JM “Marty” Tanner has been in the Aquaculture industry for over 35 years. He has owned and operated one of the largest production ornamental hatcheries in the US. With an early background in accounting and tax preparation, he left to start his first farming operation in the early 1990’s. He grew the operations to 4 sites in Polk and Hillsborough Counties. He recently sold those operations and in 2023 founded Seagrass Restoration Institute to put his years of production experience to work to support the declining aquatic environment.

He has been the recipient of multiple awards including the State of Florida Environmental Leadership Award and the Florida Farm Bureau's CARES Award.

He continues to stay active in the industry. His experience includes:

Florida Aquaculture Association - Past President of 15 years
SRAC - Industry Advisor to the USDA in Aquaculture for the Southern Region  - Chair
Florida Farm Bureau Federation - Industry Advisor - Chair
FDAC - Aquaculture Advisory Council - Member 

Marty looks forward to this new direction in Restoration Aquaculture.