Young Guy

Growing up on a cattle ranch in Jamaica, Harvey was raised surrounded by a lush tropical landscape and diverse wildlife. He learned to fish and dive from his parents, both very accomplished anglers, who regularly took a young Harvey out in their dugout canoe to explore Jamaica’s offshore waters that teemed with wildlife. In 1962, Harvey’s mother, Josephine, landed the family’s first blue marlin, with her second one caught later that same day, making her the first woman in Jamaica’s history to accomplish the feat. These formative experiences cemented the majesty of the blue marlin in Harvey’s mind.

Harvey became obsessed with the mighty blue marlin. When he was sent to England as a young boy for boarding school, about as far climactically and ecologically as one can get from Jamaica, he would draw marlin and other animals from his native land to help relieve his homesickness. This process also honed the skills of the self-taught artist.

As Harvey grew, the obsession only intensified. He finally caught his first blue marlin when he was 17 years old while home in Jamaica for the summer.

“I had seen other anglers catch blue marlin and saw many brought back to the docks, but I can still clearly remember the first time I caught one,” says Harvey. “The speed, power, acrobatics, and vivid colors were unlike anything I had experienced before.”

Soon after Harvey’s first blue marlin catch, when he was back at boarding school his mother sent him a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. While Hemingway’s description of Santiago’s epic fight with the massive blue marlin told a beautiful story, the lack of actual illustrations in the novella frustrated Harvey, who then began the year long process of creating his own illustrations.  By 1975, while he was attending the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Harvey completed pen-and-ink sketches of 44 classic scenes from The Old Man and the Sea, bringing Hemingway’s story to life in intricate detail.

Scientist to Artist

The Old Man and the Sea sketches sat on the shelf for years as Harvey worked his way through university and into graduate school at the University of the West Indies (UWI), where he earned his PhD in fisheries management. Formalizing his education not only gave Harvey detailed knowledge of the biology, ecology, and life history of his favorite marine animals, but it also helped refine the accuracy of his artwork. Harvey hand-drew all of the scientific illustrations for his research dissertation.

“Science really helps in your understanding of portraying the anatomy, the physiology of the animal and the ecology of the animal,” Harvey says.

During this time, Harvey also served in the Jamaica Defense Force Coast Guard to help supplement his income while solidifying his navigation and seamanship skills.

Upon graduating with honors from UWI, Dr. Guy Harvey began teaching as a professor of marine fisheries at his alma mater. Harvey continued to paint regularly, and in 1985, with encouragement from his future wife Gillian, Harvey hosted his first one-man art show in Jamaica, which included his original Old Man and the Sea series.

These authentic depictions of blue marlin and other sportfish caught the eye of two anglers from Florida, Charlie Forman and Scott Boyd, who were visiting the island for a marlin tournament. The gentlemen suggested that Harvey bring his unique artwork to the U.S. at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS). The following year, Harvey did just that, bringing a sizeable portfolio of his original paintings to display at the 1986 FLIBS. The collection quickly sold out.

 

The Art of Business

Shortly after that successful first boat show, Harvey was introduced to IGFA Bob Herder Light Tackle Awardee, Raleigh Werking, the owner of an apparel manufacturing company in Florida. It was Werking’s idea to reproduce Harvey’s artwork on a series of T-shirts, giving rise to the iconic Guy Harvey T-shirt and the start of the Guy Harvey art licensing business.

As Harvey spent more time on the road to help grow the business, it was always the return home to fish Jamaica’s waters that provided the balance in his life. To help ensure this connection to his home fishery, Harvey officially joined the IGFA as an International Representative.

“I have long respected IGFA’s work in standardizing angling rules and ethics, record keeping, and preserving the history of sportfishing,” says Harvey. “It was an honor to represent such an esteemed organization and help advance their great work at home in Jamaica.”

Since those humble beginnings, the Guy Harvey business has grown by leaps and bounds to include a wide range of licensed products, including a full line of reproduced artwork, apparel, jewelry, gift items, housewares, restaurants, resorts, Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets, and a line of Ford pickup trucks, just to name a few. Yet as wide a range as the products may be, the authenticity of Harvey’s artwork complements them all and brings the undersea world into everyday life for anglers and ocean enthusiasts alike.

As the selection of Guy Harvey merchandise grew and became more widely available, so too did the artwork. Larger-than-life public murals were installed, including a three-story-tall piece at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a 300-foot-by-50-foot mural at Nova Southeastern University’s Student Center, and, most impressively, a 1,065-foot-long painting on the hull of Norwegian Cruise Line’s ship, Escape, among many other public works.

About the murals, Harvey says, “Most people never get to see these open ocean animals up close and personal. Painting these large pelagic animals life-sized, in places where the general public can experience them, helps garner appreciation for these ecologically critical species.”

 

Business Back to Science

Through the 1990s and 2000s, the revenue generated by Harvey’s artwork and associated merchandise increased to the point that he was able to return to his first love, studying the large pelagic fish that captivated him in his youth. Though this time, it was not merely for curiosity’s sake, the noticeable decline in many marine species during this time raised genuine concern.

In 1999, Harvey formalized a partnership with Nova Southeastern University to establish the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The mission of the GHRI is to provide the scientific information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world's marine fishes and their ecosystems. Harvey directed a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all of his merchandise back to the GHRI to help conduct their groundbreaking research.

“Long-term scientific studies are incredibly expensive. Satellite tags alone cost several thousand dollars each, not to mention satellite time, boat costs, fishing gear, and travelling to locations where we can catch our target species,” Harvey says. “Being able to direct money from the business to support the research was an integral start to our scientific work, with those funds being amplified with support from donors.”

With a focus on satellite tracking and genetic/genomic studies of marlin, sailfish, and sharks, the GHRI has published 186 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles to date. This cutting-edge research has identified new species of shark and marlin, discovered parthenogenesis (virgin birth) in sharks, provided the first quantitative estimate of shark mortality to satisfy the fin trade, decoded the whole genomes of several shark species for the first time, and proved the sustainability of catch-and-release sportfishing for billfish, among many other accomplishments that have led to significant management changes.

To expand this conservation work further, in 2008 Harvey founded the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (now the Guy Harvey Foundation), focusing on collaborating with local and international organizations to conduct scientific research and host educational programs to better understand and conserve the ocean environment. The Guy Harvey Foundation (GHF) partners with organizations such as Stanford University, Texas A&M University, the Dolphinfish Research Program, the IGFA, and others to research a range of pelagic fish species.

Additionally, the GHF has developed marine science education programs to help teach students and the general public about ocean resources and the work being done to sustain them. The Guy Harvey Conservation Education Program is currently being used in five U.S. states, has trained almost 2,000 educators, reached 236,000 students, established almost 200 Conservation Schools, and awarded nearly $1 million in educational grants. Harvey is utilizing a lifetime of research and experience on the water to help develop the next generation of ocean conservationists.

 

Guy and the IGFA

Over 40 years, the Guy Harvey brand, including the business, the research institute, and the foundation, was built on partnerships. But through it all, no partnership has persevered more than Harvey’s association with the IGFA. From joining the IGFA as an International Representative in 1986, when the focus was on angling ethics and record-keeping, to today, with a focus more on research and conservation, Harvey and the IGFA continue to work together to help sustain fisheries around the world.

Beyond his role as an International Representative, Harvey became an IGFA Trustee in 1993 and was awarded the organization’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. The IGFA formally inducted Harvey into the Fishing Hall of Fame in 2009. Harvey regularly provides his authentic artwork in support of IGFA initiatives, including original paintings for fundraising auctions, reproduced artwork for the annual World Record Game Fishes book, and custom designs for IGFA conservation initiatives like “Take Marlin Off the Menu”. His contributions also extend directly to recognizing angler achievements and honoring dedicated supporters: he supplied his signature artwork for the IGFA's Grand Slam and Royal Slam Clubs and IGFA Trophy Fish Club certificates, as well as several paintings for the exclusive IGFA Lifetime Lithograph gifted to new Lifetime Members. But perhaps nothing is more up front than Harvey’s custom-designed official IGFA logo, which includes his iconic marlin, shark, tuna, tarpon, trout, and bass images.

“There is no organization as tenured, respected, and effective as IGFA,” says Harvey. “I cannot imagine where the recreational fishing industry or our fisheries would be without them.”

The IGFA and GHF have also collaborated directly on several conservation initiatives, including GHF support of IGFA’s education program and IGFA support of the GHF’s billfish research program. The two organizations also jointly serve on the Center for Sportfishing Policy, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the American Sportfishing Association, and a number of other industry coalitions. After 40 years, Harvey and the IGFA are having a bigger positive impact on our ocean resources now, more than ever before.

 

2026 and Beyond

After 40 years, the core of Guy Harvey’s business remains rooted in authentic artwork informed by deep scientific knowledge and a lifetime on—and under—the water. What began with the original Guy Harvey t-shirt and expanded into a diverse range of commercial products now generates critical funds to advance marine research and engage the public in ocean conservation.

To honor this 40-year legacy of fishing, art, and conservation, 24-time Emmy Award-winning producer Nick Nanton and Astonish Entertainment recently debuted the documentary film Guy Harvey at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Following its festival circuit run and select international screenings, the film will be released to the general public.

Reflecting on Harvey’s impact, IGFA President Jason Schratwieser remarked:

“Guy Harvey doesn’t just capture game fish on canvas and paper. Like Jacques Cousteau before him, he brings a lifetime of firsthand knowledge to his work—the kind that only comes from decades spent in and around the water studying these species up close. But what stands out most to those of us at IGFA isn’t the artistry; it’s the man behind it. Guy has spent much of his life working to protect game fish, and his influence has pushed countless anglers to think of themselves as stewards of the sport rather than participants in it. He’s been a steady presence in the IGFA community for years, generous with his time and his knowledge, and our organization is better for it.”

With his daughter, Jessica Harvey, newly appointed as CEO of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHF), and his son, Alex Harvey, preparing to lead Guy Harvey Incorporated, the future is bright for the brand, the foundation, and our oceans. Alongside partners like the IGFA, they will help ensure future generations enjoy a balanced marine ecosystem where fish and wildlife flourish.

As Harvey reminds us:

“It is our collective responsibility to conserve our marine environment and maintain the biodiversity of our planet.”

                      - Guy Harvey, PhD.