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.

Raiana McKinney leads Pew’s work to modernize oversight of longline and transshipment activities at regional fishery management organizations. McKinney also works to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within Pew and previously worked on several other international marine initiatives, including global shark conservation and strengthening the governance of global tuna fisheries.

Before coming to Pew, McKinney worked for the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. She currently serves as a member of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative’s Define Best Practice and Inform Policy working group and the ICES Working Group on Technology Integration for Fishery-Dependent Data.

McKinney holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a minor in game design from New York University and is pursuing a master’s in international relations at Harvard University.

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.

Mick is an environmental scientist with a background in environmental monitoring and management. He commenced work with Fisheries Queensland in 2020 and is keen to learn more about the design and establishment of cost-effective EM programs.

Fisheries Queensland is responsible for managing commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture in Queensland’s freshwaters, estuaries and marine environments including the Great Barrier Reef.

CCE is one of the only groups on Long Island that works directly with local commercial fisherman. We help to ensure this unique and historical way of life is preserved. We work with local, state and federal managers to ensure local fishing is sustainable. We aid in the design and testing of conservation fishing gear that reduces by-catch of non-target species.