Education

Research

Research activities

• Examining global inequalities in access to marine resources and the consequences for food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity
• Development and testing of bycatch mitigation strategies for manta and devil rays in tropical tuna fisheries
• Modeling the socio-ecological outcomes of policy interventions to reduce industrial fishing impacts
• Examining how the housing crisis affects fishers’ access to waterfront infrastructure and livelihoods in New England
• Developing and evaluating interventions to prevent gender-based harassment and promote inclusive, safe fieldwork environments

Research

Research interests

• Marine conservation
• Social-ecological systems
• Small-scale fisheries
• Manta and devil rays
• Blue justice and equity

Select publications

See curriculum vitae for more publications

• Cronin, M. R., Murua, J., Croll, D.A., Hutchinson, M., Lezama-Ochoa, N., Lopez, J., Murua, H., Palacios, M.D., Victor Restrepo, V., Stewart, J.D., Swimmer, Y., Zilliacus, K., Moreno, G. (2025).
  Evidence for a fisher-designed solution to manta and devil ray bycatch in tuna fisheries
  Conservation Biology
  
• Cronin, M. R., Beltran, R. S., & Zavaleta, E. S. (2024).
  Beyond reporting: proactive strategies for safer scientific fieldwork
  Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 39(3), 213-216.
  
• Cronin, M. R., Zavaleta, E. S., Beltran, R. S., Esparza, M., Payne, A. R., Termini, V., Thompson, J., & Jones, M. S. (2024).
  Testing the effectiveness of interactive training on sexual harassment and assault in field science.
  Scientific Reports, 14, 523.
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49203-0
• Cronin, M. R., Croll, D. A., Hall, M. A., Lezama-Ochoa, N., Lopez, J., Murua, H., Murua, J., Restrepo, V., Rojas-Perea, S., Stewart, J. D., Waldo, J. L., & Moreno, G. (2023).
  Harnessing stakeholder knowledge for the collaborative development of mobulid bycatch mitigation strategies in tuna fisheries
  ICES Journal of Marine Science, 80(3), 620-634.
  
• Cronin, M. R., Amaral, J. E., Jackson, A. M., Jacquet, J., Seto, K. S., & Croll, D. A. (2022).
  Policy and transparency gaps for oceanic shark and rays in high seas tuna fisheries
  Fish and Fisheries, 24(1), 56-70.
  

I am an interdisciplinary marine conservation scientist, writer, and equity practitioner dedicated to advancing innovative, equitable solutions for both nature and people, particularly in fisheries systems. My research examines the impacts of industrial fishing on biodiversity and coastal communities, integrating quantitative approaches from the natural and social sciences to inform sustainable and just ocean management.

I received my PhD in the Conservation Action Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I focused on the conservation of oceanic sharks and rays. Combining genomics, policy analysis, and participatory social science, I investigated how industrial tuna fisheries affect these highly threatened species and collaborated with fishers and managers to co-design practical bycatch mitigation solutions. This work led to the co-founding of Mobula Conservation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of manta and devil rays in the Eastern Pacific and beyond.

I am also the co-founder of FieldFutures, a global program that trains field scientists and teams to prevent gender-based harassment and assault in research environments. To date, FieldFutures has trained thousands of participants across five continents, advancing equity, safety, and accountability in field-based science.

My background as a journalist covering science, environmental policy, wildlife crime, and global conservation continues to shape my interdisciplinary approach. I am passionate about the intersection of fisheries, governance, and equity.

Additional links

• Shared Seas Lab
• melcronin.com
• Mobula Conservation
• FieldFutures
• FishTales: A Live Storytelling Event

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