The Project Advisory Committee serves as a hub of thought leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together a diverse and complementary team of experts in fisheries policy, science, research, and communications. With a shared commitment to advancing sustainable fisheries management, the committee crafts innovative, science-based resources that empower stakeholders to implement effective management procedures. By integrating expertise across disciplines, the team fosters a dynamic environment for developing practical, forward-thinking solutions to global fisheries challenges.
Project Advisory Committee
Dr Paul de Bruyn
Principal Fisheries Scientist
Paul joined the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of SPC in January 2020 as the Principal Fisheries Scientist (Stock Assessment and Modelling). He oversees and supports a team of scientists who provide stock assessment and other fishery modelling and analytical services to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and other sub-regional groups and SPC member countries. Paul is originally from Victoria, Australia, where he completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2006. Prior to working at SPC he worked for many years on commercial and recreational fisheries research and development around south eastern Australia.
Dr. Grantly Galland
Project Director, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Dr. Grantly Galland is a Project Director at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he leads Pew’s advocacy at the regional fisheries management organizations around the world, promoting the long-term sustainability of global fish stocks and the resilience of the marine environment. He previously helped lead Pew’s work on tuna conservation in the Atlantic Ocean. Galland is currently a technical/scientific advisor to the United States government on issues related to the management of tunas, sharks, and billfishes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and he is a member of the project steering committee for the Common Oceans Tuna Project, a United Nations program that contributes to the management of tuna fisheries on the high seas. Before joining Pew, he worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Latin American and Arctic affairs, co-authored a book on the global diversity of fishes, and served as a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Belize. Galland holds a bachelor’s degree in marine ecology from the University of Georgia and a master’s in oceanography and a doctorate in marine biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Paul Hammer
Principal Fisheries Scientist
Paul joined the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of SPC in January 2020 as the Principal Fisheries Scientist (Stock Assessment and Modelling). He oversees and supports a team of scientists who provide stock assessment and other fishery modelling and analytical services to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and other sub-regional groups and SPC member countries. Paul is originally from Victoria, Australia, where he completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2006. Prior to working at SPC, he worked for many years on commercial and recreational fisheries research and development around southeastern Australia.
Dr. Hilario Murua
Senior Scientist
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
Dr. Hilario Murua is a Senior Scientist at ISSF with more than 25 years of experience working on tuna fishery assessment and management. He was the chair of the Scientific Committee between 2015 and 2018. He was also the chair of the Tropical Tunas Working Party of IOTC 2010-2014 and the Rapporteur for Bigeye of ICCAT 2015-2018. He was also member of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) from 2010-2018. He has published more than 120 peer reviewed papers, coedited 5 special fishery journal volumes, and contributed over 250 working documents in various RFMOs.
Mr. Shingo OTA
Special Advisor to the Fisheries Agency of Japan
Mr. Shingo OTA is a Special Advisor to the Fisheries Agency of Japan. He used to be the Japanese head of delegation to the IOTC, IATTC, CCSBT, WCPFC and NPFC. He is currently the head of delegation to ICCAT, the Chair of ICCAT Panel 2, the NPFC and the Pacific bluefin tuna Catch Documentation Scheme Technical Meeting.
Ms. Deirdre M. Warner-Kramer
Deirdre has more than 20 years of experience negotiating international agreements, leading international processes, and managing international
fisheries and marine conservation policy. Her focus includes issues related to multilateral fisheries management, fisheries trade, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Though Deirdre isn’t a scientist, she understands just enough to be dangerous and specializes in building coalitions and consensus across tricky technical issues.