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Speakers

Janine Adams

Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

I am a distinguished professor at the Nelson Mandela University, Deputy Director of the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, and I hold the Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Research Chair (SARChI) for Shallow Water Ecosystems. My research focusses on the conservation and management of estuaries working across the science-policy-practice continuum.

Ongoing research is investigating blue carbon habitats (salt marsh, mangroves, seagrasses) and responses to climate change, as well as coastal water quality management and harmful algal blooms. We are implementing action research to inform the restoration of estuaries for the delivery of multiple ecosystem services.

My research successfully links science, policy and management through extensive collaboration and networking. I have published over 200 journal articles, as well as a number of book chapters and technical reports/policies. I have a vibrant team of over 30 researchers, and I work with a wide range of collaborators nationally and internationally from Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States of America, and east African countries, including Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania. I am a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and received the silver medal from the Southern African Society of Aquatic Scientists for my contribution to research and training.

In 2021 I received the legends award from the Water Research Commission in recognition of my contribution as a researcher and leader that brought national and global recognition for the South African water sector. I am passionate about research training and capacity building and have graduated 40 MSc and 24 PhD students. I was the Chairperson of the Water Research Commission reporting to the Minister of Water Affairs and have served on several national and international committees. I am currently senior editor of the journal Coastal Futures and Vice-Chair of the Western Indian Ocean Mangrove Network.

Laura Airoldi

Professor Chair in Ecology University of Padova and Bologna

I am Professor Chair in Ecology – a shared position between the University of Padova (70% time) and the University of Bologna (30% time) – and Deputy Director of the Chioggia Marine Outstation of the University of Padova. I received a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Genova, and carried out research at several institutions in Italy, Australia, USA and UK. I am listed among the Top Italian Scientists, and in 2019 and 2021 I was recognized as a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (category cross-field).

I am a Member of the Academy of Sciences of Bologna Institute, and in 2013 I was a Fulbright Research Fellow at Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station. I am national delegate for the HE partnerships “Biodiversa”, and in 2020-2021 I served as national delegate in the “shadow” Thematic Horizon Europe Programme Committee for Cluster 6 (Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment). I am Specialty Chief Editor in Marine Conservation and Sustainability for Frontiers in Marine Science and serve the editorial Board of Marine Ecology Progress Series and Sustainability.

I co-lead the eco-engineering workgroup within the World Harbour Project, and I am involved in European/global projects on biodiversity conservation and restoration in increasingly urbanized marine environments. I am recognized as one of the forerunners of the new field of marine urban ecology. My research focuses on designing conservation and restoration strategies in increasingly urbanized marine coastal systems, including consideration of sustainable shoreline protection strategies, coastal and offshore “green” infrastructures and nature-based solutions, aiming to maximize environmental, societal and economic benefits.

Ernesto Azzurro

Senior Researcher at the CNR-IRBIM, Ancona, Italy

Ernesto has a long experience in the field of invasion ecology and biology, specifically marine fishes. He is also engaged in the implementation of participatory actions and innovative tools for tracking marine biodiversity changes.  In the Mediterranean region, he pioneered the use of Local Ecological Knowledge and its application at the regional scale.

Chair of the ‘Coastal Systems and Marine Policy Committee’ of the CIESM – International Commission for the Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea. His scientific production presents an interdisciplinary spectrum of studies spanning from theoretical to applied aspects of marine fish bio-invasions.

Luca Bolognini

Reseacher National Research Council (CNR) of Ancona, Italy

Luca Bolognini graduated in Marine Biology and Oceanography at the Marche Polytechnic University of Ancona in 2008 and obtained a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Ecology in 2016. He prepared the bachelor thesis at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) of the National Research Council (CNR) of Ancona, where he continued to work up to date as Researcher. He had experiences in the fields of fisheries science as scientific responsible in different projects and participated in several national and international research projects.

In particular, during the last 20 years, he deepened his knowledge on issues related to the fishery science, biology and ecology of target species, impact of artificial structures (e.g. artificial reefs, gas platforms) on the fish assemblages, management of coastal areas, marine spatial planning, GIS mapping, bio-economic modeling, and non-indigenous species invasions. He participated as an expert at several working groups of FAO, GFCM, ICES, and STECF. He also contributed to several scientific papers both as author and as editor and referee for several ISI scientific journals.

Alessio Bonaldo

Professor at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences – Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Italy.

Alessio is a fish nutritionist dealing with innovative protein sources for aquaculture fish species and feeding strategies to improve fish gut health.

Past Director of the Master in Aquaculture and Ichytopathology of the University of Bologna and teacher in Fish nutrition and Feeding and feed technology at Bachelor’ Course on Aquaculture and Hygiene of Fish products. Author or co-author of 54 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals on aquaculture field.

Coordinator of the H2020 EU Project NewTechAqua www.newtechaqua.eu   “Tools and Strategies for a Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative European Aquaculture”.

Chair of the organizing committee of the XX International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding 5-9 June 2022, Sorrento, Italy, http://www.isfnf2022.org/

Rose Boswell

Research Chair in Ocean Cultures and
Heritage.

Rose (Rosabelle) Boswell is a DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in Ocean Cultures and Heritage. She obtained her MA in Anthropology from the University of Cape Town (1996) and her PhD from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (2003).

She is the author of Le Malaise Creole: Ethnic Identity in Mauritius (Oxford: Berghahn 2006), Representing Heritage in Zanzibar and Madagascar (Addis Ababa: Eclipse 2008); Challenges to Identifying and Managing Intangible Cultural Heritage in Mauritius, Zanzibar and Seychelles (Dakar: CODESRIA 2011) and Postcolonial African Anthropologies (co-edited with F. Nyamnjoh Pretoria: HSRC Press 2016), Things Left Unsaid (2019), Pandemix (2020) and Between Worlds (2022).

The latter three are poetry books published by RPCIG: Bamenda and New York. Rose has also recently (2022) published an edited book with Palgrave Macmillan, London, entitled The Palgrave Handbook of Blue Heritage. She is also a co-Investigator on the RP 5.1 Cultural Heritage project of the UKRI funded One Ocean Hub; the NRF Community of Practice Projects (CoPs): The Oceans Account Framework and the Algoa Bay Marine Spatial Planning Project. She supervises graduate and postdoctoral candidates on issues of coastal cultural heritage in Africa and internationally. She has conducted anthropological research in Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Zanzibar, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia.

Fabrizio Capoccioni

Researcher of the Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture

Dr. Fabrizio Capoccioni is a confirmed researcher of the Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics – CREA). He obtained his PhD on Ecology and Evolution from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” where he completed also his BSc and MSc in Biology.

His studies are dealing with the development of new and sustainable fish and shellfish farming approaches in close collaboration with private companies aimed at obtaining a better technology transfer. He is the national focal point of FAO-GFCM aquaculture production statistics and member of the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC).

Eleonora Ciccotti

Associate professor of Ecology at the University of Roma Tor Vergata

Her scientific interests and research activity focus on the biology and ecology of Teleost fishes (growth, reproduction, morphology, feeding ecology and behaviour), with particular reference to diadromous fish.

Her research presently focuses on the study of migration patterns of euryhaline fish species in transitional waters (recruitment, colonization, reproductive migration), and on time and space migration dynamics of diadromous fish of conservation interest.

Within her research activity, EC also addresses applied aspects such as management and conservation of living aquatic resources, protection of aquatic ecosystems, environmental impacts in aquatic environments, setting up of sustainable production models. Specifically, she has been dealing with topics such as the restoration and management of endangered fish stocks and species in inland and transitional waters.

EC collaborates with the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF), and with Italian regional and local Administrations, for themes of her expertise.

Federica Costantini

Associated Professor in Ecology at Bologna University’s Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Science

She has a PhD in Environmental Science and is an Associated Professor in Ecology at Bologna University’s Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Science since 2016. She has done research on marine resource management and biodiversity conservation.

She has done research to assess how anthropogenic impacts and climate change alter the genetic makeup of the population of marine species and foster the spread of non-indigenous species. To monitor and preserve marine benthic biodiversity, she evaluates connectivity pattern using integrative taxonomy approaches based on morphology, DNA barcoding and eDNA metabarcoding. She has extensive field and laboratory experience, and she has worked in a variety of coastal marine environments, including rocky shores, submarine caves, urban marine habitats, artificial coastal and offshore structures; on various invertebrate species and at various spatial scales (Mediterranean, regional and local).

She has worked on over ten national and European projects, and she was the UNIBO leader of the European ERANET MARTERA SEAMoBB (Solutions for Semi-Automated Monitoring of Benthic Biodiversity) project. She is a member of two European Cost Action networks (SEA-UNICORN: Unifying approaches to Marine Connectivity for Improved Resource Management for the Seas and MAF-WORLD: MARINE ANIMAL FOREST OF THE WORLD), as well as the ARMS-MBON network. For the COST ACTION SEA-UNICORN she is co-leader of the Working Group on “Promoting awareness on MFC and its ecological & economic importance”.

Langley Gace

Senior Vice President of Business Development

With 26 years of aquaculture engineering experience, Langley leads and implements sales and marketing strategies for InnovaSea and is responsible for the company’s overall business development functions.

Langley has held a variety of progressively senior roles in program management, engineering and business development for Innovasea and its predecessor, OceanSpar, LLC. A noted aquaculture expert and senior executive, Langley presents worldwide on the latest developments in the fish farming
industry.

He has briefed subcommittees for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on federal funding for aquaculture, and he has presented technical papers to large audiences around the world. Langley holds an M.S., Mechanical Ocean Engineering degree from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

Glenn Holtzman

Senior Lecturer in Music and Performing Arts in the Faculty of Humanities at
Nelson Mandela University

Dr Glenn Holtzman is a Senior Lecturer in Music and Performing Arts at the Faculty of Humanities at Nelson Mandela University. He holds a PhD in the Anthropology of Music from the University of Pennsylvania.

He has published articles on critical race theory, decolonisation, and performativity.
He has also won three Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence awards for the transformation of music studies at Mandela University, including for his creative output work on Water and Saturated Sounds.

He remains active as a pianist and composer, while his scholarly areas of specialisation include creative pedagogy, performative practice, gender and sexuality, social justice, and environmental
stewardship.

Cliff Jones

Head of Department and an Associate Professor in the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science at Rhodes University, South Africa

Cliff Jones obtained his PhD (Fisheries Science) in 2003 from the same institution and has 20 years of research, development, community engagement and service provision experience in the fields of aqua-feed and aquaculture development, water remediation/recycling in both fresh
and marine systems. Over this period, he has supervised honours (30), MSc (21) and PhD (5) students through to graduation and has lectured undergraduates/honours students in the subjects of fish behaviour, genetics, reproduction and aquaculture. He has published 37 peer-reviewed papers, delivered/co-authored 112 papers at
scientific conferences, brought in and managed over 22 million of research funding for his research programs (2006-2019), and leads Rhodes in various multi-national/institutional projects associated with teaching, curriculum and aquaculture technology development.

He serves/has served on various scientific committees for organisations such as the National Research Foundation, Water Research Commission, and Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa, for example, and has taken on the role of external examiner (departmental and
MSc/PhD thesis) for various local and international universities.

Chris Kastern

Head of Business Development at ABALOBI ICT4FISHERIES and ABALOBI Labs

Chris Kastern is based in Cape Town and has had an extensive career working on responsible sourcing of seafood and with small-scale fisheries. His work in these fields has spanned almost two decades across three sectors, giving him a unique breadth of experience.

Chris began working in the local South African seafood industry as a fish trader in 2002, dealing predominantly with small-scale fisher catch for ten years. He then moved to WWF South Africa in 2013, where, as Seafood Market Transformation Manager he led a small team working on building value chain incentives to support marine conservation.

Since 2018, Chris has been with ABALOBI ICT4Fisheries as Head of Business Development, focussing on engaging with the small-scale fisheries sector from a tech and social enterprise perspective.

Elettra Giampaoletti

WWF marine projects officer

With an MSc in Marine Ecology and Governance from Wageningen University (NL), Elettra
builds a sound knowledge on socio-ecological systems and gains a cross-disciplinary insight
into complex environmental problems.

In 2021 she joined WWF marine office team and
carries out projects to improve the sustainability of small-scale fisheries and the livelihoods of
coastal communities.

Lesa La Grange

Archaeologist in charge of the South African Heritage Resources
Agency’s Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH) unit

Lesa la Grange is the archaeologist in charge of the South African Heritage Resources
Agency’s Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH) unit, which is legally
mandated with coordination of the management of underwater cultural heritage resources in South Africa, including their identification, regulation, and promotion.

She has an MPhil in archaeology from the University of Cape Town (2015), a commercial diving license, certificate in Heritage Resources Management, and has been working in archaeological heritage resources management for over 10 years.

Lesa has worked with various institutions as a lecturer, consultant, and archaeological collections assistant. Her current research
focus is on the management of tidal fish traps, digital techniques for recording heritage sites and objects, and policy development to ensure effective regulatory frameworks for MUCH protection.

Jessica Lavelle

Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Bio-economy Research Chair at the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town

Jessica holds a PhD in environmental governance and MSc in environmental studies and GIS.

Drawing on her background in biodiversity conservation and ecology, her key interest is in the governance of natural resources, both marine and terrestrial, with an emphasis on social and environmental justice.

Her research focuses on decolonial, post-capitalist approaches that support understanding and elevating alternative worldviews and knowledge and the redistribution of power, capital and resources towards equitable, inclusive governance.

She is happiest in Nature and when she is not busy with the research you will find her hiking, camping and exploring far from the city with her camera in hand.

Simone Libralato

Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, in Trieste, Italy

He has a background in ecological modelling and quantitative analyses with special emphasis on bioenergetics of fish and shellfish, ecosystem modelling and ecological indicators. Experience in marine food web modelling and application of integrated approaches to marine ecology (end-to-end models).

His research is focused on the combined effects of different pressures, in particular fishing, aquaculture, climate and nutrient input on marine ecosystems. These studies are carried out with deterministic and statistical models that integrate resource dynamics and oceanographic variables at different scales and in different marine systems in the Mediterranean sea and over the world. He is contributing to scientific capacity building by organizing the advanced school series on ecosystem modelling (AMAREMED), and he is involved in several activities for communicating science.

He is a member of the Scientific Advisory board of OGS.

Bernardino Sergio Malauene

Researcher at Institute Oceanographic of Mozambique

Dr Bernardino Malauene is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow under Ocean Science & Marine Food Security Chair at NMU and a Researcher at Institute Oceanographic of Mozambique (InOM, formerly Fisheries Research Institute since 2006).

He uses a combination of in situ observations, satellite data and bio-physical ocean models to investigate the influence of ocean processes and environmental factors on marine biodiversity and fisheries resource dynamics.

He is currently co-PI for the joint Mozambique – South Africa ReMoTURB research ecosystem project on fish recruitment and climate change over the Mozambican shelf and national marine protected areas network.

Carlotta Mazzoldi

Associate Professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Padova (Italy)

Her research activities are mainly focused on the study of different aspects of fish biology, as reproductive behaviours and life cycles, with a particular interest on the interaction between species biology and vulnerability to fishery.

Since 2007 she has focused in particular on the interaction between fishery (commercial and recreational) and elasmobranch species, considered at high conservation risk in different areas, with the goal of providing information useful for their management. She contributed to FAO-GFCM working groups for the conservation of sharks, skates and rays in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Boudina McConnachie

African musical arts activist

Boudina McConnachie (PhD, MMus, BMus, PGCE, RULS) is an African musical arts activist with a particular interest in indigenous musical arts pedagogy and ecomusicology.

She co-ordinates various
music education courses through the Rhodes University Education department and is integrally involved in the learning and teaching programme at the International Library of African Music (ILAM). Boudina completed her undergraduate music degree majoring in African music (uhadi and mbira) and classical flute and was a music teacher at a government school in the Eastern Cape for over ten years.

She completed her masters specialising in Indigenous Knowledge and copyright and her PhD in African music curriculum development. Boudina has written two textbooks, Listen and Learn, Music Made Easy (2012) and My Music, My Classroom- Umculo Wam, Iklasi Yam (2016) and various journal articles. She has produced many educational podcasts including the series Songs of the Ocean (2022), African Music Activists (2021) and Afroloops (2019/2022).

In addition, she has reviewed articles for international journals, presented at conferences across the globe and has actively contributed towards the development of the African Musical Arts curricula at several universities in South Africa. Boudina is currently the PI for the Africa Multiple Cluster project Approaches to African Sonic Pedagogies and is the HOD of the Rhodes Department of Music and
Musicology.

Magda Minguzzi

Researcher at the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research (CMR) at Nelson Mandela University (South Africa)

Magda Minguzzi (PhD Iuav, Venice-IT) is a Senior Lecturer and responsible for the Ph.D. program at the School of Architecture and a researcher at the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research (CMR) at Nelson Mandela University (South Africa).
Her research has a particular focus on the tangible and intangible heritage of the First Indigenous Peoples of South Africa, IKS of the built environment.

Of recent publication, her book in co-authorship with the KhoiSan, entitled “The Spirit of Water: Practices of cultural reappropriation. Indigenous heritage sites along the coast of the Eastern Cape-South Africa”, Florence University Press. https://books.fupress.com/catalogue/the-spirit-of-water/6108.

Since 2017 she has been a member of ICOMOS and ICHAM, and since 2021 of UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development: “Indigenous People, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Climate Change: The Iconic Underwater Cultural Heritage of Stone Tidal Weirs” lead Institution: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

Federico Nassivera

Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics and Appraisal at the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences at the University of Udine, Italy

Federico Nassivera, PhD in Economics, Ecology and Preservation of Agricultural and Landscape-Environmental Systems, is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics and Appraisal at the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences (DI4A) of the University of Udine, Italy.

He is the author and co-author of several publications in national and international journals and books in his main areas of research activities: agro-food marketing, consumer behaviour and management of agro-industrial firms.

He is an Agronomist, and he is a member of the Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA) and Italian Society of Food Economics (SIEA).

Paula Pattrick

ABALOBI seeks to drive social, economic and ecological change on small-scale
fisheries. 

At ABALOBI, we take data and measurements seriously – as tools to track
and validate our Theory of Change, but also to demonstrate accountability.

Building internal measurement capacity is key to our mission. It allows us to learn, improve and better serve the fishers and partners with whom we work. Users of the
ABALOBI tech ecosystem own their data, and visualise these data in secure, but handy in-app or web-based dashboards.

These platform-derived data are complemented by a standardised and scalable roll-out of baseline and longitudinal surveys that track this same user’s journey, and the implementation of a
project or programme. Dr Paula Pattrick is the Impact Lead at ABALOBI.

Francesca Porri

Senior scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in
Grahamstown/Makhanda, South Africa

I am a senior scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in
Grahamstown/Makhanda, South Africa, with interests in the ecology of coastal systems.

I completed my PhD at Rhodes University, examining the spatio-temporal mechanisms that drive larval connectivity of mussels on the south-east coast of South Africa. I have a background in marine ecology and experimental design, mostly focussing on the dynamics of dispersal, recruitment, and functioning of early life stages in coastal habitats, including rocky shores, sandy beaches, estuaries, mangroves as well as urbanised shorelines. 

Mechanisms of organismal responses to the
environment and connectivity of benthic populations are key topics of the research I do, with strong inter- and multidisciplinary links to oceanography, physiology, ichthyology, genetics, theoretical ecology, indigenous knowledge, modelling, the arts and education.

Warren Potts

Professor at the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University

Warren Potts is a Professor at the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, where he leads the Southern African Fisheries Ecology Research (SAFER) Lab.

His research covers the whole gamut of fisheries ecology, with ongoing projects on climate change and coastal fishes, the socio-ecological interactions in recreational fisheries, fisheries biology and stock assessments, fish movement behaviour and habitat connectivity.

Domitilla Pulcini

Researcher at the Center of Animal Production and Aquaculture of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Rome, Italy

Biologist with a PhD degree in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology. She works on aquaculture, sustainable productions, analysis of the morpho-anatomical and nutritional quality of seafood products, evaluation of environmental impacts and ecosystem services of mussel farming, sustainable fish nutrition, technological innovation in aquaculture, and effect of domestication on fish shape and colour.

Since 2013, she collaborates and coordinates several national projects on organic aquaculture, evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by mussel, clam, and oyster farming, research of new sustainable protein sources for aquafeeds, and new technologies for monitoring mariculture cages. Since 2021, she coordinates the national aquaculture data collection program.

She has held courses in Experimental Aquaculture for “La Tuscia” University of Viterbo (Italy) and “Tor Vergata” University (Italy). Author of more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and of several technical and dissemination manuals. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Center of Animal Production and Aquaculture.

Serge Raemaekers

Managing Director and Founder of ABALOBI

The Blue Economy is one of the largest economic sectors and fisheries are a critical
yet overlooked component. About half of the global catch originates from small-scale fisheries (SSF), mostly informal in nature. Approximately 60 million people are involved in small-scale fisheries and 160 million are involved in ancillary activities. Despite their importance, SSF are largely left out of sustainable development initiatives and the Blue Economy.

ABALOBI collaborates with small-scale fishing communities – who hold vast local knowledge and customs, but face significant social, ecological and economic challenges – to co-design and implement Technology For Good, and learning and market infrastructure programmes that offer data collection, organisational structures and direct marketing opportunities.

This enables small-scale fishers to become data owners, build organisational capacity, engage in transparent and traceable CSF-based supply chains, recognise the critical role of women, and address food security needs.

Ultimately, fishers are poised to reposition in the value chain, rebuild their fisheries
and help develop more ethical food systems as they journey towards social and ecological sustainability.

Kerry Sink

Principal scientist and the marine programme manager at the South Africa National Biodiversity Institute and serves as an associate professor at Nelson Mandela University

Professor Sink leads the classification, mapping and assessment of marine ecosystems in the country and was the lead of the technical team for the Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy initiative that saw the implementation of twenty new Marine Protected Areas in South Africa in 2019.

Professor Sink received a Pew Fellowship to support her offshore protection efforts in 2016 and was a recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology. Professor Sink is one of 5 Level 3 Marine Protected Area Professionals recognised by the Western Indian Ocean Certification Programme.

She is the founder of the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) and serves on the Consultative Advisory Forum of the Marine Living Resources Act for the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries in South Africa.

Anna Nora Tassetti

Researcher at the CNR-IRBIM, Ancona, Italy

Anna Nora Tassetti is a geomatic engineer with experience in GIS and spatial fisheries data analysis for fishery management and evaluation of fishing pressure, maritime spatial planning and assessment of human impacts on marine ecosystems.

She is actually engaged in the implementation of actions and innovative tools for relying on big data to manage fisheries and support marine biodiversity.

She has also experience in multibeam echosounder surveying for habitat mapping, monitoring activities on the seabed, and evaluating benthic impact from fisheries. She participated as an expert at several working groups of FAO, GFCM, ICES, and STECF. She also contributed to several scientific papers as the author, editor and referee.

Niall Vine

Researcher, East London, South Africa

My research focuses on aquaculture and ecological studies in the marine and freshwater environments.

I have a research unit based at a commercial marine finfish farm in East London where, together with my students, I focus on aspects of marine aquaculture (mariculture), particularly on the use of copepods for larval fish livefeed production and on the optimisation of aquaculture production technologies. 

Current projects also include investigations into the co-culture of abalone with sea cucumbers, the potential of seeding
abalone larvae for stock enhancement, sea urchin probiotic development, yellowtail kingfish diet optimisation and the small-scale fisheries potential of estuarine fish species.

Patrick Vrancken

Author, Researcher

Professor Vrancken was awarded an LLD degree by UCT in 1993. He was the Head of the Department of Public Law at the Nelson Mandela University (formerly NMMU) until June 2013. He has supervised or co-supervised several LLM and LLD students.

He is the author or co-author of more than 50 articles in accredited South African and foreign journals. Professor Vrancken is the editor and co-author of Tourism and the Law in South Africa (2002), the co-editor and co-author of Introduction to Human Rights Law (2009) and the author of South Africa and the Law of the Sea published in 2011 by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers in Boston and Leiden.

Professor Vrancken is currently directly involved in the efforts of the African maritime administrations led by the South African Maritime Safety Authority to build the higher education structures necessary for Africa to meet its human capacity and research needs in coastal and ocean studies.

Rachel Wynberg

Professor in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town

Rachel Wynberg is an academic and policy analyst with a special interest in bio-politics
and the biodiversity-based economy, agroecology and social justice.

She is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at UCT, and holds a SARChI Research Chair on Social and Environmental Dimensions of the Bioeconomy.

With a background in the natural and social sciences, she has a strong interest in
interdisciplinarity and policy engagement across the humanities, arts and sciences.