Washington, D.C. – July 20, 2026 –The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency (CFT) announced the appointment of Dr. Ryan Orgera as its new Director. Based in Ottawa, Canada, Orgera brings more than a decade of experience advancing ocean conservation, fisheries sustainability, and transparency initiatives around the world.
As Director, Orgera will lead CFT’s efforts to advance transparency and accountability in fisheries management, build support for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, and work with governments, civil society organizations, and other partners to drive meaningful reforms that support sustainable and equitable fisheries.
An environmental social scientist, Orgera most recently served as Global Director of the advocacy organization Accountability.Fish and previously held leadership roles including marine policy fellow in the United States Senate and CEO of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, a regional conservancy. He is an expert in ocean governance and multilateral fisheries processes, with experience working through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and United Nations forums. Over the past three years, he served on CFT’s Steering Committee, helping guide the Coalition’s strategic direction.
Dr. Ryan Orgera said, “I am proud to have supported CFT’s mission as a Steering Committee member, and I am honored to now lead the Coalition’s work. Transparency is fundamental to sustainable fisheries management, stronger ocean stewardship, and combating illegal fishing. I look forward to working with our members and partners around the world to advance practical reforms that benefit both people and the ocean.”
Maisie Pigeon, Senior Director of Global Transparency at Oceana, said, “Ryan brings a deep understanding of fisheries transparency, a strong track record of advocacy and coalition building, and a clear vision for advancing CFT’s mission. Having worked alongside him for several years, I am confident he will build on the Coalition’s success and help drive even greater progress toward transparent, accountable, and sustainable fisheries worldwide.
The Coalition recently announced the signing of the Mombasa Declaration, a commitment by 16 countries to advance global fisheries transparency and strengthen efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. The Coalition is working with the signatory countries to advance practical transparency measures, outlined in the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, to improve access to information on vessel ownership, licensing, and fishing activity; strengthening accountability; and enabling more sustainable and equitable management of marine resources.
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The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency is a global network of more than fifty global civil society organisations that work together to improve transparency and accountability in fisheries governance and management. The Coalition promotes the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, a set of 10 policy principles designed to ensure that information about fishing vessels, activities, and governance is publicly available, helping to combat illegal fishing, strengthen ocean governance, and protect human rights at sea. Learn more at fisheriestransparency.net.
Contact: Chip Weiskotten
Sr. Communications Manager, CFT
chip@fisheriestransparency.net
+1 518-669-3936
