LYNDA BELLCHAMBERS

Dr Lynda Bellchambers has a background in invertebrate ecology and biology, with 25 years post PhD experience in fisheries research and management. She is a marine ecologist and Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in Western Australia (WA). She has conducted research on the biology and ecology of several of the State’s invertebrate fisheries to provide advice for sustainable management. Currently, her research focuses on assessing the impacts of fishing on the ecosystem including target species (both invertebrates and finfish), bycatch, benthic habitats, and Endangered, Threatened and Protected species. Lynda was also the Science Coordinator for the State’s MSC program and still provides strategic advice and support to assist the WA fisheries maintain and achieve MSC certification.

Since 2019, Lynda has also worked as a member of numerous assessments teams to conduct fisheries assessments against the MSC Standard throughout the Indo-Pacific and Australia. She has been trained to use the Risk Based Framework (RBF), the most recent MSC Standard (v3.1) and is also a certified Lead Auditor under the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Lynda is also a member of the MSC Peer Reviewer College and has been employed as an independent consultant by MSC to conduct Capacity Building Training for V3.1 in the Asia Pacific region.