Insight_2nd Edition

Rob Moir, PhD Executive Director Ocean River Institute Cambridge, MA www.oceanriver.org | www.robmoirphd.com A recognized authority on ecosys- tem-based resource management, Dr. Moir has served as executive director of the Ocean River Institute since its establishment in 2007. In this position, he draws upon his breadth of experi- ence, ranging from tide pools to ocean canyons, to coordinate with local groups toward the shared goal of saving the en- vironment. Dr. Moir further assists the organization’s network of partners to maximize their impact. Based in Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, the Ocean River Institute is a nonprofit environmental organization committed to facilitating and empowering savvy individuals, groups, citizen science, collaborative ecosystem-based management, and ecosystem and wildlife stewardship. As an environmental scientist, Dr. Moir must contend with two groups of people: those who call for a closing of vulnerable ocean areas from any fishing, and those calling on conservationists to clean up all waters and provide better resource management, resulting in improved sustainability. Rather than choose one side, Dr. Moir sees the merit in both, choosing the more difficult course of seeking both better conservation and better resource use. His solution involves the organiz- ing principle of subsidiarity, which assigns man- agement of a given area to the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority. He encourages varying degrees of stewardship practiced by all users. How the area is man- aged is first given to those closest to the natural resource, followed by regional and federal gov- erning authorities, as needed.