) Bureau of Fisheries consists of Fisheries Biologists, Port Samplers, and contracted Fishery Liaisons.
Broadly, Nicole is interested in maintaining biodiversity across multiple scales. Her background in conservation biology and management gives her a broad academic base of policy and science to better understand and manage the fisheries and wildlife of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Dr. Sennai Habtes is the Bureau Chief of Fisheries for the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife. Dr. Habtes was born and raised on St. Thomas, VI before completing a B.S. in Environmental Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a PHD in Marine Resource Assessment from USF’s College of Marine Science. He is a fisheries oceanographer whose research has focused on larval fish and zooplankton ecology, using time series observations and physical oceanographic modeling to better understand impacts to organisms and ecosystems within tropical and subtropical regions. His current focus areas include advancing fisheries data collection and ecosystem-based fisheries management, expanding the impact of stakeholders on fisheries management, and promoting and developing sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries in the USVI.
Maggie completed her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Northern Arizona University and her Master in Marine and Environmental Science from the University of the Virgin Islands and began working for the Division of Fish and Wildlife in 2021. Maggie works closely with the Bureau Chief of Fisheries on all aspects of fisheries management. She manages the Territory’s commercial fishery and oversees the Division’s fishery-dependent datasets from both the commercial and recreational sectors. She is currently working in partnership with NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in creating a new port sampling program to enhance and improve fishery-dependent data collection for stock assessments in the USVI. Her research interests include acoustic telemetry and spatial ecology in fisheries science for teleosts and elasmobranchs, and how acoustic data can be used to inform and aid in fisheries management decisions.
Danielle was born and raised in St. Thomas, USVI. She obtained both her Bachelor of Science in Biology degree in May 2019 and Master of Marine and Environmental Science degree in December 2022 from the University of the Virgin Islands. Her thesis work focused on life history data of mutton snapper, Lutjanus analis, at spawning aggregation areas in the USVI. Danielle conducts fisheries-independent surveys and manages recreational data for the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Her research interests include fisheries research and management as well as ray biology.
Eva Collazo Montanez completed her Bachelor of Science degree in coastal marine biology from University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s degree in biology focused in environmental and ecological sciences from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. She started with DFW in December 2023, where she works on various fisheries projects. She assists in data collection for both of the Division’s fisheries-independent and fisheries-dependent projects that will improve the management and conservation efforts for valuable species of importance to the USVI fisheries and marine resources. She is passionate, driven and enthusiastic about conservation efforts and is determined to help improve fisheries resources for future generations.
Chub was born and raised on St. Thomas, USVI. He has worked for the Division for 17 years. Chub has assisted on many projects at DFW including FADs, and SEAMAP. He currently assists in the management of the commercial fishing license database as well as conducting port samples for all commercial fishers.
Tia was born and raised in St. Thomas, USVI. She attended the University of the Virgin Islands and attained a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. She works heavily with the Bureau of Fisheries in collecting fisheries-independent data as well as data management. Her interests are in fisheries science and coral biology.
Devon Bracy completed his Bachelor of Science degree in marine biology with a minor in environmental science from the University of the Virgin Islands. He then went on to intern with the Division where he surveyed sea turtles on Buck Island and the south side of St. Croix. Devon also worked with other organizations such as the National Park Service, Junior Scientists in the Sea, and the Boys and Girls Club to create experiences that connected local youth with the ocean. He then worked at The Nature Conservancy where he tended to corals and studied coral diseases and their impact to local coral reefs. Devon serves as a fisheries biologist for the Division where he assists with both fisheries-dependent and fisheries-independent projects.
Alfonso Garcia Jr was born and raised on St. Croix, USVI. He began working for DFW in 2017. Currently, he coordinates the processing of all scientific research permits issued by the Division and is involved in coordinating and maintaining recreational boating access points under the Division’s responsibility funded under the Sportfish Restoration Boating Access grants. He is also the coordinator for the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) and Clean Vessel Act (CVA) funding opportunities available to entities involved in or with recreational boaters. His current goal is finding ways to make all recreational access facilities within the territory accessible to all users.
Raymond was born and raised on St. Thomas, USVI. Growing up as a local waterman, he has always been involved in the marine sector. Raymond has worked as a charter boat captain, yacht captain and has also been a commercial fisher for the past fifteen years. He began working for DFW in 2022, as a boat captain and maintenance technician. He assists on all fisheries related projects as well as managing the maintenance and upkeep of the DFW vessel fleet.
Arnold Simmonds has spent his career in the Government of the Virgin Islands, and is currently the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Maintenance Technician on St. Croix. He works on the vehicles and boats in our fleet, manages procurement, and ensures everything is running smoothly! In his free time, Arnold can be found creating the most delicious foods on St. Croix.
Jan-Alexis was born and raised on St. Thomas, USVI. He graduated from the University of the Virgin Islands, earning both a Bachelor of Science and a Master in Marine and Environmental Science degrees. Jan-Alexis worked as an aquarist for 7.5 years at Coral World before joining the DFW team as a Port Sampler for the St. Thomas – St. John district. He collects biostatistical data on the catch of commercial fishers within the territory. His duties are to identify, weigh, and measure the species within the catch as well as enter the data into the NOAA Fisheries databases. Jan-Alexis also collects and enters the data from the Commercial Catch Reports which are integral for conducting stock assessments in the USVI. His interests include pelagic fish research and parasitology effects on fisheries, as well as music, art, physical fitness, scuba diving, and fishing.
Nicole was born and raised on St. Thomas, USVI. She worked at Coral World for 12 years as an aquarist and guest engagement guide before joining the DFW team as a fisheries liaison in 2021. Nicole’s main role as a fisheries liaison is to assist the Division in disseminating information pertaining to fishery rules, regulations and relevant fisheries science to local commercial and recreational fishers in the St. Thomas – St. John district. She also represents the Reef Responsible Sustainable Seafood Initiative program at outreach events and educational trainings for various members of the VI community.
