Rhea Medine Moss-Christian (born 31 August 1974) is the executive director and former chair of the

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is both a general and a tuna regional fisheries management organisation established to conserve and manage tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks across the western and central area ...

(WCPFC), the governing body for the world's largest

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

fishery, which conserves and manages fish stocks across the western and central Pacific Ocean. She was the first woman to hold either of these roles. She previously chaired the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission and advised the Marshall Islands Government on oceans and trade.

Early life and education

Born in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

, Moss-Christian commenced her career in fisheries by assisting the Marshall Islands Government in regional fisheries meetings and United Nations negotiations. Moss-Christian holds a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies, 2005 (

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

), a Post-Graduate Certificate in Diplomatic Studies, 2000 (

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

) and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Politics, 1996 (

University of California Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...

). When working towards her degree at the University of California Santa Cruz, she became interested in fisheries.

Career

Moss-Christian moved to

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

in 1996 and was chosen to represent the

at the 30th Forum Fisheries Committee. Moss-Christian made history in December 2014 as the first woman to be elected as chair of the

and was then elected to a second two-year term in December 2016, which was reported as a testament to the respect she had won from Commission members. Th
Commission membership
includes all the major fishing nations from Europe, Asia and North America, as well as developing Pacific nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Moss-Christian and WCPFC Executive Director,

Feleti Teo Feleti Penitala Teo OBE (born 9 October 1962) is a Tuvaluan lawyer and civil servant. He is the son of Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo who was appointed as the first Governor General of Tuvalu (1978–1986) following independence from Great Brita ...

, have been notable for guiding Commission members to achieve more progress by setting realistic goals, given that member countries have different interests and perspectives. At the Commission's 2016 annual meeting, Moss-Christian highlighted the need to develop a harvest strategy, review conservation and management measures for key tunas such as

Bigeye The Priacanthidae, the bigeyes, are a family of 18 species of marine ray-finned fishes. " Catalufa" is an alternate common name for some members of the Priacanthidae. The etymology of the scientific name (, to bite + , thorn) refers to the fam ...

and Bluefin, mitigate

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

and address the safety of commercial fishing boat observers who ensure Commission rules are being followed. Moss-Christian was appointed chairperson of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission in early 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss-Christian, Rhea 1974 births Living people

Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

21st-century Marshallese women Sustainable fishery Stanford University alumni