Rebecca Gentry

BA, English, Northwestern University; Post Graduate Diploma, Marine Science, University of Otago; MS, Journalism, Columbia University; MA, Environmental Science, Columbia University

Demand for seafood in the United States and around the world is continuing to rise, driven by a growing population and increasing per capita consumption. Catches from fisheries have stagnated over the past 20 years as many stocks have become fully exploited. This has resulted in a general shift of expectations toward aquaculture to meet the world’s growing demand for fish. Indeed, on a global scale, aquaculture is the fastest-growing animal-food-producing sector and will soon overtake capture fisheries as the leading source of fish products.   

Within this context, Rebecca’s research focuses on the potential for marine aquaculture development and the constraints (both ecological and socio-economic) that may limit development. Additionally, she is involved in research to investigate how marine offshore aquaculture can best be integrated into spatial management of the oceans, considering its impact on other uses of the environment and its effect on marine ecosystems. She is the postdoc on the Sea Grant Aquaculture-Fisheries project (2020-2021).