Sid Stetson
Sid Stetson is the Senior Aquarist at a marine science facility on the Oregon coast. A graduate of the Aquarium Science Program (AQS) at Oregon Coast Community College, Mr. Stetson has worked as a mentor in the AQS Program’s Teaching Aquarium, continues to be a frequent guest lecturer for several AQS courses, and is a member of the faculty in addition to serving as the chair of different committees supporting the Program.
Sid grew up in a small town in western Illinois and set up his first aquarium while in elementary school after being inspired by the dazzling beauty of the animals and habitats shown in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau television specials. He maintained aquaria of various sizes for many years as a hobbyist while he managed professional kitchens as a chef in clubs and restaurants in Chicago and the surrounding area.
Seeking a career change after working for more than 28 years in professional kitchens, he began writing web pages, syndicated articles, and other kinds of copywriting for an Internet marketing firm in Rock Island, Illinois. After writing in an office for several years, he learned about the AQS Program and indulged a longtime daydream by going back to school and learning how to become a professional aquarist.
Today, he is living that dream on the beautiful Oregon coast. He continues to copywrite on a freelance basis from his home office for this website and several others. While he doesn’t currently have any aquariums at home, he keeps his hands wet these days by designing and building different types of aquatic life support systems in his facility’s Aquatic Animal Teaching Lab, caring for the systems and animals in other parts of the facility and teaching AQS and veterinary students the principles of aquatic animal health.