Rhode Island Fisheries Model for Asia-Pacific Nations
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URI Experts Collaborate on Sustainable Fisheries in Indonesia
KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 20, 2025 – Last month, a Rhode Island team of experts traveled to Indonesia to collaborate with representatives from Southeast Asian countries on sustainable fishery management. University of Rhode Island professor Michael A. Rice; Jason McNamee, Ph.D. ’18, deputy director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM); and Maria Rice ’08, a legal expert in marine policy and lawyer with Rhode Island DEM, provided key expertise on data-sharing and science-based policies at the asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and fisheries in collaboration with Haluoleo University, the APEC forum focused on the regional management of small pelagic fish-different species of fish that migrate across national boundaries and are currently under-managed compared to high-profile species like tuna. The goal was to boost international coordination by creating digital data-sharing systems, as a first step toward regional cooperation.
Wa Iba, Ph.D. ’16, a former graduate student of Rice’s who is now a professor in Indonesia, played a central role in organizing the APEC forum and invited the Rhode Island-based team-the only portrayal from the United States-to participate in the summit.
Rice delivered the keynote address, framing the biological context of migratory fishes. As chair of URI’s Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Rice has led a prolific career conducting fisheries research, advising local and international goverment agencies, and teaching about aquaculture both in Rhode Island and in southeast Asia. ”When Professor Iba asked me to participate in this forum