James joined TNC in July 2017. He provides technical and scientific support for fisheries elements of the ResCA climate and food security program in Central America. He is focused on implementation of TNC’s fisheries electronic traceability program in Belize, and on linking this to an adaptive fisheries management framework nationally and regionally. James also leads research assessing ecological aspects of seaweed mariculture in Belize under TNC’s Belize Mariculture Initiative. Prior to TNC, James was Science Director at the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) in Belize, specializing in research on conch fishery management. His work building marine research capacity among local youths under TIDE’s Community Researcher Program earned him the 2017 John Denham Award for Community Participation in Conservation.  He has worked in marine conservation in Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua, and holds an MSc in Tropical Coastal Management from Newcastle University, UK. A British/Irish dual national, he speaks English, Spanish and understands Belizean Creole.