Sustainable oceans champ to lead Conservation Alliance

New executive director will lead four-year strategy for community of sustainable seafood NGOs

By SeaWestNews

Sustainable oceans champion, Mariah Boyle, has been appointed as the new Executive Director Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions.

The Conservation Alliance is a community of sustainable seafood NGOs organizations from North America, Europe, South America, and Japan that believes seafood production is a powerful driver of change for the health and biodiversity of our oceans and the economic and social well-being of individuals and communities around the world.

“Over the past decade, Mariah’s tireless work in this community has demonstrated her talent for building communities and forecasting sector-wide trends,” said Alliance Board member, Jack Kittinger, Senior Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture at Conservation International.  “Her specialized set of skills uniquely position her to be the bold and savvy leader the Alliance needs right now as we look to do more, faster.”

“Her combined subject matter, operational, and contextual experience will enable her to hit the ground running as the Alliance launches into its 2020-2024 strategy this year,” he said.

After ten years of working together to mobilize change, the Alliance recognized that it needed to do more to drive toward its vision, and so began a strategic planning process in 2018, the group said in a statement.

The Alliance 2020-2024 Strategy, released January 2020, presents a plan of action toward an ambitious goal: by 2030, 75% of global seafood production will be environmentally sustainable or making verifiable improvement, and adequate safeguards will be in place to ensure social responsibility.

Returning from a sabbatical where she thru-hiked 4,500 miles of the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails, Boyle said she feels energized and ready for the task at hand.

“On these hikes I became more self-sufficient and made tough decisions in challenging conditions. I am a better leader now because of this journey. I have renewed focus and energy, and I’m eager for the opportunity to use my deep technical knowledge and experience to build effective collaborations to accelerate impact in this community.”

Prior to her sabbatical, Boyle spent ten years protecting our ocean and those reliant on it through her work leading the traceability division at FishWise, a CA-based nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy that provides market-based tools to support a more responsible seafood industry.

During her tenure at FishWise, she proved herself a visionary as she designed, staffed, and implemented novel programs with retail market leaders such as Albertsons Companies, Hy-Vee, and Target.

“I am looking forward to building upon my experience working on sustainable seafood, traceability, and social responsibility in this new role. I am excited about the opportunity to innovate and find ways to achieve this vision quickly, partnering with those that have been working on sustainable seafood for many years, and those new to the community.”