News

Jill H. Swasey is author of a new publication, ‘Using online data visualization and analysis to facilitate public involvement in management of catch share programs‘, published in Marine Policy, Available online October 2020 (104272).

This case study examines the experience of the interdisciplinary Measuring the Effects of Catch Shares (MECS) project, designed to explore the opportunities and constraints for third-party acquisition, organization, and communication of government fisheries statistics in order to track the ecological, economic, social, and governance outcomes of catch share programs.  The MECS project focused on the effects of two US catch share programs: the Northeast Multispecies Sector Program implemented in 2010 in the Northeast groundfish fishery and the Shorebased IFQ Program implemented in 2011 in the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery.  The project succeeded in developing a website as a useful tool that brings together and communicates disparate information not otherwise readily accessible.

We have embarked on a new and exciting initiative with our sister company MRAG Asia-Pacific, increasing our presence as an accredited MSC Conformity Assessment Body in the Asia-Pacific Region.  We have expanded our program management capacity to include staff in Brisbane, Australia and have begun the hiring process for new contract auditors, with an initial focus on Indonesia and Thailand.  We are looking forward to growing our business with a dedicated, regionally based client service team in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Ben Hannah has joined us as a full-time Seafood Supply Chain Auditor based out of our Danvers, MA office.  Ben will be serving our MSC and ASC Chain of Custody clients on the east coast and has already proven himself invaluable.  Ben graduated from UMass Boston in 2018 with a major in Environmental Science and has a background in commercial clamming and fishing.  We are very happy to welcome Ben to the MRAG Americas team!

MRAG researcher Erika Zollett teams up with NOAA Fisheries scientists to develop recommendations to increase survivability of vulnerable marine animals bycaught in fishing gear: Safe handling practices to increase post-capture survival of cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and billfish in tuna fisheries; by Erika A. Zollett, MRAG Americas and Yonat Swimmer, NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Erika Zollett has an abstract for her accepted manuscript: Safe handling practices to increase post-capture survival of cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and billfish in tuna fisheries, Endangered Species Research, with Yonat Swimmer.

MRAG Americas is ONE of THREE companies in the continental United States that certifies fisheries against the MSC Standard for Sustainable Fisheries; and provides chain of custody to offer supply chain assurances. When you see that logo – you have confidence that the seafood you’re eating has been managed and fished in a sustainable way and can be traced back to the fishery. Sourcing seafood from a sustainable fishery provides confidence that science and management employ approaches to ensure that the fishery will continue to support livelihoods and maintain healthy fish populations. For more information check out our Seafood Sourcing and Fisheries Certification Divisions.

Our Observer Programs Administrator, Amanda Lees, created a #HurricaneMichael Relief Effort with the help of the broadcasting hosts Paul Fleming and Jason Smith, at FPN Broadcasting, and Captain Anthony Corcella with Pocket Change Inshore Fishing Charters. They are collecting items in several locations throughout Pinellas county and will be delivering everything to the Sheriff’s Department and Fire Group right outside of Panama City Beach on Friday October 19, 2018. FPN Broadcasting will be going live with the efforts throughout the week at several events already planned during the trip to the Panhandle, with the trailer for collections.  If you would like to watch the videos, please go to MRAG on Facebook. We will have a full report here next week following the relief effort.