Dr. Keith Sainsbury

Dr. Keith Sainsbury has a background in marine and fisheries research and mathematical modeling combined with executive and Board experience in both government and private organizations relating to fishery and marine management. He currently is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

In 2004 Dr Sainsbury was awarded the Japan Prize for his contribution to the understanding and sustainable management of continental shelf ecosystems, and in 2012 he received the Swedish Seafood Award for sustainable fisheries management using ecosystem-based approaches.

For over 20 years, until 2006, he was a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, where he led research programs on ecologically and economically sustainable fisheries and the integrated management of marine and coastal ecosystems. Since then he has managed a consulting company that has worked extensively in Australia as well as globally.

Throughout his career, Dr Sainsbury has been linked to the policy, management and technical aspects of fishery management. This has included working directly with governments, international authorities, NGOs and industry — including with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in various capacities, where he has been a member of the Technical Advisory Board since 2004, and the Australian Fishery Management Authority.

His recent research focuses on practical indicators of ecosystem health and structure as well as Ecosystem Based Fishery Management (EBFM). He chaired the UN FAO process that produced the guidelines for the Ecosystem Approach to Fishery Management and provided the 2003 FAO guidelines for eco-labeling of fisheries and fish products. Through the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), he has authored an EAFM report that is a resource for fishery commissions and agencies on EAFM implementation options.

Watch an ISSF video interview with Dr. Sainsbury.