Led by fishermen, for fishermen
The Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign is proudly led by “people in boots, not people in suits.” Defying a notion that environmental leadership is the province of professionals and politicians, our team embodies the ingenuity, determination, and devotion that have been imprinted on us by a lifestyle interwined with the sea.
Sarah Schumann, Campaign Director
Sarah Schumann fishes in Rhode Island and Alaska and is the director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign. She has been a salmon cannery machinist, farmers market sales associate, and deckhand on gillnet boats, lobster boats, a seine boat, and an oyster farm. To Sarah, earning the title of commercial fisherman means a lot more than just catching fish; it means standing up for the ecosystems that produce wild seafood and standing with the communities who depend on them. Prior to launching the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, Sarah founded the nonprofit Eating with the Ecosystem, authored Rhode Island’s Shellfish Heritage and Simmering the Sea: Diversifying Our Cookery to Sustain Our Fisheries, marshaled the creation of Rhode Island’s fisheries interpretive trail, and galvanized Atlantic fishermen to support their Pacific colleagues in blocking open-pit mining in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. She cut her teeth as a fishing community organizer by orchestrating the Resilient Fisheries RI project, a participatory visioning process for the future of Rhode Island’s fisheries in a changing world. Sarah launched the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign in 2022 with the instrumental partnership of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, and friends and colleagues around the U.S.
Kinsey Brown, Research and Outreach Associate
Kinsey lives and works in Cordova, Alaska with her husband and daughter. She and her husband operate a family fishing business on their vessel, the F/V Lucid Dream, harvesting pink and chum salmon in Prince William Sound. In the winter and shoulder seasons they fish for tanner crab, side stripe shrimp, and black cod. She has worked in many aspects of the seafood industry including direct customer relations behind the fish counter, managing sales for a processing facility, coordinating fleet quality initiatives for regional development organizations, and advocating for policy changes on behalf of fishing communities. Kinsey holds a Masters of Anthropology from the University of Hawai'i where she studied the role of local knowledge in fisheries management and social communication systems amongst fishermen. Her research interests take a global perspective to local issues.
In her role as Research and Outreach Associate with the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, Kinsey is focused on supporting the Campaign’s community outreach activities and on translating findings from 150+ interviews with fishing vessel owners coast to coast into a report that will be delivered to policy makers to drive public investment in a low-carbon fishing fleet.
Tim Rovinelli, Project Associate
Tim Rovinelli is a quahogger who bullrakes in Narragansett Bay and has a background in environmental science. Previously, he crewed on an oyster farm and set-netted salmon, as well as worked for US Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service, and the RI Division of Marine Fisheries on various fishery projects. He graduated with a B.A. in Environmental studies from Brown University in 2013. He also holds the state record for Atlantic mackerel in RI with a whopping 1lb fish.
Tim is supporting the Fishery Friendly Climate' Action Campaign’s “Low Carbon Fleet” project through data collection from interviews with fishermen in Southern New England, as well as a practical evaluation of the various technical pathways towards fleet emissions reduction.
Michael (MJ) Jackson, Advisor
MJ has been a career commercial fisherman since 1979 and continues to fish Bristol Bay for salmon. He has been on the board of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) since 2018 where he served as Vice-President and President of the board until his recent decision to step down. He currently serves on the Salmon Committee for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Committee (ASMI), as well as an advisor for the Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay (CFBB). MJ has been an ultra-dedicated force by advocating for Bristol Bay fishermen and helping create a safe and sustainable fishery that will be around for generations to come. He has helped the Bay flourish despite challenges such as COVID, Pebble Mine, market swings, and regulatory and policy issues among fisheries.
Linda Behnken, Advisor
Linda is the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) and has fished commercially off Alaska since 1982, both as a deckhand and owner/operator. Linda has previously served: on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC); as an industry advisor to the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission; on the National Academy of Science Individual Fishing Quota Review Panel; as a U.S. Commissioner to the International Pacific Halibut Commission from 2016-2018; and as a member of Alaska’s Climate Action Leadership Team. She was awarded the National Fisherman Highliner award in 2009 for her work promoting healthy marine ecosystems and strong coastal communities, and in 2016 Linda was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood by President Obama. Linda is currently serving as a co-author of the National Climate Assessment Alaska chapter and is the Oceans Coordinator for Businesses for Conservation and Climate Action.
Shaye Rooney, Advisor
Shaye is the assistant director of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI), where she performs many roles. Some of these roles include organization and coordination of the Commercial Fisherman Apprenticeship training, managing CFCRI’s website and communication channels, coordinating and evaluating CFCRI’s seafood donation program, assisting in CFCRI’s efforts of representing the Rhode Island fishing community through the process of offshore wind development, and conducting related research. Through this work, she has built great working relationships with many Rhode Island fishermen and other members of the state’s fishing community.
