Mariska Bottema is a Senior Scientist and leads the Inclusive Aquatic Food Market Systems science team at WorldFish. Her research focusses on generating evidence that persuades market actors and public decision-makers to implement instruments and investments for aquatic food transformation that concurrently foster efficiency, sustainability and equity. She holds a PhD in Aquaculture Governance from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, focussed on value chains and certification in Southeast Asia.

Committed to driving positive change from within the industry, Mariska has addressed aquatic systems transformation from diverse perspectives. Before joining WorldFish, she led Friends of Ocean Action’s blue food program at the World Resource Institute and World Economic Forum, which focussed on sustainable aquaculture development and reducing aquatic food loss and waste in Africa. She has experience with market and policy analysis in the start-up and engineering consultancy sector, and started her career at WWF, where she developed and managed a coastal biodiversity program in the Caribbean.