Meet Our Team

Brad Warren – Executive Chairman

Brad, a commercial fisher for the past 18 years, has been a Board Member since 2003. Brad has been an owner/operator in the New South Wales lobster, estuary prawn trawl, trap and line and estuary general fisheries. Brad’s enormous capacity to forge effective working relations with government, industry and the community is based on his broad experience as an owner/operator and in representing the fishing industry in diverse forums.

Lowri Pryce – Executive Officer

Lowri is originally from Wales, and holds a Masters degree in Environment and Planning from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Lowri has previously worked in the UK Arts, corporate and non-for-profit sectors managing large-scale community and corporate sponsorship projects, in marine conservation advocacy & research, and within the yachting industry.

Eduardo Gallo – Administration Officer

Eduardo has a background in biodiversity conservation with experience in the not-for profit sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Environmental Science. His experience combines research, environmental education, as well as various administrative support roles. He has worked, prior to joining OceanWatch Australia, for Birds Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia. His aim is to provide administrative support to make sure all projects on the ground are meeting our targets to contribute to the sustainability of Australia’s seafood industry.

SeaNet Team

Dave Kreutz – Extension Officer, SeaNet – Southern Queensland

Prior to starting with OceanWatch, Dave had been a professional fisher in various NSW offshore and estuary fisheries and a skipper in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF). He has been involved with Threat Abatement Plans, Pelagic Working Groups and underwater setting chute programs. He also is a committee member of Southern Seabird Solutions, an international body for the promotion and implementation of “Seabird Friendly” sustainable fishing practices. Dave’s ambition is to continue to work with fishers to make the Australian ETBF a world leading environmentally sustainable pelagic fishery for seabirds, turtles and other by-catch species. Dave is based in Mooloolaba, QLD.

David Schubert – Extension Officer, SeaNet – Northern Queensland

David is located in Townsville, North Queensland. He attained a Bachelor of applied Science in Fisheries from the Australian Maritime College Beauty Point Tasmania.  For the past three years has worked as a fisheries observer for AFMA, working throughout most Australian Commonwealth fisheries, High Seas and more recently Antarctic waters.   His aim is to work closely with local stakeholders, to develop ideas for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly industry through evolving gear technology.

Michael Wooden – Extension Officer, SeaNet – New South Wales

Michael has extensive experience working with commercial fishers, through his previous employment with the NSW DPI in Cronulla, and recently with the NSW DPI Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit in Coffs Harbour. Michael has a Bachelor of Science degree (Fisheries Management and Aquaculture) and recently completed a Masters degree by research through the UNE- National Marine Science Centre. Michael has worked on numerous research projects which addressed species selectivity and bycatch reduction; in otter trawl, seine nets and traps.

Cassandra Price – Extension Officer, SeaNet – Tasmania

Cassandra has been involved working in the marine industry since 2002 starting on passenger vessels, dive boats, and presenting reef educational talks. Her passion for the marine environment led to a degree in a Bachelor of Science (Zoology) with a large focus on Marine subjects. After completion of the degree Cassandra worked as Fisheries Officer for the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, for a few years. Cassandra is currently undertaking a part-time Masters of Antarctic Science and has just returned from a 6 months stint at Davis Station in Antarctica, where she was investigating the effects of ocean warming and acidification on the utilization of lipids through larval development of Antarctic sea urchins.

Nathan Bicknell – Extension Officer, SeaNet – South Australia

Nathan’s background to commercial fishing began at an early age, growing up in a fishing family in Pt Lincoln South Australia.  This exposure to the marine environment fostered a passion for the marine life. Pursuing this passion he obtained a bachelor degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture management at Southern Cross University NSW. After graduation, he went worked with AFMA as Fisheries Observer onboard Commonwealth vessels throughout Australian and in international waters. He has contributed to a variety of new and ongoing research and development programs. Nathan returned to SA and joined OceanWatch Australia as the states SeaNet Extension Officer, based in Port Adelaide.

Lyn Lambeth – Extension Officer, SeaNet – Northern Territory

Lyn has been associated with the fishing industry for many years, as a crew member and owner-operator in various fisheries in northern WA and the Northern Territory. After completing a fisheries science degree at the Australian Maritime College in the 1990′s she worked extensively with small-scale fisheries throughout the Pacific before returning to Australia. Lyn has been more recently known among the NT fishing fraternity as co-owner of a Spanish mackerel boat and work on the wharf refuelling fishing boats.

Hannah Arcaro – Extension Officer, SeaNet – Victoria

Hannah worked in the UK before moving to Melbourne in March 2012. In the UK, she spent two and a half years at the Marine Stewardship Council, working with the seafood supply chain to develop foodservice markets for sustainable seafood and raise consumer awareness. She also worked collaboratively with other organisations to develop a wide-reaching movement for sustainability amongst UK restaurants. This aimed to add value to those fisheries that committed to sustainable harvesting.  Hannah has also worked in marine planning, particularly on the development of offshore wind farms in UK waters and interactions with fishermen and other groups. She has an MSc in Marine and Coastal Resource Management and worked for a number of years as a Scuba diving instructor in the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Pacific regions.

Jay Shoesmith - Extension Officer, SeaNet – Western Australia

Jay studied at the Australian Maritime College Beauty Point, Tasmania, where he completed a Bachelor of Administration (Marine Resources). He later moved back to his home state Queensland and worked for Fisheries Queensland in the Long Term Monitoring Program. He has worked on fisheries dependant and independent surveys and spent time at sea. Jay is excited about promoting Western Australian sustainable fishing practices to the community, and working on new ideas with stakeholders. Jay works from the WAFIC office in Fremantle.

Tide to Table Team

Simon Rowe – Tide to Table Program Manager

Simon has a BSc (Urban & Environmental Horticulture) with Honours in mine site rehabilitation from UTS. He has worked sampling for pesticides with the NSW EPA in Leeton and Moree, designed & implemented landscapes, sampled landfills and other contaminated sites in Sydney and had a stint in Berlin. Simon has successfully developed the Tide to Table program which includes NRM projects to benefit farmers, seafood producers & communities, by rehabilitating coastal & estuarine habitats. He is very effective in working constructively with farmers, fishers, local councils  and community and landcare/bushcare groups, securing the future productivity of the seafood industry.

Peter Wrench – Project Manager, Tide to Table – Bundaberg

Peter holds a Master of Aquaculture from Deakin University and has an extensive background in both the finfish and prawn farming sectors. Prior to joining OceanWatch Peter served as a Technical Officer with Fisheries Queensland, facilitating the design and construction of fish passage devices on coastal and inland waterways across southern Queensland. Peter has previously been involved in seafood industry research and development through the Australian Prawn Farmers Association, as well as supporting industry training initiatives. Prior to his association with the seafood and fisheries sectors Peter gained extensive experience in the fields of education and occupational health & safety.

Project Officer, Tide to Table – South East Queensland

Seafood Industry Partnerships in Schools

Jennifer Hemer – Project Officer, Tasmania

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science (Zoology and Botany) and Bachelor of Antarctic Studies with Honours from the University of Tasmania. She completed a Master of Science in fisheries biology at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in Ireland.  For the past 10 years Jennifer has worked in a range of marine and environmental education and science communication roles.  She has experience working with teachers, industry, research and local interest groups to develop learning programs for schools and communities.  By combining her work and sea going experience, and her passion for the marine environment, Jennifer hopes to make a contribution to understanding marine resource utilisation through the Seafood Industry Partnerships in Schools programs.

NSW Oyster Industry: Environmental Management Systems

Andy Myers – Project Officer, New South Wales

Andy has a background in Marine Biology & Coastal Management (Masters). Since graduating in 2004 from Sydney University, Andy was initially involved in marine data management, helping to establish BlueNet (Australian Marine Science Data Network) through the Australian National University. He has also been employed as a Project Manager with the Reef Life Survey, undertaking scientific monitoring of reef habitats through detailed biodiversity surveys. With a particular interest in coastal water quality issues, Andy leads the water quality committee for the Surfrider Foundation in Sydney. He has a passion for quality, sustainable seafood which he brings to this position.