I grew up in Crisfield Maryland, a small fishing community surrounded by the tidal wetlands of Chesapeake Bay, where my frst job was pulling blue crab pots during summers with my grandfather on Pocomoke Sound. I graduated from the University of Maryland before working for more than thirty years as an executive at the Maryland and California Natural Resurces agencies.
Most of my career was spent leading Maryland’s land and water conservation programs. As Asssistant Secretary for Capital Programs, I managed a $150 million annual atatewide project for public land acquisition and improvement that included funding for local recreation, open space, Chesapeake Bay access, shore erosion control and waterway inprovement. As Executive Officer of the California Natural Resources Agency’s, San Diego River Conservancy, I directed a watershed driven land conservation and restoration program for this small quasi-indepenent state agency.
Though I believe these carrer milestones have povided me the experitse and network necessary to recruit and manage a panel discussion on fishing ground preservation and protection at the Pacific Marine Expo’s main stage, it was my seven year tenure as a Volunteer Program Officer for the Commercial Fishermem of Santa Barbara that has convinced me that intensifying spacial conflicts over commercial fishing grounds from state, federal conservation initiatives and industrial uses could threaten the industry’s continued viability, if these “grounds” don’t receive special statutory protections, mandated compensatory mitigation and property rights preservation frameworks similar to those provided to agricultural land and wetlands.
Moreover, my credentials also include five years as a Harbor Commissioner for the City of Santa Barbara’s working waterfront and Chair of its Commercial Fisheries Workgroup and member of the Stratefic Planning Workgroup. I occupy a seat on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advory Council.(When considering “spatial conflict”, its intresting to note that this sanctuary’s waters are responsible for roughly 65% percent of our commercial fleet’s ex-vessel values, yet those same waters comprise 240 square nautical miles of restrictive designations: 13 Marine Protected Areas and 11 No-take Areas). Also, I was recently appointedto the Advisory Committe of the National Working Waterfront Network.
Finally I was honored to be a panelist on the 2024 Pacific Marine Expo’s “Workforce Development on Americas Working Waterfronts” educational session and recenty invited to represent the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara at the Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum to be held by the Seafood Harvesters of America this May.
LinkedIn Profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/michael-nelson-311b5711