Gregory N. Whitis was born in Gainesville, Florida, moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Zoology. He then attended graduate school at Auburn and earned a Master of Aquaculture. After working for three years on Alabama's largest catfish farm, he began his professional career at Auburn as a State Extension Specialist in Aquaculture and recently retired after 33 years of service. He has published two popular novels about catfish farming, Blue Green and Nighthope, as well as the nonfiction tome EW Shell's History of the Auburn University Fisheries Program. In March 2025, his third novel, Eight Minutes, hit the shelves to wide acclaim. He is also well-published in the areas of inland shrimp production, the environmental impacts of aquaculture, and innovative catfish production. He currently resides in Greensboro with his wife, Karen.
