Mr. Damian Johnson Damian Johnson has joined IMCS Network as a Senior MCS Specialist. Damian will support the Network and its members by focusing support on the Joint Analytical Cell (JAC), a recent collaborative initiative between the Network, TM-Tracking (TMT), and Global Fishing Watch (GFW) funded with generous support from the Bloomberg Vibrant Oceans Initiative. Damian will work alongside the JAC Coordinator, a Senior TMT Analyst, to identify and collect relevant information on IUU fishing and related activities. He will deliver analysis in support of the partner countries of the IMCS Network and work for the current programs and activities of TMT and GFW.
Damian joins the Network from the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, where he served as the MCS Advisor, Strategic Analysis, and led the FFA’s work to develop the regional MCS analytical capacity and engagement with emerging technology. He brings more than 20 years; of experience in marine resource management, fisheries compliance, and project management to the International MCS Network. He has held frontline investigative, operational, analytical and intelligence roles in New Zealand and has more recently performed fisheries advisory and capacity development roles in Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific. Through this work he has engaged with several Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and sub-regional organizations as well as a variety of national agencies ranging from large port States to small developing coastal States across offshore, coastal, and community fisheries. During his time working with New Zealand fisheries, Mr. Johnson was accepted by the New Zealand judiciary as an expert witness for his analytical evidence given in support of fisheries prosecutions. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Resource Studies from Lincoln University, Canterbury in New Zealand.
“The addition of a subject matter expert such as Damian to the Network demonstrates the ongoing commitment by the Network to grow the level of service provided to our members. The partnerships that we have established with TMT and GFW to realize the JAC have been critically important, and JAC products will deliver appreciable benefits to members in combatting IUU fishing in their areas of operation. The Network is deeply appreciative of the funding support that we have received from the Bloomberg Vibrant Oceans Initiative which has enabled us to bring Damian on board."
Gary Orr, Chair, IMCS Network
Mr. Johnson will now support intelligence reporting, the communication of findings to Network partners, and the support of fisheries MCS operations. He will also be responsible for conducting outreach to partner countries and facilitating opportunities, both directly and indirectly, to provide related MCS capacity building and training, especially in the use of technology platforms and data analytics that support greater understandings of maritime fishing activities. His work will bridge compliance theory and the development and application of new and innovative tools to support increased cooperation and compliant behavior across all fisheries areas.