Paul Anderson

(Ph.D., University of Florida, Gainesville) Research Scientist of Marine Sciences

Dr. Anderson founded The Coral Reef Aquarium Fisheries Campaign in 2017 in partnership with the University of Connecticut and other institutions. The Campaign’s Goal is to empower sustainable marine aquarium fisheries that support biodiversity, healthy coral reefs, and the livelihoods of fishers, traders, and others who depend on them across the global value chain. The Campaign does this in three ways. First, we work with governments to develop aquarium fisheries policies that support the business growth of fishers and traders while conserving aquarium fish and the coral reefs in which they live in the wild. Second, we’re changing the model of the value chain trading marine aquarium fish from volume-driven–where fish and therefore their care are undervalued; to value-driven–where fishers and traders can earn profits for high-quality, well-cared for fish that survive in healthy condition from reef-to-retail. A cornerstone of this approach is to teach fishers and traders about marketing, husbandry, and business operations that can be applied to make businesses more profitable and sustainable. Finally, we develop aquaculture strategies and techniques to offer alternative sources of fish to the market for those species vulnerable to overfishing.