Rachel Seary is a researcher at UC Santa Cruz and the NOAA Environmental Research Division. She received a PhD in Geography from the University of Cambridge in 2019 before moving to the USA to study the California Current Ecosystem. Rachel is interested in the links between humans and the marine environment, and finding the balance between biodiversity conservation and sustaining ocean resources that people need for food, economy and well-being under changing environmental and regulatory landscapes. Her research investigates social-ecological challenges for fishing communities through participatory approaches.