Erik Chapman, PhD

Erik Chapman is the Interim Director at NH Sea Grant/UNH Cooperative Extension.  He has a MS in Wildlife Ecology and a PhD in Oceanography.  Since he joined Sea Grant, he has worked extensively with the NH fishing industry and with University researchers on projects designed to support sustainable marine fisheries.   These projects range in focus from marine ecology and fishing technology to marketing and branding of locally harvested seafood.  His work includes gear research designed to improve selectivity of NH fishermen, a project that engages fishermen in the study of climate impacts on fisheries, and pilot projects to assess opportunities and to develop alternative markets for undervalued, but abundant species.  Prior to his work in NH, he worked in the Antarctic studying the influence of a changing climate on penguins and on farms in Wisconsin studying the influence of alternative farming practices on wildlife.  His work overall focused at the interface between human use of natural resources and ecology and is based in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic that extends our concept of community to include the ecosystems on which we depend. Contact Erik: erik.chapman@unh.edu

Originally hailing from coastal Virginia with family ties to fishing communities in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Kelly has spent ten years working for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC)- a unique, community-based nonprofit whose mission is to maintain the health of Alaska’s amazing fisheries on behalf of those who depend on them. She is a member of the Alaska Sea Grant Advisory Board, the Alaska Food Policy Council Governing Board, and has played a leadership role in the national Community Fisheries Network. Kelly is passionate about advancing innovations that help bring about shifts in Alaska’s seafood value chain that support local fishermen and conservation. She has helped spawn AMCC’s Community Supported Fishery, Catch of the Season, and helped launch the Kodiak Jig Seafoods brand which together have delivered over 25,000lbs of “storied,” traceable seafood from Alaska’s community-based fishermen to over 400 households, eight restaurants, and seven lodges in Alaska in three years. Contact Kelly: kelly@akmarine.org

Raised on the rocky coast of Maine, Joshua’s interests and his perspective are rooted in his connection to the coast. Joshua has spent the past ten years working with small-scale fishermen across North America, exploring ways to increase communities’ economic, social, and stewardship capacity and is the founder of LocalCatch.org. Much of what he has learned about the challenges and opportunities associated with creating local markets for small-scale fishermen has come from his direct and continued involvement with the Walking Fish Cooperative, a fishermen’s cooperative that he helped establish in 2009. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College and a Masters of Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Joshua recently finished his PhD at the University of Maine, where his research focuses on community-based fisheries governance.  He also owns and operates Georgetown Island Oyster Company. Contact Joshua: joshua.s.stoll@gmail.com

Sonia and Shaun Strobel founded Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery to help connect conscientious consumers to local fishermen and their sustainably harvested catch. Shaun began gillnetting with his father, Otto, at the age of 7. Dismayed at the dwindling independent salmon fishing fleet, Shaun wrote his master’s thesis on the labour history of the BC fishing industry in the late 90’s and subsequently became a high school teacher. Sonia, also a high school teacher, was an avid supporter of the local agricultural food movement and married into the fishing family in 2001. Applying her knowledge of Community Supported Agriculture Programs to fishing, Sonia conceived of the idea for the CSF in 2008 and Skipper Otto’s CSF became one of the first CSFs in the world. As a result, Otto has been able to remain in fishing and his son, Shaun was able to return to a career in fishing. The CSF now supports roughly 15 independent fishermen and delivers sustainable local seafood to over 1,200 families. In 2014, Sonia left her teaching career to devote herself full time to running the CSF and to advancing the CSF movement. Contact Sonia: sonia@skipperotto.ca

Brett Tolley is the Community Organizer for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. NAMA is a fishermen-led organization building a movement of community-based fishermen and allies to rebuild and protect marine biodiversity and fishing communities through policy and market changes. In winter 2007/2008, NAMA and the Port Clyde, Maine community pioneered the Community Supported Fishery (CSF) model, which has since grown to 50 + across the Americas and Europe through the L0calCatch.org network. Brett comes from a four-generation commercial fishing family out of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He has worked in the fishing industry hanging nets, crewing boats of various gear-types, and commercially shellfishing. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Farm to Institution New England network. Before coming to NAMA Brett worked as an advocate and community organizer in New York City, fighting in housing court for low-income tenants and organizing campaigns around immigrant and human rights. He wrote and produced an award-winning documentary about the migrant experience along the U.S./Mexico border titled, “Dying to Get In”. He was also selected to the We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship Program and completed the Rockwood Leadership Institute’s ‘Art of Leadership’ program. Contact Brett: brett@namanet.org