Getting to Know MBFT's New Board Member: Anthony Rogers
By Mark C Anderson, August 7, 2025
Growing up near Bodega Bay, some of Anthony Rogers’ earliest memories include, in his words, “running around the coast and watching fishing vessels come into port.”
And, he adds, “never missing a chance for clam chowder.”
He also recalls his family making more trips down to Monterey than he can count. Those visits always involved spontaneous local fresh fish-centric spots.
“Having such close access to fishing and seafood growing up definitely informed where I’ve gone since,” he says.
Where he’s gone since ranges far and wide, and lands him in a very helpful position as Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust’s newest board member.
His professional history includes serving as a senior fellow at the Ocean Conservancy, where he tracked fisheries economics and climate with a close eye on the resilience of fishing communities as changing ocean conditions intensify.
Prior to the Conservancy, Rogers worked as director of the California Ocean Science Trust, after stints with the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Labor.
That puts him in a unique—and uniquely effective—place to bridge the gap between policy, conservation, seafood appreciation and Monterey Bay identity.
And to connect his childhood to that of his kids, in future-generation terms, and via the day-to-day.
“I’m trying to recreate [my] experiences with my own kids, so my seafood choices are driven by their willingness to try things,” he says, citing a recent success story involving fried yellowtail rockfish at an outdoor market. “That went over well, so we’ll definitely be exploring that more.”
Rogers takes on a board role as co-founding Fisheries Trust board member Margaret Spring steps aside to find more time to tackle global challenges like plastic pollution. In fact, as this article is published, she’s participating in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution across the Atlantic in Geneva, Switzerland. The Fisheries Trust will zoom in on her vast—and ongoing—contributions to MBFT and the other projects she’s attending to in her next chapter as a public servant, with next month’s newsletter. Meanwhile, the Trust is grateful to have such big fins filled by such sizable feet, figuratively speaking, as Rogers comes on board. (Editor’s note: We’re not sure of his fin size.)
Here appear thoughts from Rogers, in response to five questions, that help demonstrate his insight and how it will advance MBFT’s mission.
How does your training as a natural resource economist inform, complement and contrast with your role as senior fellow on fisheries?
I like to think it’s all complementary! My work at Ocean Conservancy revolves around the economic dimensions of the issues we tackle, especially the long term health of fisheries and fishing communities. The way economists think about problems is especially useful for policy work: there are always tradeoffs, and understanding what those tradeoffs are is how we find real solutions. My training in economics helps me use data to find solutions to problems facing fisheries and all of us who rely on them.
You have a compelling mouthful in your MBFT bio: “connecting science with community engagement to drive concrete policy outcomes.” How would you say that around the seafood grill at the backyard barbecue?
Ha! That mouthful is always the danger of this line of work…We know decision makers are going to make bad policy if they’re not talking to the people most affected by those decisions. We also know they’re going to make bad policy if what they’re trying to do isn’t rooted in science. But if scientists want to ask the right questions and get better insights, then they also need to work with people who have years of experience on the water. And on the flipside, fishermen and other people can benefit from the data and expertise that economists, biologists, and other scientists bring to the table. Which, in the end, all helps decision makers put together more useful approaches! Simply put: if you’re missing that engagement component, you’re going to have worse outcomes. I work to make those connections.
When do you feel most alive in your work with the Ocean Conservancy?
Perhaps no surprise given my last answer, but it’s when I get to meet new people! Fishermen, scientists, conservationists; there’s always something to learn, and usually a good story or two, in each and every conversation. Getting to stitch all these interesting connections together towards action our oceans need is just such an exciting job to have. I’m really lucky.
What might surprise people about your work there?
I think the most common one I get is: Why the heck is someone at a conservation organization so focused on economics and community resilience? I think those who don’t live and breathe fisheries policy have this outdated idea that it’s a constant fistfight between conservationists and industry. But fishermen today know the scientific grounding of fisheries management is what ensures the long-term health of the species they rely on, and conservationists know there’s no progress to be had if you’re not thinking about the people who make a living from sustainable fisheries. All that creates a need for my focus. Plus, many folks I know in conservation have deep personal connections to fishing and coastal communities, so it makes sense that they are central to our work.
What energizes you most about the Fisheries Trust’s work and your chance to contribute?
Thinking so much about the resilience of fisheries and coastal communities has really shaped my view that “resilience” has to mean more than just making a profit or conserving species; it’s about fisheries remaining part of the identity of our coast. So what energizes me about the Trust’s work is: I’ve already been pointing to it as a model for doing that, for thinking about community resilience, for years! All of us—fishermen, conservationists, scientists, and public servants—play a role in the future of our fisheries, and organizations like Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust exist to make sure someone is speaking up for that broader community lens as we shape that future.