RESTORING OUR OCEANS IN ONE GENERATION
Meaghan Brosnan
Meaghan Brosnan is an expert in the fields of fisheries management, compliance and enforcement with 15+ years experience in the field. She started her fisheries career as a Federal law enforcement officer in the U.S. Coast Guard operating in the Eastern Pacific and Alaska, and ultimately became the Deputy Chief of the Coast Guard’s Living Marine Resource Enforcement Program. She also has non-profit advocacy experience with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Ending Illegal Fishing campaign, where she developed technology and policy solutions for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in coastal Africa and throughout the Pacific.
Meaghan continues to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, leading a 20-person department in the San Francisco Bay area. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the U.S Coast Guard Academy and her Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs.
Currently Meaghan is Marine Program Director for WildAid in the San Francisco Bay Area. WildAid develops scalable marine management strategies, prevents illegal fishing and ensures sustainable marine management in some of the world’s most biodiverse regions through a comprehensive marine protection model. They protect critical habitat, fisheries and migratory species such as sharks, sea turtles and mantas.
The hallmark feature of their strategy lies in a holistic, integrated approach consisting of a five-piece marine protection model:
1. Surveillance & Interdiction: They custom design enforcement systems using high and low-tech alternatives based on identified threats, human resources and budgetary constraints.
2. Systematic Training: They tailor training programs to local needs and train Park Wardens and communities alike in best practices in patrolling, vessel boarding and safety-at-sea.
3. Prosecution & Sanction: They work with lawyers and governments to ensure that sanctions are carried out effectively and that penalties act as real deterrents, rather than just a cost of doing business.
4. Education & Outreach: They design local awareness campaigns to foster understanding and community buy-in.
5. Sustainable Finance: They reduce operating costs using new technologies and/or through inter-agency collaboration, and they explore sustainable revenue sources to fund enforcement operations.