Meet The Faces Behind the Hatchery: 2022

The hatchery is under new management and has a new team to boot! With the summer season beginning, the hatchery is fully staffed with two additional seasonal techs to boost the efforts of our year-round three regulars Mitch, Alex, and Julie. You know what they say, it takes a village (to raise a stock of salmon?)!

Read on to learn about the faces behind the hatchery.

The Core Hatchery Team

As of March 2022, Mitch Monini is our new Hatchery Manager. Originally from upstate New York, Mitch came to DSF in 2020 from Idaho, where he worked with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, rearing Chinook and Steelhead salmon for 2 years. Mitch enjoys fishing, hunting, good conversation, and good beer. He can talk to almost anyone about almost anything!

He is passionate about fish, aquaculture, and environmental conservation.

Alex Frank also started up with DSF in 2020 as a technician, and is now the Assistant Hatchery Manager. Before working with DSF, Alex helped out on land conservation efforts with Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat And River Enhancement), so we know his loyalties lie with endangered Atlantic salmon in Downeast Maine! Alex is out fishing or hiking almost every weekend, and likes to take trails that are on the more challenging side, like the Cutler Coast Trail.

Julie Burgess started with DSF over the summer as a seasonal tech. We are glad she decided to stay on for the long haul! Julie is a recent graduate of UNH with a degree in Zoology. Growing up, she spent her winters snowmobiling in Downeast Maine, but she has a lot of fun here in the summer, too! Julie loves animals, especially her cat.

Our 2022 Seasonal Techs

Anna graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014 with BAs in Geography and Philosophy and a minor in Geology. She has conducted botany, soil and water-related field research in Botswana and Nepal, and brings over a decade of experience farming and working within local food systems.

Anna is passionate about ecological regeneration, DIY culture, and community. She looks forward to learning more about the rich cultural and economic histories of fishing and farming in Downeast Maine / Wabanaki lands.

Graham is a student of Environmental Science at the University of Idaho. He has spent a lot of time lately in New England: in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with the Northwoods Stewardship Center, the Connecticut River Conservancy on riparian restoration, and USFWS constructing boardwalks and viewing platforms. He enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and fishing. Graham has been in Maine every summer since he was born, kayaking Deer Isle. He plans to enjoy his time Downeast exploring the public conservation areas.

Aquaculture Research Institute Industry Extern

Athena Fretz is a student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio studying Marine Biology. She has a lot of energy and really livens up the hatchery! She is with DSF for 12 weeks over the summer as a part of the Aquaculture Research Institute Industry Extern. Before this summer, she was only in Maine once before! She is absolutely loving her time so far -- being a big reader, Athena enjoys the peace and quiet we get around here.

With 146,000 salmon fry released in just ONE DAY, safe to say this team is destined for greatness here at DSF!