JOHN H. RYTHER, JR.                                                                     OCEANOGRAPHIC OPERATIONS MANAGER

CR Environmental, Inc., 1994 to Present

Years with Other Firms: 16

 

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

·         Ship Operations

·         Marine and Freshwater Biological and Geophysical Surveys

·         Hydrographic Surveys

·         Mooring Operations

·         Sediment and Surface Water Sampling

·         Research Diving

·         ROV/Underwater Video Operations

 

EDUCATION

1998                        Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Fisheries Management for Fishermen

1998                        Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, DAN Oxygen First Aid for Diving

1997-Present         OSHA 40-Hour Health and Safety Training and refresher courses

1996                        HYPACK 96 System Seminar, Mobile, AL

1991                        EPA/NOAA Diving Certification Course, Jacksonville, FL

                                Hyperbarics International Nitrox Diving Certification Course

1986                        Houston Marine Captains License Course, Boston, MA

                                USCG 100 ton Near Coastal Motor Vessel License

1978-95                   American Red Cross First Aid and CPR

1978                        NAUI Diving Instructors Course, Rockport, MA - No. 5110

1976-78                   Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Diesel Engine Mechanics, Navigation, Welding

1974                                    B.S., Journalism/Biology, Syracuse University

 

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES/AFFILIATIONS

American Association of Underwater Scientists                            Estuarine Research Federation

National Association of Underwater Instructors                           Marine Technology Society

Massachusetts Ocean Technology Network                                  Hydrographic Society of America

 

SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Mr. Ryther has 20 years of experience providing project management and technical field support on oceanographic, geophysical and ocean engineering projects.  He has managed numerous bathymetric surveys using precision echosounders and navigation systems and has participated in several underwater search and survey operations using side-scan sonar, towed-survey systems and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Mr. Ryther has managed a number of large government funded and commercial oceanographic measurement programs world-wide and has extensive knowledge of oceanographic instrumentation, mooring and platform designs, and field deployment techniques. He has participated on acoustic doppler installations with NOAA at Ambrose Tower, Port of Miami, and Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Mr. Ryther has considerable shipboard experience and holds a U.S.C.G. 100-ton Near Coastal Motor Vessel License. He is also an experienced research diver with NOAA/EPA diving certification, and has conducted several studies involving the sampling of sediment, surface water, fish and other aquatic organisms. His extensive writing, reporting, and photographic skills have enabled him to author or co-author a number of technical reports, proposals and publications.

 

WORK HISTORY              

 

CR Environmental, Inc., Falmouth, MA        1994 - present                                                                                 

Manager for CR Environmental, where from 1995 to 1997 he was oceanographic operations manager of a three year contract providing vessel support and oceanographic consulting services to ENSR on the MWRA Boston Harbor and Outfall Monitoring Program. He presently is providing support to Battelle Ocean Sciences from 1998 to 2000 on this project. Other work in Massachusetts Bay includes managing field operations on the first year monitoring of the Cape Cod Bay Disposal Site for the MA Department of Environmental Management which included bathymetry, sub-bottom, side-scan and sediment sampling.  Recent work in New York State includes geophysical and benthic flux surveys in 1997 of seven Catskill New York drinking water reservoirs for the New York CityDepartment of Environmental Protection with GZA GeoEnvironmental; a video sled survey of borrow pits outside New York Harbor; and a sub-bottom survey of Mamaroneck Harbor for the New York District Army Corps of Engineers. Additional work for the Corps’ Waterways Experiment Station was a feasibility study to locate and map buried ordinance near Sandy Hook, NJ, and vessel support for an acoustic fish survey in the Mystic River. More recently, he has been involved in operations support for work on the ACOE - Boston Harbor Navigation and Improvement Project with SAIC, and box- and vibro-coring of a number of harbors from Maine to Connecticut for proposed dredging projects with ENSR; and sediment sampling and oceanographic survey work for the cleanup of the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site with Foster Wheeler. 

 

From January 1996 to March 1997, he helped manage a NOAA Fishing Industry Grant for the training of fishermen and conversion of their fishing vessels for part-time oceanographic research; which resulted in fishing vessels providing support on the TWA Flight 800 recovery effort off East Moriches, Long Island. In addition to managing field operations, Mr. Ryther assists with data processing, and report preparation.

 

Minnow Diving, Inc., Falmouth, MA       1994 - present                                                                                        

Owns and markets the 32-foot aluminum research vessel Cyprinodon based in the Boston Harbor area; and performs research diving operations including underwater equipment installations, bottom sampling and underwater video surveys.  Minnow Diving has a New England Army Corps of Engineer’s approved dive program, manual and has prepared numerous dive plans. 

 

TG&B Marine Services, Inc., Falmouth, MA      1987 - 1994                                                                         

Co-owner/treasurer, responsible for scheduling, boat logistics, report and proposal preparation, and served as boat captain.  Provided vessel services on extensive geophysical surveys of outer Boston Harbor and the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs in Massachusetts.

 

Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA       1990 - 1993                                                                                 

Tasks manager for MWRA sewer outfall monitoring study; managed 16 cruises in outer Boston Harbor, Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay.  Diver and field biologist for an EPA/ACOE artificial reef study in Delaware Bay.

 

EG&G, Waltham, MA        1979 - 1990                                                                                                                

Deputy Director, Oceanographic Services Department responsible for the management of field operations and electronic shop personnel.  Managed and participated in a 3-year oceanographic study in northern California participating in ten major cruises on a 200-foot geophysical survey vessel.  Other projects included a coral reef assessment of Diego Garcia atoll in the Indian Ocean for the U.S. Navy; an underwater archaeological survey in St. Croix, Virgin Islands; an underwater video survey at the site of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Prince William Sound; and a NOAA evaluation of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for conducting clearance operations at shipwreck sites in Long Island Sound.

 

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA    1975 - 1979                                                                     

Field Biologist, first mate 65-foot research vessel A.E. Verrill, captain 40-foot research vessel Ciona, and diving supervisor. 

 

CONTRIBUTED PAPERS

 

1998                        Dredging Conference, Los Vegas, Nevada

“Monitoring Results from the First Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell”. P.M. Murray, T.J. Fredette, P.E. Jackson, S.H. Wolf and J.H. Ryther, Jr.

 

January 1998         Invited by New York Sea Grant to speak at the East Coast Commercial Fisherman’s and Aquaculture Trade Show, Ocean City, Maryland

 “Use of Fishing Vessels for Oceanographic Survey”.J.H. Ryther, Jr.

 

October 1997         Oceans 97, Halifax, Nova Scotia

“Conversion of Fishing Vessels and Training of Fishermen for Oceanographic Surveys, Research and Resource Assessment.” J.H. Ryther, Jr. and C.M. Cogswell.

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Ryther, J.H., Jr., S.G. Harris and C.F. Wright. May 1998. New York Catskill Reservoir Surveys - Application of Marine Technology to Freshwater Reservoirs; Surveys of and Bottom Samples from Seven Reservoirs Obtained. Sea Technology.

 

Ryther, J.H., Jr., R.S. Lane and F. Mirarchi. 1996. Fishing Vessels Successfully Used for Oceanographic Surveys.

 Sea Technology.

 

Ryther, J.H., Jr., S. McDowell and C.S. Albro. 1991. Mini-BOSS: Portable Sewage Effluent Monitoring System for

 Boston Harbor - integrated profiling system for Boston Harbor.  Sea Technology.

 

Ryther, J.H., Jr., D.B. Harris, John P. Fish. 1990. Putting ROVs to Work Investigating Shipwrecks. Sea Technology.

 

Magnell, B.A., C.L. Greengrove, J.H. Ryther, Jr., and C.D. Winant. 1988. Real-time Data Telemetry Northern

California Coastal Circulation Study. Argos, 37, pp. 7-11.

 

Ryther, J.H., Jr., B.A. Magnell, C.L. Greengrove, and C.D. Winant. 1988. Real-time Data Telemetry. Sea

Technology, 29:8, pp. 10-16.

 

Menzie, C.A., J.H. Ryther, Jr., L.F. Boyer, J.D. Germano, and D.C. Rhoads. 1982. Remote methods of mapping seafloor topography, sediment type, bedforms and benthic biology. In: Oceans '82 Conference Record, pp. 1046-1051 IEEE Catalog Number 82CH1827-5.

 

Menzie, C.A., G.M. Mariani, and J.H. Ryther, Jr. 1981. Seafloor Mapping System Applied to Biological, Environmental Surveys. Sea Technology 22(2): 15-16.