Our Team

Andrew A. Rosenberg, Ph.D., President, MRAG Americas, New England Office

Dr. Andrew Rosenberg serves as President of MRAG Americas. He is also currently the Senior Vice President for Science and Knowledge at Conservation International, on leave from the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire where, prior to April 2004, he was dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Over the past three years he has also been a member of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

Prior to joining UNH, Dr. Rosenberg was the Deputy Director of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service from 1998-2000, the senior career position in the agency. As Deputy Director, he dealt with policy decisions on science and resource management issues nationwide as well as the administration of the agency. He was also a principle agency spokesperson before Congress, the public and technical audiences. Before becoming NMFS Deputy Director, Dr. Rosenberg was the NMFS Northeast Regional Administrator. He negotiated and implemented the recovery program for New England fisheries, reversing overfishing and resource declines on George’s Bank as well as other areas for groundfish and scallop fisheries and worked to develop and implement marine mammal recovery programs and endangered species protections throughout the northeast. He also has served as the U.S. lead representative in several international fishery management organizations such as NAFO, NASCO and FAO.

Dr. Rosenberg’s scientific work is in the field of population dynamics, resource assessment and resource management policy. He holds a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from the University of Massachusetts, an M.S. in Oceanography from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Dalhousie University. He was on the faculty of Imperial College of Science and Technology in London for six years and was the Deputy Director of the Renewable Resources Assessment Group, an internationally known quantitative analysis and policy consultancy group.

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Robert J. Trumble, Ph.D., Vice President, MRAG Americas, Southeast Office

Dr. Trumble has wide-ranging experience in marine fish science and management, fishery habitat protection, and oceanography. He joined MRAG Americas in 2000 as a senior research scientist and became Vice President in 2005. Previously, he served 14 years as Senior Biologist of the International Pacific Halibut Commission in Seattle, Washington, 10 years in various research and management positions at the Washington Department of Fisheries, and six years with the US Naval Oceanographic Office.

At MRAG, Dr. Trumble performs project planning, assembles research teams, and conducts research, with a focus on improving management of aquatic ecosystems and the resources and fisheries they support. His projects have included preparation and review of fishery management and habitat management plans, development bycatch management and control, preparation of environmental assessments and environmental assessments, and conducting workshops on fishery issues. Dr. Trumble has extensive experience working with government agencies, commercial and recreational fisheries groups, Indian tribes, and national and international advisory groups. He received appointments to the Scientific and Statistical Committees of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the Groundfish Management Team of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the affiliate faculty of Fisheries at the University of Washington, and the Advisory Committee of the Washington Sea Grant Program. Dr. Trumble has published in peer-reviewed journals and symposium proceedings, presented invited papers at national and international meetings, and written reports for government agencies. Dr. Trumble received a B.S. degree in Oceanography from the Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, an M.S. degree in Fisheries from the College of Fisheries, University of Washington, and Ph.D. in Fisheries from the College of Fisheries, University of Washington.

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Marc Mangel, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Advisor, MRAG Americas, California Office

Dr. Mangel is Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Jack Baskin School of Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz. Director, Center for Stock Assessment Research (a partnership between UCSC and the NMFS Santa Cruz Laboratory to train students and post-docs in the quantitative methods needed for stock assessment) and Regional Director of MRAG Americas, running the California office (opened 2004). At UCSC, he conducts research on quantitative methods for fishery management, the population biology of disease, and the evolutionary biology of longevity. Prior to coming to UCSC in 1996, he worked (1977-1980) for the Center for Naval Analysis (the Federal Contract Research Center conducting operations and systems analysis for the US Navy) and at the University of California Davis (1980-1996). Dr. Mangel has held Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships and is a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has held visiting positions at the Hebrew University (Scheinbrun Professor), University of Oxford (Member, Wolfson College), the Weizmann Institute (Varon Professor), Florida State University (William R. and Lenore Mote Eminent Scholar Chair in Fisheries Ecology and Enhancement) and Ben Gurion University (Dozor Professor).

Dr. Mangel has worked on fishery problems since graduate school, when he and Colin Clark developed models for the tuna purse seine fishery. In addition, he wrote one of the first papers applying Bayesian methods to stock assessment (Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 42:150-163, 1985) and applied such methods to the recovery of California sardine, was the first invited outside expert to the Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1986-1989) and was subsequently a member of the US delegation to the scientific committee (1991) and to the working groups of the scientific committee (1996, 1997), convened and chaired the steering committee concerning principles of wild living resource conservation (published as Ecological Applications 6:338-362, 1996 and a focal document for the Marine Life Management Act), served on the Committee of Scientific Advisors of the US Marine Mammal Commission for six years, and was a member of the Ecosystem Advisory Panel, the Scientific Advisory Panel for West Coast Marine Reserve Planning, and the team that conducted a review of the harvest policy used by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. He currently serves on the NMFS Recovery Review Science Panel (RSRP), on the NERC Special Committee on Seals, and on the NMFS Committee on Scientific Integration of Marine Reserves and Traditional Fishery Management.

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Robert Wakeford, Ph.D, Technical Director, MRAG Americas, Southeast Office

Dr. Wakeford joined MRAG Americas in 2006 as Technical Director, after 11 years working for MRAG Ltd. in London. He brings to the Group a broad range of multi-disciplinary skills within fisheries resource management and policy, ranging from fish stock assessment, survey design and analysis, statistical and empirical modeling, database design and project management. He was awarded his doctorate degree from Imperial College London in 2000, following a bio-socio-economic study to develop alternative management strategies for the Seychelles artisanal fishery, Indian Ocean. His experience with stock assessment and fisheries management extends from high latitude industrial fisheries, such as those within Europe and the South Atlantic, to artisanal fisheries mainly within the Caribbean and Indian Ocean. Robert has provided technical advice to the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission on the status of shared squid and finfish stocks between Argentina and the Falkland Islands, and has contributed to the ICES and CCAMLR Fish Stock Working Groups. Robert has gained extensive experience in the design and implementation of a range of resource survey methods. These include baseline dive surveys, socio-economic, ecological, and acoustic surveys for biological and fish stock assessment purposes. He has a strong analytical background, from which he can develop a range of sophisticated statistical and empirical models, where needed. His acute analytical skills are coupled with an ability to develop comprehensive data manipulation and analytical routines, including the development of database and VBA applications. More recently, Robert has developed a range of skills concerned with fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance, with particular emphasis on controlling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

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Erika A. Zollett, Ph.D., Senior Marine Scientist, MRAG Americas, New England Office

Dr. Zollett joined MRAG Americas in 2009. She holds a B.S. degree from Bates College, a Master of Environmental Degree from Duke University, and a Ph.D. and Cognate in College Teaching from the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Zollett possesses an expertise in bycatch and marine mammal conservation, and has experience working on various fisheries management and marine conservation topics, including catch share programs, marine protected areas, and recreational fishing regulations. Dr. Zollett also has experience conducting surveys and interviews of engaged stakeholders, including scientists, managers, and resource users, on a number of projects. Prior to her arrival at MRAG Americas, Dr. Zollett worked with several U.S. fisheries to minimize their interactions with protected species. She collaborated with king mackerel troll fishermen in Florida to invent a device to prevent depredation of catch by bottlenose dolphins. In New England, Dr. Zollett has collaborated with fishermen, scientists, and managers to identify spatial and temporal patterns of marine mammal bycatch in the bottom trawl fishery for groundfish and to identify potential mitigation measures. Dr. Zollett worked as an Adjunct Research Associate for the New England Aquariums Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction where she helped develop a website (www.bycatch.org) which provides an information exchange for individuals working to reduce bycatch globally. She has also prepared regional and global reviews on bycatch interactions and mitigation measures for diverse taxonomic groups for the Consortium, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Dr. Zollett has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. She has also taught a number of undergraduate-level courses and given presentations on sustainable seafood for various audiences.

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Jennie M. Harrington, M.S., Fishery Biologist, MRAG Americas, New England Office

Jennie Harrington has been a fishery biologist, and more recently a projects manager, with MRAG Americas since 2003. She has participated in many projects involving the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) principles and criteria, scientific research, compilation of data from fisheries around the United States, fishery information management systems, independent program reviews and workshop organization, facilitation and documentation. Ms. Harrington has coordinated extensive research efforts that assessed the bycatch of all major U.S. fisheries across the nation. As a result, she has detailed knowledge of the fisheries and management policies in the United States. She was integral in the completion of the first phase of the Maryland Striped Bass MSC Assessment and has conducted numerous rapid and pre-assessments of fisheries to determine their potential for MSC certification. She currently manages MRAG’s MSC Chain of Custody certification program for the seafood industry. Recently, she organized a two day workshop on coastal indicators for 75 participants. For several projects, she collected information via dozens of interviews, both group and individual, and summarized the results of these interviews into concise documents. Finally, Ms. Harrington has served as projects manager for several service contracts, serving as recruiter, hiring officer and manager to employees based in NOAA’s Offices of Protected Resources and International Affairs. Prior to joining MRAG Americas, Ms. Harrington taught laboratory sciences to undergraduate students at the University of New Hampshire and focused her Master’s thesis research on aquaculture and larval fish nutrition. Ms. Harrington has presented her research at several international conferences and excelled in several classes and seminars focused on fisheries biology, management and policy. As a result, Ms. Harrington is knowledgeable and well-versed in many aspects of marine science and policy. Ms. Harrington has received a B.A. in Biology and Psychology from Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT and an M.S. in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.

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Jill H. Swasey, M.S., Marine Scientist, MRAG Americas, New England Office

Jill Swasey has worked with MRAG Americas in Essex, MA, as a marine biologist and fisheries consultant since early 2005. Her work with MRAG has involved research and analysis of policy and management of federal fisheries, ecosystem-based fisheries management, development and design of educational and outreach materials, coordination of working groups and workshops, and stakeholder engagement, along with involvement on a multitude of projects. She has specifically investigated policies and management of depleted fisheries resources and federal rebuilding efforts as mandated by legislature. Recently, Ms. Swasey has written and designed education materials on biodiversity for a general audience. In addition, she has created education materials for more specific audiences. Ms. Swasey has coordinated working groups aimed at identifying best practices in fisheries management, developing a standardized process for setting annual catch limits that can apply to all federally managed fisheries, including vulnerability assessments for fisheries. She has conducted extensive research on fishery management issues for a variety of MRAG projects. Ms. Swasey’s experience also includes the development of surveys to conduct social network analysis and identify trends and issues in coastal resource management for the NOAA Coastal Services Center, and investigation of opportunities for industry engagement with the Gulf of Maine Council. She has experience working with government, NGO and industry representatives. She presently manages several projects and the company website. Prior to joining the MRAG team, Ms. Swasey was involved with researching coral reef ecology and impacts on coral health. In this role she was involved in international workshops and collaborative research with leading scientists in the field. Ms. Swasey has taught sciences to both college and secondary school students and has worked as a writing fellow with the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Swasey holds a Master’s of Science degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire, along with a minor in Oceanography.

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Mónica Valle Esquivel, Ph.D.

Dr. Mónica Valle Esquivel has over 10 years experience working with stock assessments of greater Caribbean Sea fishery resources. Dr. Valle specializes in fish and shellfish population dynamics, stock assessment, design and evaluation of management strategies for exploited populations, ecosystem-based assessment, statistical analysis, risk analysis and simulation modeling for population predictions. Dr. Valle has participated in the assessment and evaluation of management strategies for a variety of fish and shellfish species in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic Regions. She has recently performed the scientific and editorial review of the Report of the WECAF Workshop on Caribbean Spiny Lobster conducted in Merida, Mexico, 2006 and co-authored a Manual for the Assessment and Management of Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) Fisheries in the Caribbean. Dr. Valle is a member of the MRAG team conducting MSC fishery assessments. She received her Ph.D from the University of Miami.

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Bryan Belay, Observer Operations Manager, MRAG Americas, Alaska Office

Mr. Belay began his career in Alaska with Data Contractors Inc. (DCI) in 1994 as a groundfish observer, received his ADF&G crab observer certification in 1995, gained more than 600 days on over two-dozen vessels, and accepted a position as Operations Manager for DCI in 1997. In 1998, DCI successfully bid for Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Observer Program. Mr. Belay oversaw design and implementation of the program including data entry, debriefing, distribution of coverage, logistics, and hiring of personnel. In 2001 and 2002, Bryan successfully managed the Kodiak Feasibility Study and the Kodiak Island Marine Mammal Observer Program. Bryan helped MRAG Americas successfully bid the Kodiak Island Marine Mammal Observer Program in 2004, and joined MRAG Americas on a full time basis in October of 2004. Bryan oversaw the successful implementation of the 2005 AMMOP in Kodiak, coordinated the 2005 IFQ fishery for Techsea International, and helped MRAG acquire its North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program and ADF&G Crab Observer Program certifications.

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Mary Gerken, Office Assistant, MRAG Americas, Southeast Office

Ms. Gerken started with MRAG Americas in July 2006 and currently serves as the office assistant. She has a B.S. in Accounting from the University of South Florida. Her experience includes payroll, human resources management, office management and bookkeeping.

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