Peter Neill

PETER NEILL is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. Peter is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world related to fresh water, ocean issues, fisheries, maritime history, sustainability, policy, and education. Throughout his career, Mr. Neill has dedicated his expertise to organizations devoted to marine affairs, education, and culture. He was President of the South Street Seaport Museum from 1985-2004; is a past President of the Council of American Maritime Museums and the International Congress of Maritime Museums; and is a co-founder of The Sound School, New Haven, Connecticut and The Harbor School, in New York City, two innovative public high schools that use the marine environment as a context for teaching and learning. His publications include novels (3, 2013; A Time Piece, 1970; Mock Turtle Soup, 1972; Acoma, 1978); non-fiction (Maritime America, 1988; Great Maritime Museums of the World, 1991; On a Painted Ocean, 1998); The Once and Future Ocean: Notes Toward a New Hydraulic Society (Leete’s Island Books, 2016); Aqua / Terra: Reflections on the World Ocean (Leete’s Island Books, 2021), as well as numerous anthologies and articles on maritime history and art. He lives in Sedgwick, Maine, with his partner Mary, a visual artist.