April 30, 2015 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today that it will add Dr. David Agnew and Mr. Ichiro Nomura to its Board of Directors. Dr. Agnew has over 30 years’ experience in the fisheries management and marine sciences fields and was formerly a member of ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee. Dr. Agnew is currently the Standards Director of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) where he was responsible for the creation of the MSC Scholarship scheme, developing and publishing the MSC Science Series, initiating new joint MSC-ASC seaweed standard and managing revisions of the MSC Fishery and Chain of Custody Standards, among other accomplishments. He has also held positions at MRAG Ltd in London and Imperial College of London and holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Glasgow University.
Mr. Nomura is currently the Fisheries Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia. Prior, he served in the Fisheries Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tokyo, he held a position in the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC as First Secretary in charge of Fisheries and would later be Assistant -Director General and head of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Mr. Nomura holds a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Tokyo, Japan, a Master of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“The addition of Ichiro and David to the Board not only brings years of valuable experience, it adds a wealth of diverse understanding and even some differences of opinion,” ISSF President Susan Jackson said. “Their participation broadens our scope of expertise. David is a foremost technical expert on MSC standards and fisheries management, and Ichiro’s research and international policy experience is almost unmatched; we are very much looking forward to the insight and guidance that they’re ready to provide.”
ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC) and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) also welcomed new members. Meghan Jeans, Director of Conservation at the New England Aquarium (NEAQ), joins the ESC. Ms. Jeans is also currently a member of the MSC Stakeholder Council and the Fair Trade USA Fishery Advisory Council. Before NEAQ, she was co-director for the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum at Stanford University and served as a technical advisor to ICCAT and the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel.
Joining the SAC are Dr. Keith Sainsbury and Dr. Josu Santiago. Dr. Sainsbury has a background in marine and fisheries research and modeling, including as a Senior Principal Research Scientist and leading major research groups for over 20 years in the Australian federal research organization (CSIRO). Considered one of the foremost experts on the ‘precautionary approach’ to fisheries management, he also serves as a member of MSC’s Technical Advisory Board. Dr. Santiago is the Principal Researcher and Head of Area Tuna Research at AZTI-Tecnalia’s Marine Research Division, and just completed four years as Chair of the Standing Committee for Research and Statistics at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). He holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of the Basque Country in Spain.
ISSF was saddened by the news that Dr. Robin Allen, of the Scientific Advisory Committee, passed away last month. “ISSF would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Allen,” ISSF President Susan Jackson said. “He was an invaluable member of our Scientific Advisory Committee from its inception, chaired a number of our workshops on tuna fisheries management and his wise guidance will be impossible to replace.”
About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s leading conservation organization, promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. To learn more, visit their website at iss-foundation.org.