Keynote Speakers

Patricia Briones-Fourzán is senior researcher and former head of the Reefs Systems Unit, Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Together with colleagues and students she has published over 100 papers on the biology and ecology of crustaceans, especially spiny lobsters, in topics such as effects of habitat enhancement on lobster populations; reproductive, feeding, disease, behavioral, and chemical ecology, as well as larval and postlarval ecology. One of her main goals is to increase insight into the complex relationships of spiny lobsters with their habitats and surrounding biological communities, and their potential responses to anthropogenic stressors.

André E. Punt is a Professor and the current Director in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University Washington, Seattle, USA. He received his PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Punt has been involved in stock assessment and fisheries management for over 30 years. The research undertaken by Dr. Punt and his research group relates broadly to the development and application of fisheries stock assessment techniques, bioeconomic modelling, and the evaluation of the performance of stock assessment methods and harvest control rules using the Management Strategy Evaluation approach.

Gordon Kruse is a Professor Emeritus of Fisheries with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, where he was a professor for 17 years. Previously, he worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for 16 years, most of that time as Chief Marine Fisheries Scientist. During his career, Gordon has conducted applied marine fisheries research, including stock assessments, population dynamics, fisheries oceanography, marine ecosystem dynamics, and fishery management including ecosystem-based fisheries management. He has worked on a wide variety of marine fish and invertebrate species with an emphasis on crabs in Alaska.

Gretta Pecl is a Professor of marine ecology at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, and Director of the Centre for Marine Socioecology at UTAS. She is a Lead Author for the IPCC AR6 report and has extensive expertise on the impact of climate change on natural systems, and on developing adaptation options for fisheries and aquaculture. She is prominent in UN Decade of Ocean Science programmes, actions and working groups, including co-leading Future Seas 2030.Gretta has a strong passion for science communication and engagement with the public and is ranked in the top 200 most influential climate scientists in the world (and the top 20 women).

Mark Edwards has spent most of his career in fisheries management for the New Zealand government (1988-2010) and then worked for a period in Australia. He had various senior management roles in the Ministry of Fisheries concluding as the Ministry’s Chief Policy Advisor, and was the Director, Policy and Licensing in Victoria, Australia for 6 years.

He has an Executive Masters in Public Administration from the Australian/New Zealand School of Government and a Masters in Marine Sciences.

Mark has led reviews of legislation and international negotiation, and worked on fisheries policy, the settlement with Maori, allocation, cost recovery, and licensing and administration. He has been involved in fisheries management development in the United Kingdom, Argentina and Peru.

Mark returned to New Zealand in 2016 and is currently the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council.