Robert Wintner

Biography

 Robert Wintner has worked for years to protect Hawaii’s reefs. He led legislative campaigns at the Hawaii State Capitol and in Maui County. His anti-aquarium campaign brought aquarium plunder and reef destruction to the surface and showed the grim reality of empty reefs. Robert Wintner and the Snorkel Bob Foundation were crucial members of a coalition formed to protect the northwestern Hawaiian Islands Papahanaumokuakea Marine Monument. Wintner has also been involved with Monk seal protection, resulting in state laws to protect critically endangered Hawaiian Monk seals from abuse by enacting felony penalties. The Snorkel Bob Foundation underwrote litigation through Earthjustice, the nonprofit, public-interest law firm, to stop the National Marine Fisheries Service from expanding the Hawaii longline swordfish fishery. An expansion would have tripled the incidental “take” on Loggerhead, Giant Leatherback, and Hawksbill sea turtles. Through Earthjustice, Wintner personally underwrote litigation against the state of Hawaii for the state's failure to assess environmental impact prior to issuing permits for aquarium collecting. These irresponsible permits legally allowed any collector to take every fish from any given reef

Research Interest

 Environmental Sciences, Anti Aquarium, Reef destruction