Sarah Mesnick leads efforts at NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center to engage scientists, fishermen, buyers, chefs and consumers in finding creative – and culinary – solutions to conserving and sustaining our fish, fisheries and local fishing communities.

Since receiving her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona (1996), her research has focused on cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and mitigating interactions with fisheries. In recent years, she coined the idea of “culinary conservation,” merging ocean conservation efforts with a vision for a healthy, responsibly sourced, seafood supply chain.

She works strategically with chefs, fishers, scientists, processors, government officials, and students to build support for bottom-up, incentive based approaches that can reduce seafood waste and bycatch, promote full utilization, and eliminate illegal fishing, while supporting local communities. She teaches Sustainable Seafood: Science, Management, and Public Perception at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. and leads the Sustainable Seafood Initiative at Scripps' Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation.