National Science Week: AFMA inspiring the next generation of women in fisheries science
In 2023, women remain a minority in STEM education and careers. This is also the trend for women in fisheries science.
Increased participation of women in fisheries science will build a more diverse, skilled workforce, ready to tackle the emerging technological, environmental, and economic challenges to ensure the efficient management of Commonwealth fisheries and the security of the Australian fishing industry.
At the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, we have highly accomplished STEM professionals in fisheries science, with women a significant part of our scientific talent.
Sharing insights and stories from our workforce will help to inspire the next generation of women in fisheries science.
Darci Wallis
Darci is the manager of the Northern Trawl Fishery. She developed an interest in the ocean after relocating with her family to the coast at age 9. By age 12, she had decided she was going to study marine science after being inspired by spending long summers exploring rockpools, snorkelling, and diving.
At university, Darci studied Fisheries Management and Aquaculture. After finishing university, she was travelling in Northern Queensland when a family friend suggested applying for the AFMA graduate program. Darci was accepted into the program in 2007 and has spent the last 16 years working in various positions including over 5 years in state fisheries agencies. AFMA supported Darci to complete a Master of Fisheries Policy.
In Darci’s day-to-day role she uses the best available science to inform the management decisions and works with stakeholders to develop appropriate management arrangements for AFMA’s fisheries.
“The different ways science can be used to inform decisions keeps me interested in my role. Some fisheries I’ve managed have lots of data (including independent survey data, economic information in addition to the fishery dependant data like logbooks) and therefore can support very complex stock assessments, while other fisheries to those that have more limited information. However, it is still possible to ensure both the data rich and data poor fisheries are well managed and sustainable by adapting the management to the available science.”
Darci has advice for someone who looking to start a career in science.
“Start to build up a support network with a mentor as soon as you start your career. It is important to surround yourself with people that you can rely on for quality advice and to help build you up. Pay it forward by doing the same for others as you move forward in your career.”
Elissa Mastroanni
Elissa has been working at AFMA for three years and is a Senior Fisheries Management Officer supporting AFMA’s work in the Torres Strait.
Her family has a history of seafaring and fishing, growing up she listened to family stories which inspired a love of the ocean. As well as being a self-professed science and nature nerd as a child, that love of the ocean is what led her to study marine biology at James Cook University.
“I got to do some really interesting fieldwork and got exposure to some incredible people, including world renowned researchers. I was selected to do a three-month internship in Greece at the end of my degree, which involved identifying microplastics in commercial Aegean fisheries species while living on the island of Samos. When I got back to Australia, I did an Honours thesis based at Magnetic Island on macroalgal removal as a potential coral restoration method.”
Elissa has also worked on many interesting research projects leading up to her time at AFMA, including surveying snubnose dolphins, looking for endangered sawfish in central Queensland and helping run overnight lab experiments on coral.
Elissa’s research experience allows her to bring a unique range of skills to AFMA.
“When I describe my job to people, I say that I work in between fisheries science and the fishing industry. We’re the bridge that takes science and research, turns it into the management arrangements that allow a fishery to function sustainably, and communicates that with industry and stakeholders. We also collate both quantitative and qualitative data from industry and feed it back the other way into the science used to assess our fisheries.”
Elissa shares her insights about a career in STEM for someone who might be interested in doing the same.
“There are so many passionate people in STEM, most of whom are trying to make the world just that little bit better. Careers in STEM are rewarding but often challenging, so having that passion for what you do is important in a field that can be really hard work. Remember that there are parts of every job or choice of study that are not fun or exciting. But if you think about what you love and work to pursue that, you’ll be able to be know you’ve made the right choice.”
Alice McDonald
Alice leads AFMA’s Climate Adaption Program and has built an exciting and varied career in science fuelled by her passion for travel. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Science in Marine biology followed by a Master of Environment in policy and environmental economics.
For Alice, the first, and most challenging step, was securing a graduate position in the Commonwealth Government with Environment Australia. After getting her foot in the door, she has been able to do volunteer work in marine conservation in Vietnam, work with the Marine Stewardship Council in London, with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency in the Solomon Islands as well as contribute to many international fisheries projects, until joining AFMA.
“My studies and career have let me travel to amazing places that I never even knew existed and meet fascinating people from all over the world. I have also had the opportunity to participate in international negotiations on fisheries rights and marine resource management, including at the United Nations, where science, economics and geopolitics all collide.”
Leading AFMA’s Climate Adaptation Program means Alice works with the latest climate research and collaborates with climate scientists daily to understand how climate change is impacting our fisheries. Alice’s background in science enables her to understand research and interpret the findings, she then works with AFMA’s fisheries managers to figure out what impact this has on our fisheries.
“AFMA gets to work closely with some of the world’s best scientists at CSIRO who are analysing the impact that climate-driven changes in the environment are having on fisheries. The ecosystem models that bring together science and data on climate, ecosystems, people, and marine species, to see what our future oceans might look like, are mind-blowing.”
Cate Coddington
Cate is a Senior Fisheries Management Officer who contributes to the management of Northern Fisheries. Her father was a strong influence on her growing up as he loved the outdoors and the environment. He fostered a natural curiosity, a love of nature and travel, and a sense of adventure. He also allowed Cate to amass a bit of a menagerie – birds, fish, dogs, cats, chooks, horses, and rabbits. He also taught Cate how to ride and break in horses, work with cattle and sheep and to understand their behaviour.
“This was extended by a teacher in school, who in his first lesson pulled apart a termite’s abdomen on an overhead projector to show us the symbiotic flagellated protozoa – I was hooked and life sciences ended up being my main school subjects.”
Cate went on to study botany and zoology through a Bachelor of Science with Honours in behavioural ecology. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Scientific Communication, running away to join the Questacon Science Circus, presenting science in schools, often in remote or regional towns around Australia.
Cate is living proof that a career in STEM can lead to a huge array of possibilities.
“My career has been a mix of opportunities that I have created, from people I have met, luck and circumstance. I have tried to grab opportunities as much as possible, ensuring that whatever role I have held, I have always tried to learn as much as possible and contribute as much as I can.”
“Sometimes career progress is surprising, I thought that I would end up as a ranger, documentary maker or in a natural history museum. However, working at AFMA is a role that I love because the work that I do is interesting, and it is connected to tangible outcomes.”
Science pervades virtually every component of Cate’s role at AFMA. Understanding science is an integral part of working in fisheries management and is intimately tied into the legislative objectives which govern AFMA’s activities.
To be able to contribute to the development of policies, management advice on stocks, environmental change, and other matters relevant to the role, an understanding of population dynamics, animal behaviour, and potential climate change impacts is needed.
“Working at AFMA has been great as I have had numerous opportunities to be involved in a diverse array of activities. One of these was contributing to the development of communication tools about ecosystem-based fisheries management. We developed a suite of products including a protected species identification guide, a computer game called the Great Australian Fisheries Management Challenge aimed at upper primary school, and an exhibit on bycatch technology that was displayed at sea world.”