Our Board

About the NFCC Board

Designed for functionality and independence, the NFCC is a “virtual” organization, without permanent staff. Instead, it engages some of the best and brightest thinkers, analysts, and writers to work on individual projects.

The organization is governed by an active and prominent Board of Directors whose members are recognized throughout the nation as experts in fisheries science, public interest advocacy, environmental policy, fisheries journalism, and industry perspectives. Together, they represent a wide range of diverse interests in fisheries and years of experience in the field.

Statement from Board:

Our mission is to improve fisheries conservation and management by fulfilling our role as an honest broker and arbitrator within the fisheries community. We form a bridge between the various sectors of the fishing community, environmental groups, government agencies, and the public by thoroughly documenting the background to specific management problems; creating forums where divergent points of view can be expressed and examined and conflicts resolved collaboratively, with no predetermined outcomes; developing mechanisms to improve the collection and flow of important information; and facilitating the development and implementation of innovative problem-solving approaches. We welcome and value all stakeholders with respect for all and bias towards none.

Our Board

Dr. Brock B. Bernstein, President

National Fisheries Conservation Center

NFCC creates a neutral space, a common ground where fishermen, scientists, managers, and conservationists can meet to hear one another’s points of view and collaborate on new solutions to difficult problems. For me, NFCC’s commitment to win-win solutions provides hope that fishing, and the unique lifestyle it entails, can be sustained, along with the ecosystems on which it depends.

Email: brockbbernstein@sbcglobal.net

Dr. Dayton (Lee) Alverson, Chairman of the Board

Natural Resources Consultants

The unconditional support that NFCC provides fishermen, environmentalists, scientists, and fishery managers sparks optimism and encourages collaborative thinking and cooperation. Only by pooling individual resources and tapping our collective wisdom will we be able to achieve the common goal of healthy fish stocks and promising futures for fishermen and fishing communities.

Email: nrc@nrccorp.com

Jerry Fraser, Publisher

National Fisherman

I am idealistic enough to believe that eventually the United States will develop a network of fishery management systems that recognize
the contribution of commercial fishermen. I am realistic enough to understand that this cannot take place without a partnership between
fishermen and conservationists forged out of the principles both share. I believe the NFCC facilitates such a partnership.

Email: jfraser@divcom.com

Dr. Martin Hall, Head, Tuna-Dolphin Program

Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

I believe that intelligent fishers and sensible environmentalists share basic goals, but that a history of conflicts and an inability to communicate frequently hide this fact. Organizations like the NFCC can help bridge this gap, building on common ground, and developing models that can be used to address fisheries conflicts and find solutions that allow the sustainable use of the oceans.

Email:mhall@iattc.org

Suzanne Iudicello Martley

Junkyard Dogfish Consulting

Arguments about fishery management are all too often conducted passionately by folks who would rather fight than win. In contrast, NFCC is an organization that attracts leaders who are open to listening to other points of view, discussing alternatives and options that lead to win-win solutions.

Email: suzanneiudicello@rushmore.com

Mark Lundsten, Filmmaker

Owner of Fidalgo Films

After spending 27 years as a commercial fisherman and in fish politics, I learned that the fundamentals of fisheries conservation are simple, but that the politics are complicated, and contentious. NFCC’s role is to keep those fundamentals in sight and in place as we find sustainable and workable solutions amid the noise of the debate.

Email: mlundsten@gmail.com

Brad Matsen

Independent writer and photographer

The impulse to create the NFCC, originally funded by National Fisherman magazine, rose from more than a decade of covering the commercial fishing and environmental communities as the Pacific Editor. I was a founding board member, after convincing our publisher to contribute staff time and modest funding to the advocacy of sustainable commercial fisheries, because it was clear to me that our relationships with the sea and seafood were burdened by conflict and resource abuse. I remain on the board because of my continuing commitment to responsible stewardship of the fisheries and to the resolution of disputes among the many factions bound to the sea and its gifts.

Email: bradocean@earthlink.net

Peter Shelley, Vice President

Conservation Law Foundation

Fisheries management in the United States under current approaches is simply not getting the job done. Instead of solving problems and restoring abundance to our coastal and offshore marine waters, people are locked into defensive positions that thwart creativity and progress. For me, the NFCC agenda is pointing toward the future with its focus on building bridges between fishermen, scientists, and conservationists. Across those bridges lie durable answers to the acute problems that have crippled U.S. marine resources policy for more than three decades.

Email: pshelley@clf.org

Thane Tienson, Partner

Landye Bennett Blumstein

The management of our Nation’s fisheries has never been more public, more contentious, or more important than it is today. As a consequence, the need for an objective, informed, and respected voice is paramount. This was the impetus for the creation of the NFCC: to serve as a resource for policy makers and interested stakeholders; to promote the need for science-based management and increased scientific research; and to help resolve disputes over management in a way that protects the biological diversity and richness of our marine habitat and promotes conservation and the long-term sustainability of our fisheries resources for all concerned.

Email: ttienson@landye-bennett.com

Brad Warren, Director of Global Ocean Health Program

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

While some organizations portray [fishery] problems in the galvanizing terms of combat — urging the public to rally and smite wrong-doers — our mission has always been to find out how to work with fisheries that have real problems…It has been heartening to see fisheries leaders, conservationists, scientists, and other fisheries folk learning to cooperate on many issues, even in a time of sharpening competition for resources and bitter conflicts over allocation and conservation.

Email: wordworks9@earthlink.net