Meryl has worked for over 45 years in Australian and international fisheries, aquaculture, aquatic resource conservation and agricultural research and development. Currently, she is focusing on research and advocacy on women and gender in aquaculture and fisheries, and information and science for fair and responsible fish production for food security and nutrition.

She was the inaugural Chair (2017-2022) of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society. She is also the Vice Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation and a member of the board of Aquaculture without Frontiers (Australia). She was formerly Director General of the WorldFish Center (1994-2004), during which time she concentrated the focus of WorldFish on eradicating poverty, improving people’s nutrition, and reducing pressure on the environment. She was previously the Director of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Executive Director of the Bureau of Rural Sciences, tuna fisheries statistician at the Secretariat for the Pacific Community and fisheries biologist in the Queensland state government service.

Francisco’s experience ranges across the fisheries sector since the 1980s. Starting on the deck of a fishing vessel, he worked his way to his present position as an independent fisheries senior advisor for over 30 multilateral organisations, government institutions, NGOs, technology providers and industry groups on a wide range of areas, in more than 55 countries worldwide. He gained an MSc in Fisheries Science, then another in Food Science, and Post Grad Diploma in Ocean Law and Policy along the way. His main area of expertise is Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) of fisheries operations, particularly Port State Measures, Catch Documentation Schemes and Incentives for Compliance. Over the last few years, he has been progressively involved in the labour rights and conditions of fishers, observers and fisheries officers in the WCPO, collaborating with FAO, FFA, the WCPFC and academics on this topic.

Based in the South Pacific since 1991, he is comfortable in boats, factories and boardrooms (mostly in that order). He maintains a popular fisheries blog and photographic gallery on his website www.franciscoblaha.info, and was presented the 2019 Seafood Champion Award for his work.

Melita Grant specialises in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and integrated water resources management (IWRM) in international development, with a focus on inclusion and evidence-based policy and practice. Melita is a Research Director for the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Australia and has worked for 20 years’ in government, university, and civil society sectors. Melita commissioned ORCA to research and develop a report on 'Water, Food, and Gender Equality Synergies: Exploring the water security, fisheries and gender equality nexus'. The report, drawing on case studies from South East Asia, was launched by the Australian Water Partnership in September 2023.

Nigel Jollands has worked on sustainable energy and environmental policy for 30 years. In 2023 he left formal employment to follow his dream to pursue community-based climate action and finance while sailing home to NZ on Novara. Prior to this he spent 12 years with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as Associate Director, Head of Infrastructure, Climate Strategy and Delivery, where he worked at the interface between policy and finance and led the flagship EBRD Green Cities programme. Before his work at the EBRD, he spent 5 years as Head, Energy Efficiency Unit at the International Energy Agency. Nigel is a regular presenter at international conferences, has published numerous journal articles and contributed to several books in the area of climate finance, climate policy, energy efficiency and ecological economics.

Kate Barclay is a social scientist focusing on the social aspects of fisheries. She teaches at UTS and has researched the sustainable development of tuna resources in the Pacific. Her recent projects include developing monitoring frameworks for fisheries and working on fisheries governance analysis. Kate has also produced Handbooks on gender equity, social inclusion, and human rights in coastal fisheries, aquaculture, and tuna industries. She's conducted fisheries research for various organizations and serves on the editorial boards of Conservation and Society and Journal México y la Cuenca del Pacífico. Additionally, she supervises higher degree research students on topics including fisheries governance and evaluating social benefits from seafood industries.

Karen is a human geographer and Associate Professor in the School of Environment at the University of Auckland. She researches how knowledge is produced and used to inform environmental governance and management in New Zealand. Her work is focused on transdisciplinary approaches to understanding marine social-ecological systems; accommodating different conceptualisations of, and knowledge about, rivers and river management; and the potential for indigenous knowledge to enable just and sustainable river futures.

Silvia de Juan Mohan is a marine ecologist with expertise in ecological integrity, ecosystem services, and social-ecological dynamics in marine and coastal systems. She is a researcher at IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), a research centre based in the Balearic Islands, Spain, where she is a member of the IMSES research group. This groups research aims to understand the functioning, structure, and dynamics of marine living resources and their essential habitats, with a focus on their stability and resilience to future environmental change. The group also investigates the complex interactions between humans and the marine environment, integrating ecological, social, cultural, and political dimensions. With over 20 years of international experience across Spain, New Zealand, and Chile, she has led and contributed to major EU-funded interdisciplinary projects including MARBEFES and MaCoBioS.  She holds a PhD from the University of Barcelona, and has been awarded prestigious fellowships and grants such as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action and a Ramón y Cajal contract. She has authored 56 scientific publications and supervised multiple early-career researchers, combining rigorous science with a commitment to bridging marine ecology and societal needs.