After 35 years in sustainable fisheries work, Randy Ericksen is moving on.

Randy Ericksen, Fisheries Science Director and a founding member of Ocean Outcomes, is retiring at the end of this month. His well-deserved retirement comes on the heels of a long and successful career in sustainable fisheries including positions with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Cramer Fish Sciences, Wild Salmon Center, and most recently Ocean Outcomes.

An integral part in founding and developing O2’s science and analytics teams, Randy moved forward countless collaborative science based initiatives for organizations working in sustainable seafood.

“Randy was part of the founding team at Ocean Outcomes, so it is bittersweet to see him retire”, said Dick Jones, President and CEO. “We truly appreciated his attention to detail and the immense level of knowledge and understanding of fisheries science he brought to the organization. Although we are going to miss him around the office, we’re happy he can enter the next phase of his life knowing he contributed to the success of O2, and the global sustainability of seafood.”

Throughout his career Randy relentlessly contributed to the reliability, efficacy, transparency, and sustainability of fisheries science. He worked diligently to bring best management practices to Russian fisheries; he is proud to have guided three fisheries in the Russian Far East through Marine Stewardship Council certification. While a biologist at ADFG he developed the first escapement goals for several salmon stocks and facilitated the adoption of formal fishery management plans to ensure sustainable harvest levels. As member and chair of the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative’s Fisheries Expert Working Group, Randy ensured robust criteria for benchmarking certification programs which positively influenced seafood certification schemes. He participated in countless crosscultural fisheries science events, and made numerous trips to consult with Russian fisheries over the span of his career.

“It’s been an exciting ride,” says Randy. “I’m really excited to see what else O2 can accomplish and I feel confident the sustainable seafood movement will continue to have positive impact on commercial fisheries in the regions which need it most.”

Randy, who has been eyeing retirement for the last few years, is looking forward to easing into retired life. While he plans to continue consulting part-time on fisheries issues, he intends to spend more time pursuing his other interests; traveling with his wife Mira, seeing his two kids through college, working on his house in Haines AK, hiking, and naturally, fishing as much as possible.