Meet our chairs

Harriët Van Overzee
RCG NANSEA (2020-2022)
Harriet.vanoverzee@wur.nl
Current position
Fisheries scientist at Wageningen Marine Research (WMR)
- Project manager of the Dutch DCF onboard fisheries monitoring programme, including monitoring of onboard demersal active vessels, pelagic trawlers and demersal passive vessels
- Project researcher in several fisheries related projects (both national and international).
Background
Harriet has over 12 years of experience in fisheries data collection and has executed a number of (international) projects including work on discards, seasonal closures and the pulse fishery. She has participated in the RCG NANSEA and in a number of ICES and STECF Expert Working Groups.
Role in RCG
Harriet currently holds the position as co-chair of the RCG NANSEA. She is also active in the ISSG case study on freezer trawler fleet exploiting pelagic fisheries in the NEA and the ISSG Optimized and Operational Regional Sampling Plans.

Sven Stötera
RCG Baltic (2020-2022)
sven.stoetera@thuenen.de
Current position
Sven Stötera is currently working as a fisheries biologist at the Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries in Rostock, Germany. He is focusing on stock assessments, mainly Baltic Sea flatfishes. Also researching on stock discrimination methods, otolith stable isotopes and microchemistry. He is member in several ICES Working groups and responsible for most commercial fisheries data calls.
Background
He studied biology and Fisheries science at the Hamburg university. After finishing his M.Sc., he worked in geotechnology and –analytics, before starting to work at Thünen as a fisheries scientist in 2012. Beside the scientific work there, he also conducted his doctorate on new stock discrimination methods in Baltic Sea cod between 2014 and 2017.
Role in RCG
Member of the RCG (RCM) Baltic since 2013, participated in subgroups and planning group for the change from RCM to RCG and afterwards as member of several ISSGs since 2016. Chair of the ISSG for RDB overviews from 2018 to 2020.
Chair for the RCG Baltic since 2020.

Maciej Adamowicz
RCG Baltic (2022-2023)
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.

Irek Wójcik
RCG LDF (2020-2023)
iwojcik@mir.gdynia.pl
Current position
Head of Department of Logistics & Monitoring at National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Gdynia, Poland. National Correspondent (DCF) since 2015.
Background
Msc Eng. marine fisheries, biologist. In charge of DCF in Poland since 2011.
Role in RCG
Chair. Coordinator of joint sampling programmes for the EU long distance vessels fishing for small pelagics in the CECAF and SPRFMO areas.

Heidi Pokki
RCG ECON (2022-2023)
heidi.pokki@luke.fi
Current position
Heidi Pokki works in the Natural Resources Institute Finland as a Senior Scientist and Group Manager in the Bioeconomy accounting group in Statistical Services Unit. She is involved in the economic and social data collection of the Finnish fleet, aquaculture, and fish processing sectors.
Background
Heidi has a Doctor’s Degree on Agriculture and Forestry including dissertation in Environmental Economics (fisheries) and Master’s degree on Economics and Business Administration in the field of Economics. She works as a fisheries economist and has been involved in the economic data collection of fisheries since 2010.
Role in RCG
Heidi will be co-chairing the RCG ECON with Irina Davidjuka in 2022 and with some new candidate in 2023. She will be co-ordinating and facilitating the RCG ECON meetings in 2022-2023 period and participating in the ISSG work for RCG ECON.

Hans van Oostenbrugge
RCG ECON (2022-2024)
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.