Many of Marie Fujitani’s favorite things to do during her childhood in Hawai‘i involved the ocean. Fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, and beach camping with family and friends who are recreational fishers made her aware of how ocean resources impacted her life, and sparked her desire to play a part in ensuring that ocean resources are available for future generations to enjoy. Living and working for five years in a port city in Fukuoka, Japan “drew her attention to the importance of the human dimension in the management of shared resources, and the interplay of culture, conflict and cooperation.”

Originally interested in animal behavior, Marie completed a BS in this specialty prior to moving to Japan. After returning to the U.S. for graduate school, she completed a master’s degree that focused on how humans behave within natural resource management systems, rather than as outside actors on the system and the resources it protects. She continued this investigation as a PhD candidate at Arizona State University, where she completed her degree in environmental life sciences. Moreover, she earned the opportunity to explore the real-world policy implications her research can have as a 2013 Knauss Fellow with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

At NMFS, Marie worked in the Office of Aquaculture where she contributed to a project related to the aquaculture component of the national FishWatch program, which assists in monitoring and reporting related to federally managed and aquaculture species. She reviewed aquaculture research proposals for projects around fish and shellfish cultivation technology, alternative feeds, and facilities development/management. She also attended conferences addressing bilateral relations and fisheries management partnerships with Canada and Japan, which provided an unparalleled opportunity to explore her interest in international fisheries and resource management policy.

While it is hard to characterize in a single example of all that she learned and experienced, she is grateful to have gained insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that govern natural resource management on a national level. With these insights, she has greater visibility into how her research now and in the future may influence better policy-making and regulations related to conserving and protecting the world’s marine resources.