Fisheries Economist (remote, contract)

About the Program

The Coral Reef Aquarium Fisheries Campaign has partnered with the John G. Shedd Aquarium and two marine conservation NGOs--Rare and LINI--to investigate more transparent means of supporting fishing communities who sustainably supply public aquariums with fishes from abundant sources in Indonesia for lifelong care in zoos and aquariums. Together, through the program IndoReefFish, we are creating a roadmap that aquariums and zoos around the world can replicate and scale that prioritizes ecological conservation, ensures wellbeing for animals and people alike, and follows rigorous and informed governance. This research is one of several ways that the aquarium community is making progress toward a shared goal of sustainability for aquatic animal populations in human care for future generations.

You can learn more about IndoReefFish at:

https://www.aquariumfisheries.com

https://www.aquariumfisheries.com/blogs/indoreeffish

Through an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management that gives equal weight to the livelihoods of people in sustainable management, IndoReefFish is conducting a Value Chain Analysis (VCA) of the Indonesian marine aquarium fishery, ranging from village fishers at the reef source, to first buyers, middlemen, and exporters in the nation. The points of contact at the beginning of the value chain focus on three fishing villages with whom our partners have developed relationships. The value chain expands to middlemen and exporters also connected with our partners. The Indonesian marine aquarium fishery and trade is under varying degrees of governance: 1) formal governance at the district, provincial, and national level, and 2) informal governance for fishers belonging to fishers groups, and for exporters belonging to one of two professional associations in the nation. Fortunately, our team has fostered relationships with these actors as well.

Your Roles

Primary Role

You will conduct a VCA of the Indonesian marine aquarium fishery based on literature review and questionnaire data of these actors that have been collected by our partners under the guidance of a fisheries VCA expert. The VCA will explore the following aspects:

1. Mapping: Models, tables, figures, diagrams and the like can be used to capture and visualize the essence of the Value Chain (VC). Mapping provides an overview to get a better understanding of connections between actors and processes in a VC.
2. Governance: The analysis of governance aims at investigating the rules operating in a VC, and assessing the distribution of power among different actors. Governance is a broad concept, which encompasses the system of coordination, organization and control that preserves and enhances the generation of value along a chain. Governance and services analysis can help identify levers for interventions aimed at increasing the overall efficiency of the VC. This item of the VCA will be conducted alongside a policy analysis led by the Campaign's Director, for which you will play a supporting role, especially by guiding the policy analysis to reveal information that will inform this aspect of the VCA.
3. Relationships and linkages analysis involves not only identifying which organizations and actors are linked with one another, but identifying the reasons for those linkages and whether the linkages are beneficial or not. Trust and linkages are inextricably linked within a VC. Strengthening the relationships and linkages between the different stakeholders in the marketing system will lay the groundwork for improvements in the VC.
4. Mapping challenges & potential solutions to upgrade the VC . Any nascent industry faces a range of challenges to its development. These could be challenges to achieving greater efficiency, such as improved post-harvest handling. In this fishery, prices paid to fishers are stubbornly low. The VCA can also review price structures and suggest appropriate and fair pricing paid to fishers.

As the Project Lead on the VCA, you will curate the VCA body of work on a digital collaboration platform for ease of access and use by project partners; and will guide partners through working phases of the VCA through platform communications and planning meetings.

Secondary Roles

You will be asked to edit and post AI-produced summaries of Core Team and VCA meetings, and draft newsletters to update our external audiences on VCA work and results, accompanied by sourced and credited photo assets.

Your Deliverables

You will serve as lead author on, and complete:

1. A technical report of the VCA
2. A public-facing report of the VCA
3. A manuscript for peer-review in a professional journal in the field
4. Two presentations to be delivered to Indonesian stakeholders
5. Up to two presentations (Powerpoint and/or poster) to be delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in Tampa, FL in September 2025
6. Meeting summaries and newsletters according to Secondary Role

Required & Desired Skills

The successful candidate should aim to document the following accomplishments in your application, assessment, and/or resume:

• Proficiency in the English language
• An advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate level) in Fisheries, Marine, Natural Resource or Agricultural Economics; or related field
• A record of peer-reviewed publications in the field, including a selection of publications for which you have served as first or sole author
• Evidence of participation in a VCA (e.g., authorship in a publication or report)
• Training credentials (e.g., certificate(s) of completion) in Human Subjects Research
• Training (formal education or on-the-job) in survey/questionnaire/interview methodologies
• Proficiency in flowchart diagramming (include software used)
• A record of presentations in the field delivered in professional or educational settings (Powerpoint or poster)

The following accomplishments with supporting documentation (as above) are also desirable:

• Proficiency in the Indonesian language (Bahasa)
• Newsletter production
• Experience with a virtual collaboration platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Basecamp, Trello)

Benefits

• This is a part-time contract opportunity offered annually for up to two years. Pay estimate is annual and performance-based, provided on a quarterly basis pursuant to receipt of quarterly deliverables.
• This is a remote working opportunity, with generally flexible hours. The candidate is expected to attend and participate in scheduled meetings. Due to varying time zones of partners, meetings are often scheduled at 9-10 am and 9-10 pm Eastern Time.

• Travel and Networking Opportunities:
• The candidate will travel to Indonesia for a two-week period in each of Years 1 and 2 to perform and report on the VCA with Indonesian partners and stakeholders.
• The candidate will travel to Tampa, FL in September 2025 to present to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

To Apply

Please visit https://aquariumfisheries.zohorecruit.com/jobs/Careers