Dr. Rohan Currey
Vice Chair, ISSF Board of Directors, & Former Chief Science & Standards Officer, Marine Stewardship Council
Dr. Rohan Currey is a marine biologist and fisheries scientist with two decades of experience in the science-policy interface.
As Chief Science and Standards Officer at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) from 2019-2024, he led the Science and Standards Department and was part of the Executive Committee. Dr. Currey managed a team of 50 staff across nine countries, overseeing fisheries and supply chain standards, certification, climate change research, program impact evaluation, and assurance operations. He also led strategic engagement on high-profile issues, such as working with governments, industry, scientists and NGOs to secure harvest strategies in regional fisheries management organizations. Prior to that role, Dr. Currey was Fisheries Standard Director at MSC, ensuring the MSC Fisheries Standard was scientifically robust and effectively implemented.
Before joining MSC in 2016, he was a Principal Scientist at New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, focusing on marine mammal and Antarctic fisheries science. He represented New Zealand in international forums, including the International Whaling Commission and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, leading delegations and advising on the then-proposal for a Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area and the adjacent toothfish fishery. He participated in two Antarctic expeditions, researching killer whales to support the designation of the world’s largest Marine Protected Area.
Dr. Currey holds a Ph.D. in marine mammal science from the University of Otago in New Zealand, with expertise in cetacean conservation biology, ecology, and risk assessment. His professional affiliations include membership in the Royal Society of New Zealand and the UK Government’s Land, Nature and Adapted Systems Advisory Group advising the UK Government on green finance. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Exeter.
