Biography
Abigail spent 20 years commercial fishing for salmon off of the coast of Alaska before "retiring" to advocate for the fish and the fishermen she loves. Her time on the water was the foundation of her education in all things fish, from the successes of science-based fisheries management to sustainable fishing practices. The rest of her education came in the form of a BS in Communication and from a number of mentors in the world of fisheries management. In 2015 she began working with North Pacific Fisheries Association (NPFA) as Project Coordinator, a position that has introduced her to the world of federal fisheries monitoring. Shortly after starting at NPFA, she began participating in the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (NPFMC) Electronic Monitoring Workgroup. This was a group established to spearhead developing a regulated electronic monitoring program in the North Pacific. Since then both the fixed-gear longline and pot fisheries in Alaska are fully regulated and operational. She now serves on the NPFMC's Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee (FMAC) and Partial Coverage FMAC.