Kilali Gibson

Kilali (Key-lahh-lee) works in the NOAA Fisheries Anchorage Office on co-management of subsistence use of marine mammals in the Pribilof Islands and is part of the ESA Section 7 team. Kilali was born and raised on O'ahu, Hawai'i and has Polynesian roots that stretch across the Pacific to Samoa where her mother's family lives. She has spent the last 7 years living in New Zealand, completing her degrees (Bachelor's in Biological Science and a Master's in Marine Conservation) and working for Fisheries New Zealand as a Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Analyst focused on creating marine protected areas, and then as a Senior Customary (i.e., subsistence) Fisheries Advisor/Analyst. There she gained valuable experience working on co-management with indigenous Māori people and interpreting applicable laws/policies to help the agency meet its commitments to respecting the Māori's harvest rights. Some of her marine research experience includes seagrass, Antarctic clams, and deep sea benthic surveying. 

Kilali loves everything outdoors and spends as much time as she can travelling to different countries, especially those that have great surf!