Director
Fran is the Technical Director at MEP. She has a Masters in Marine Biology and since joining MEP in 2013 she has specialised in fisheries management, particularly focusing on the practical management of small scale and artisanal fisheries. She has managed a wide variety of national and international fisheries projects for MEP, on behalf of UK and foreign governments, international donor organisations, NGOs, marine charities, universities, lawyers and the renewable and oil and gas energy sectors. As a result, she is experienced in a broad range fisheries areas and has travelled widely to observe the practicalities of fishing and the structure of fishing communities in several countries. Fran is also interested in the application of novel technologies in improving fisheries data collection and has trialled solar-powered tracking devices and smart phone data collection applications on canoe fisheries in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Kenya.
Some major projects delivered include: designing management and enforcement plans for Marine Protected Areas in Mauritius and Zanzibar; implementing a 2 year fisheries livelihood diversification programme for fishers impacted by a large offshore gas development in Mozambique (which included the design of novel fishing gears and techniques); modelling and predicting the impacts of climate change on the Somalia Upwelling System and its associated fisheries; and trialling of novel smoking oven technology in West African fishing communities.
Specialises in:
- Practical management of small-scale fisheries
- Application of technologies for improved fisheries monitoring
- Fisheries livelihood impact assessments
- Monitoring control and surveillance plans
- Stakeholder engagement
- Project management
Regions worked in:
- United Kingdom
- Europe
- East and West Africa
- Central America
