Assistant Science Manager. Anthony Beeching arrives at WCPFC

After 12 years’ service with the British Royal Air Force working on maritime surveillance, mostly outside of the UK, Tony studied for a BSc in Aquatic Biology. Several years later he gained an MSc (Dist.) in Integrated Tropical Coastal Management, with a thesis based on fisheries in the Suva Qoliqoli. There followed an eclectic career path, including running a water quality lab, developing transgenic salmonids, leading an MCS project in Yemen, radio tagging seals, investigating claims following an oil spill, underwater visual census, fishery surveys and science, and an increasing involvement in fishery management. His first exposure to the tropics, was reporting on an expanding purse seine fishery in the Indian Ocean. Since then he has conducted underwater visual censuses in Fiji and Vanuatu, taken a lead on ICZM issues at Motupore Island Research Department, UPNG, has undertaken community based resource management with NGOs and indigenous groups in the Philippines, and was acting Chief Biologist (DMWR) in American Samoa. More recently he was a fisheries analyst with the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council based in Honolulu. Tony joins the Commission staff after 5 years working as a senior fisheries management scientist involved in business development for the English government fisheries agency (Cefas). Outside work Tony enjoys weight training, cycling, hiking, diving and fishing and wants to take up paddling; except for the cycling these are all good reasons to be based in Pohnpei.

We all join to welcome him to the team in his new position as Assistant Science Manager