The Waitt Institute is excited to announce the newest addition to our team, Dr. Felipe Carvalho, who joins us as the Sustainable Fisheries Manager. Felipe will help design strategies and analyses to further our mission of promoting sustainable fisheries and safeguarding marine biodiversity on a global scale.
Felipe arrives at the Waitt Institute with a background in fish ecology and a passion for community-driven conservation. With his Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech, he has extensively researched coral reef fisheries sustainability in Northeastern Brazil, with his work providing scientific insights for sustainable practices and management. His published paper Gear selectivity of functional traits in coral reef fisheries in Brazil highlights his dedication to evidence-based conservation.
During his time with Rare and the Fish Forever Program, Felipe led multi-stakeholder and community-based management initiatives, fostering fisheries monitoring and the adoption of adaptive management strategies across Brazil. These efforts have helped bridge the gap between local ecological knowledge and broader conservation objectives.
Felipe earned his Bachelor's in Oceanography, focusing on the population dynamics of the Argentine anchovy—a crucial species for Brazil's ecosystem and fishing industry potential. His Master's degree in Freshwater Biology and Inland Fisheries expanded his expertise to include freshwater ecosystems, where he studied the trophic ecology of the arapaima in the Amazon—a species crucial to both ecological health and local livelihoods.