Biography
Mel is the Chief Operating Officer for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance and for the last five years has been coordinating fishing industry and NGO efforts to develop New England's Audit Model EM Program for groundfish and to ensure that EM data is accessible and utilized for stock assessments and fisheries science. She can often be found in the space where the best ideas of the small-boat fleet are brought forward to scientists, tried and tested, and worked into regulations to help fish and fishermen. Mel grew up in Minnesota, but earned her sea legs studying marine biology on the West Coast, where she received her BA in Marine Biology from Occidental College. She interned with the Fishermen's Alliance while obtaining her Masters in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University.
