Molly Masterton joined the Network and host Tom Sadler for an online Waterside Chat on July 14, 2026. Molly is a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she works to promote sustainable fisheries management and the application of ecosystem-based management tools to ocean resources in the U.S. and abroad.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Molly and Tom talked about:

• Molly’s work as a “senior harried environmental lawyer” working on “the most interesting wildlife ecosystems” in the world: fisheries.
• Why fisheries management is a data-hungry and science-hungry process
• How the Magnuson Stevens Act has evolved from its roots (stopping foreign fishing off U.S. shores) to broadly managing America’s wild fisheries for the long term
• Why working waterfronts and workforce development for small-boat commercial fishermen are conservation issues too

And of course, much much more!

Referenced in the Chat:

• Molly’s recent blog post
• Ken Hinman’s recent post

About Waterside Chats:

Watch more Waterside Chats or subscribe to the podcast.

The Marine Fish Conservation Network’s Waterside Chat series connects people who depend on healthy oceans and fisheries with the issues that directly affect them and their communities. Each episode the Network’s CEO Tom Sadler talks with different guests about ocean policy and fisheries management topics. He engages them in genuine and thoughtful conversations about what policy decisions mean for people’s livelihoods, communities, recreation, and coastal ways of life.

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