Illicit Fishing Research Associate
Expertise: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Policy, Marine Conservation, Climate and Ocean Policy, Natural Resource Management
Alyssa Withrow is an experienced ocean policy and conservation researcher based in Washington, DC. She began SCUBA diving when she was 13 years old and has since become acutely aware of the threats to our oceans. This insight was beneficial when conducting research in East Africa for her senior undergraduate thesis, which focused on Tanzanian marine environments and included interviews and observations about illegal fishing in the region. In 2019, Alyssa was selected as a Fulbright Research Grant semifinalist to study the efficacy of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in TZ.
During her graduate studies as an environmental policy and sustainability student at the University of Colorado Boulder, she excelled in courses focused on climate change policy, stakeholder engagement and facilitation, and policy development. Her previous work and research included writing a policy brief for the establishment of an MPA in the Western Antarctic Peninsula for presentation at the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and conducting research for a campaign called “Antarctica Now” to promote the MPA proposals brought forward to CCAMLR. Through her graduate and undergraduate research, she brings demonstrated experience in ocean conservation research and advocacy, public engagement with diverse communities, and project management.