Capabilities

MRAG Americas, Inc. is an independent consulting business dedicated to promoting responsible, rational and sustainable utilization of aquatic resources, with offices in Florida, Massachusetts, Alaska, and California. Our staff consists of a unique and highly motivated group of scientists and specialists with expertise in fisheries and aquatic resource science, management, and monitoring; fisheries observer programs; ecosystem and protected area management; government liaison and relations; and international conservation and management agreements.

MRAG Americas is one of the three companies in the MRAG family. MRAG Ltd. headquartered in London, UK is a leading international company with a long and highly productive track record of designing and implementing integrated resource management systems in marine, estuarine, riverine, and floodplain environments. Founded in 1986, MRAG has a core staff of more than 30 full time specialists with a wide variety of expertise and practical and technical experience, providing a multi-disciplinary approach to every project. MRAG has worked in more than 60 countries for government agencies; international agencies including the World Bank, United Nations Development Program; European Commission; non-governmental organizations; and private sector companies. MRAG Asia Pacific, the youngest of the three companies, is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia. MRAG Asia Pacific’s core business is similar to that of the other MRAG companies and it has a growing presence in the region, providing consulting services to a wide range of governmental, non-governmental and international agencies across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

As a company with a core and multidiscipline staff we are capable of undertaking diverse studies and projects to support the development of aquatic resource management. Examples of this work include:

  • Policy and Strategic Planning
  • Development of Resource Management Programs
  • Development of Educational Materials
  • Economic, Social and Biological Analyses
  • Environmental Assessment
  • Data and Information Management
  • Institutional Development
  • Technical Training

The large variety of work undertaken by MRAG Americas’ staff and colleagues has ultimately focused on improving our ability to manage resources and fisheries consistent with the productivity of the aquatic ecosystems that support them. Much of this work has a strong analytical basis and MRAG often uses novel approaches to tackle issues that our clients are trying to resolve in order to underpin the recommendations that are developed.

This analytical work has supported stock assessment reviews for the Northeast groundfish fisheries, management reviews for the red snapper fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and for the assessment of fisheries impacts on Steller sea lion populations. These analyses have also considered the impacts that fisheries management will have on the social and economic characteristics of fisheries (as demonstrated for a suite of projects focusing on the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fisheries) and developed management tools and approaches such as the assessment of spawning potential ratios as management reference points, management options for target sedentary species in the Southwest Pacific and programs to reduce discard mortality (Alaska), fishing effort (US Caribbean) and fishing capacity (Monterey Bay).

MRAG’s capability to service an extensive array of resource science and management needs is further extended through our network of associations and collaborations with internationally acclaimed experts, academic institutions, and other private organizations worldwide.