Travis Knorr has been an active SCUBA diver since age 12, frequenting the Florida Keys, diving with his father. In 2007, he moved there permanently to work as an aquarium fish collector, a role which he held for five years. Motivated to give back to the reef ecosystem that had shaped his early career, he shifted focus toward marine aquaculture while serving as both the Science Laboratory and Engineering Technology/Renewable Energy Technician at the College of the Florida Keys. There, he co-founded the College’s Aquaculture Club and earned an Associate of Science, Associate of Arts in Marine Environmental Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Marine Resource Management, and certifications in Professional Research Diving and Tropical Ornamental Mariculture.

Travis later worked part-time as a Life Support Systems Technician at the Key West Aquarium before being promoted to Operations Manager in 2020. In 2022, he joined Mote Marine Laboratory’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration as the Life Support Systems and Climate and Acidification Ocean Simulator (CAOS) Manager.

He is now pursuing a Master of Science in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida. There he performs research on first-feeds for ornamental aquarium fishes, with the goal of developing sustainable larviculture protocols for the industry.

Outside of work, Travis participates in several aquarium societies. He and his wife, Mick Walsh, run a home aquaculture company and maintain several systems including mixed reef, FOWLR (fish-only with live rock), freshwater aquaria, and aquaponics. When he’s not tending tanks, he enjoys fishing, sailing his Hobie Cat, biking, camping, and restoring vintage cars and trucks.