Meet our chairs
Charis Charilaou
RCG Med&BS (2024-2025)
ccharilaou@dfmr.moa.gov.cy
Current position
Charis Charilaou is an Officer A’ at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR) of Cyprus. She is involved in the EU Data Collection since 2005; particularly, she is responsible for the collection, analysis and transmission of biological and discards data, and coordinates the preparation of Work Plans and Annual Reports.
Background
She holds a Master Degree in Marine and Fisheries Science (University of Aberdeen, 2002). She has been working at the Fisheries Resources Division of the DFMR since 2003. Working at the DFMR, she has gained experience in the collection and management of scientific data, as well as the provision of scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy.
Role in RCG
Charis is co-chairing the RCG Med&BS in 2024 (with Emmanuel Tessier) and 2025. She is also member of several RCG Med&BS intersessional subgroups.
Josefine Egekvist
RCG NANSEA (2023 – 2025)
jsv@aqua.dtu.dk
Current position
Senior Consultant at Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua).
Working with commercial fisheries data analysis and advice. Co-chair of RCG ISSG on Metier and transversal variable issues. Member of several international working groups (RCG, STECF FDI, WGCATCH, WGSFD, WGSFDGOV, RDBES core group, WGRDBESGOV).
Background
Has been working with fisheries data under the DCF since 2004, and have been involved in international work through ICES working groups and workshops, where she has been chair of WGSFD, WKTRADE, WKTRADE3, WKSSFGEO) and STECF FDI. Graduated as MSc in Geography in 2001.
Role in RCG
Is co-chairing RCG NANSEA and also co-chairing the RCG ISSG on Metier and transversal variable issues, which she has been chairing since 2019. Member of RCG ISSG on Small-Scale Fisheries.
Rita Vasconcelos
RCG NANSEA (2023 – 2026)
rita.vasconcelos@ipma.pt
Current position
Background
Role in RCG
Maciej Adamowicz
RCG Baltic (2021-2024)
madamowicz@mir.gdynia.pl
Current position
Senior specialist in the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Gdynia, Poland. Responsible for the development of databases and applications, fisheries data analysis and data transmission. Involved in designing the national programme for fisheries data collection. Member of several international working groups: RCG Baltic, STECF FDI, WGCATCH, WGRDBES-GOV.
Background
Graduated from the University of Gdańsk with a master’s degree in the field of Informatics and Econometrics. Developed data analysis skills at international training courses and workshops. Completed postgraduate studies in Data Science. Experienced in the R environment, programming and database development.
Role in RCG
Involved in the regional coordination of data collection in the Baltic Sea since 2013. Member of several RCG intersessional subgroups dealing mainly with data analysis: Transversal issues, Data Quality, End-user and RCG. RCG Baltic representative in WGRDBES–GOV. Co-chair of RCG Baltic for the period 2022-2023.
Emmanuel Tessier
RCG Med&BS (2023-2024)
emmanuel.tessier@ifremer.fr
Current position
He joined Ifremer in 2018, and is currently the head of a Mediterranean fisheries laboratory at Sète (France). The lab is part of a mixed research unit MARBEC (Marine Biodiversity, exploitation and Conservation) dealing with impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems.
Background
PhD in marine biology, he has been involved 4 years in the Indian Ocean, regional tuna project in data collection and participated in regional workgroups.
Other significant positions: scientific and technical advisor in a fishermen organization to promote sustainable fisheries / Manager and designer of MPAs / Scientific head in a fisheries, aquaculture and marine environment technology center.
Role in RCG
Co chair of RCG Med&BS with Beatriz Guijarro.
Maksims Kovsars
RCG LDF (2024-2027)
Maksims.Kovsars@bior.lv
Current position
Head of Information and Data division in Fish Resources Research department of scientific institute “BIOR”. Responsible for providing answers on end users data calls. Data collection program coordinator in Latvia. Member of several international working groups: (RCG (Baltic, LDF, Econ), STECF (FDI, AER, TM, WP, AR), ICES (WGCATCH, WGSFD)).
Background
Graduated from Transport and telecommunication institute (TSI) with a bachelor degree in the field of Computer science. Is currently in the process of writing his master’s thesis in the field of big data. Experienced in the IS development, programming (C and C++, Java, Python, R, SQL) and database development.
Role in RCG
Chair of RCG LDF. Member of several RCG intersessional subgroups: Transversal issues, Small-Scale Fisheries, RDB Overviews.
Irene Tzouramani
RCG ECON (2024-2025)
tzouramani@elgo.gr
Current position
Irene Tzouramani is a Research Director at the Agricultural Economics Research Institute (ELGO DIMITRA) in Athens. She has over ten years of experience in fisheries research. Since 2012, she has been actively involved in the Greek data collection program for socio-economic variables in fisheries.
Background
Irene is an Agricultural Economist and holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics. She has been involved in the national data collection, management, and use of socio-economic data in the fisheries sector to support scientific advice since 2012.
Role in RCG
Irene will co-chair the RCG ECON with Hans van Oostenbrugge (Netherlands) in 2024 and with some new candidate in 2025. She will coordinate and facilitate the RCG ECON meetings in the 2024-2025 period and participate in the ISSG work for the RCG ECON.
Hans van Oostenbrugge
RCG ECON (2023-2024)
Hans.vanOostenbrugge@wur.nl
Current position
Hans van Oostenbrugge is senior fisheries economist at Wageningen Economic Research. He has over 25 years of experience in fisheries research, and more than 20 year in fisheries economics and fisheries management. He has been actively involved in the Dutch data collection program for economic and social data from the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Background
Trained as a fisheries biologist and having done a Ph-D in fisheries management he has a broad knowledge of fisheries and fisheries management issues. Since 2001 he has been actively involved in data collection and research projects in the field of fisheries economics and has also lead the Dutch group of fisheries economists.
Role in RCG
Hans will be co-chairing the RCG ECON with Heidi Pokki in 2023 and with some new candidate in 2024. He will be co-ordinating and facilitating the RCG ECON meetings in 2023-2024 period and participating in the ISSG work for RCG ECON.