Rachel Banton

Rachel Banton is a Research Associate III for the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) working in the Sustainable Fisheries Division at NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

Rachel currently manages the Caribbean Strategic Planning initiative which aims to improve partnerships and optimize data collection efforts to support stock assessment and Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management. This work involves the collaborations of regional partners including the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, the USVI Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Puerto Rico Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales. Rachel is an Openscapes Champion and completed the open data science mentorship in August 2022.

Rachel was selected to participate in the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Science Courses offered by the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in 2023 and 2024. She also acts as a member of the CIMAS Internal Advisory Committee (CIAC) to foster healthy and informed working relationships and increase communication and connection across CIMAS.

Rachel earned her M.S. in 2021 from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she studied the faunal composition, vertical distribution, and feeding patterns of whalefishes (suborder Stephanoberycoidei) in the bathypelagic Gulf of Mexico. She earned her B.S. in Marine Science and B.A. in Spanish in 2016 from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.

Rachel is featured in the center's Faces of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Series. Read more about Rachel.