About Saving
Seas instructor Tora Johnson
Tora
Johnson has
a B. S. in Biology from University of Oregon (1988) and an M. Phil.
in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic (2003). She also holds
a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license to operate vessels up to
100 gross tons. Before her son was born in 1996, Ms. Johnson made a
career of teaching and crewing aboard several of the large sailing vessels
that ply the coast of New England, as well as commercial fishing in
Alaska. Since
1996, she has taught marine, environmental, and geographic information
science at the college level, serving on the faculty of College of the
Atlantic, University of Maine at Machias, Massachusetts Maritime Academy,
and Cape Cod Community College.
Ms. Johnson’s
current human ecological research focuses on conflicts between fisheries
and marine mammal policy. She specializes in marine and hydrological
applications of geographic information systems and explores innovative
media and methods for conveying geographic information. For the past
few years she has collaborated with installation artist and sculptor
Frances Whitehead on large-scale, place-based installation art projects.
To see Johnson's online portfolio, click
here.
Also a writer and
education consultant, Johnson was the marine reporter for the Martha’s
Vineyard Times from 1998 to 2000. In addition to columns and feature
articles for magazines and newspapers, she has published the Guide
to Freshwater Animals without Backbones (with Arlene De Strulle;
The Catskill Center, 1997). In her multidisciplinary graduate studies,
Johnson focused mainly on writing nonfiction books, working closely
with novelist and poet, Dr. William Carpenter, and literary scholar,
Dr. Karen Waldron. Johnson's non-fiction book, Entanglements:The
Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen, was published in 2005
by University Press of Florida. Click
here to see the website for Entanglements. To
read about other current book projects, click
here. Stephany
Evans of Imprint Agency, Inc. in New York is Johnson’s literary
agent.
Johnson's husband,
Chris Mullen, is a boatbuilder and commercial fisherman. They live in
Maine with their nine year old son.