Pierre PETITGAS

Pierre Petitgas is a fisheries ecologist and a oceanographer with a Doctorate in geostatistics and a research director Habilitation in marine ecology. His research focussed originally on the spatial organisation of small pelagic fish populations and their responses to changes in the environment and fishing pressure. He has coordinated research programs on the variability of marine resources and developed methods for their mapping at different scales. He has contributed to develop integrated fisheries and ecosystem monitoring surveys as well as coupled biophysical models for the understanding of regional ecosystems like the Bay of Biscay. He promotes a spatialized and integrated governance of marine ecoregions, where fishing practices and effort are managed according to multiple trade-offs, in the context of climate change and biodiversity conservation. He started his career at the French institute for sustainable development (IRD), where he gained experience on tropical ecosystems and their fisheries resources. At IFREMER since 25 years, he is now adjoint director of the department of Biological resources and their environment (RBE). He is French Delegate at the Council of ICES (International council for the exploration of the sea) and member of ICES Science Committee. In these positions he contributes to assembling knowledge across disciplines to address the complex challenges of transitioning to the integrated governance of our seas and marine activities.