The SAEN board meets monthly and as necessary. We have a general e-mail address where you can reach all the Board members: [email protected]​

Dave Hennessey

President

Retired in 2013 from the telecommunications industry, Dave is an avid outdoor enthusiast, spending much of his time hiking the woods, rivers and ponds, while angling for trout and salmon.  Dave has many fond memories of his early trouting days, boarding the Newfie Bullet in Whitbourne and getting off at his dad’s old fishing shack, near Placentia Junction.   After a few great days in the country, we would wait for the trolley to pass by, signaling that the track was clear for the train to return.  ​       

Chris Warford

Vice President

Chris Warford is the treasurer with SAEN and on board of directors with Freshwater - Alexander Bays Ecosystem Corporation (FABEC). Chris has been retired from the provincial government since 2013 and loves to fish, hunt and set out vegetables. In his own words he is "Just living the dream"

Kevin Power

Past President

Kevin recently retired from 31 plus years in the Federal government serving in the environmental protection field.  He is an avid angler with a healthy appreciation for natural environment and the joy it brings us.  He has long been a supporter of the Salmon conservation groups’ efforts.  In his retirement years wants to dedicate more of his now available time to furthering these efforts by serving as a SAEN Board member and giving back to an organization that has done so much for him and other anglers over many years.​      ​

Andrew Scammell

Treasurer

Andrew was born and raised in St. John’s, NL and is currently working as a Chartered Professional Accountant in public accounting with a local accounting firm in St. John’s. Andrew has had a passion for angling for nearly two decades, with countless days in his youth spent fishing for brook trout & ouananiche across the Eastern portion of the Island. Although the majority of his time on the water nowadays is spent in pursuit of Atlantic salmon in the Island’s many rivers and the in the rivers of Southern Labrador, Andrew will always ensure that a few outings per year are made in order to fish for brook trout, sea trout & ouananiche. As an advocate for salmonid conservation and proper technique in catch & release angling, Andrew is proud to be serving on the Board of SAEN.  ​

Dave Downton

Secretary

Dave grew up in Lewisporte, Newfoundland where he started fishing for brook trout and Atlantic salmon in the late 1960s. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree at MUN in the 1970s he worked as a research technician with the groundfish section of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for 33 years until 2010. He has fished for salmon and trout all over our fair island and a little in Labrador for over 50 years but has taken to chasing sea-run brown trout on the Avalon a lot in recent years. "My favourite river is the Gander, where I still fish more than anywhere else." Dave joined the SAEN board to help work toward protecting and advocating for all our wild salmonids, which are under serious threat, and to encourage responsible angling for them.

Hannah Hynes

Project Coordinator

Hannah is our project coordinator, overseeing the current projects SAEN is undertaking. She graduated with her BSc in 2020 from St Francis Xavier University and went on to obtain her MSc in Fisheries Science from the Marine Institute at Memorial University. Hannah began working with SAEN in March of 2024. Beginning her work with Atlantic salmon recovery in 2018 in New Brunswick, Hannah has a passion for conservation and is excited to be working once again with environmental conservation groups. Hannah enjoys hiking, fishing and spending all her spare time in the outdoors.                     ​

Marvin Barnes

Board Member

Marvin Barnes has been angling for trout and salmon for 50+ years. He has studied and worked with fish for too many years to count.                              

Ian Gall

Board Member

Ian was born in Dundee, Scotland and emigrated to Canada in 1968.He lived in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia before coming to St. John’s in 1974. Prior to retiring he served 10 years in the British Merchant Navy and 27 years In the Canadian Coast Guard. A keen Angler , fly tier and outdoor enthusiast  he  is a founding member of SAEN and a continuing board member since its inception  in 1979.

Robin Gamble

Board Member

Robin grew up on the outskirts of Manchester where a weeks pocket money bought a day ticket to fish the local pond to catch and release perch. He emigrated with his wife to Canada and split his time for the last 50 years between practicing dentistry, raising a family and fishing. He has been a SAEN member almost since its inception he was active on the SAEN board for several years and after a period of inactivity he rejoined the board 2019.

Rex Porter

Board Member

Rex was born in Change Islands, NL. After completing his MSc. in Aquatic Science at University of Guelph, he worked for 33 years with the Salmonids Section of Science Branch, DFO. During this time, he was involved in salmonid stock assessments, salmon enhancement and stewardship projects. Rex has a passion for salmonid conservation and after retirement from DFO, he has assisted and advised salmonid stewardship groups in carrying out salmon conservation and stock improvement projects.

Robert Bishop

Board Member

​Bob is happily retired and has been salmon fishing for 35 years.

Jim McCarthy

Board Member

Jim is currently an associate biologist with a consulting company based out of St. John’s. He's a licensed guide in the province and a Certified Fisheries Professional with the American Fisheries Society with over twenty years of experience. He has two wonderful kids who love to learn and help with conservation, fishing, and hunting.  He received his B.Sc. & M.Sc. degrees in Biology from Memorial University. Jim is currently a PhD candidate at the Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick where he is researching various aspects of environmental change, fish adaptation, and adaptive management. He has been involved in a wide range of projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Alaska, British Columbia and Nova Scotia related to human activities such as hydroelectric developments, oil gas, mining, and forest harvesting.              

Mikael Ranta

Board Member

Mikael was born and raised in Michigan and developed a love for fishing salmonids in the Great Lakes from an early age. He is currently a Ph.D. student with Memorial University working on discovering factors that may be limiting recruitment and survival of juvenile Atlantic salmon in the Exploits River watershed. Current research components include habitat and water chemistry surveys, parr electrofishing work, and smolt assessments. He looks forward to developing these results in an effort to further salmon conservation within this watershed and across the province, and is excited for the opportunity to serve on the SAEN board.

Craig Purchase

Board Member

Craig is currently a biology professor at Memorial University. Craig obtained his BSc from Memorial in 1997 followed by his MSc in 1999. He is currently the president of Canadian Aquatic Resources Section of the American Fisheries Society.

Valerie Power

Board Member

Valerie was a very young child when her dad started taking her and her siblings trout and salmon fishing on the west coast of NL, where her Dad instilled in them a love and respect of nature. Because of this, she obtained a B.Sc. in Biology and a M.Env.Sc., and has worked as a Biologist with Memorial University for 38 years.  "Being able to contribute to the conservation and integrity of our salmonid populations in NL is something I look forward to helping with as a member of SAEN."

Rob Thomas

Board Member

Rob was born and raised in St. John’s and has lived here with his wife Raelene (also an avid fly fisher, fly tyer and conservationist) for the last 30 years. He has recently retired as the Director of Marketing for a local software company and now stays busy as a Geospatial Data Consultant and member of the SAEN Board. An outdoor enthusiast and fly fisher, he can be found on provincial salmon rivers throughout the province during the summer. For other months of the year he and his wife have also traveled from the Caribbean to Alaska in pursuit of fly-fishing adventures. He hopes to contribute to SAEN in whatever way he can to continue SAENS’s salmonid conservation efforts in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ian Hutchings

Board Member

Coming Soon

Jeremy Gillam 

Board Member

Jeremy was born and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador, and grew up fly fishing on the island's west coast. He completed his Law Degree at the University of New Brunswick in May 2024 and is currently completing his articles in St. John's. He will be called to the Newfoundland and Labrador bar on June 26, 2025, and is looking forward to getting involved with conservation and serving on the Board of SAEN.

Brad Lambert

Ava Hart

Nick Murphy

Board Member

Board Member

Board Member

Mary Byrne

Office Administrator

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