2025 NSILP Bursary Recipients
Kristin Hoel
Dedicated to marine conservation and sustainability within the Australian fishing industry.
Whale Entanglement Mitigation Program Manager at OceanWatch
As the Whale Entanglement Mitigation Program Manager at OceanWatch Australia, she has worked extensively with industry stakeholders to identify, trial, and implement strategies that work to reduce whale entanglement risks in Australia. With her background in fisheries social science, directly involving fishers in developing and driving industry conservation initiatives comes as a no-brainer. Kristin believes in the importance of balancing sustainably sourced seafood with the need to protect marine life. She has a genuine appreciation for the role the industry plays in providing responsibly harvested products, and her drive stems from finding viable innovative solutions that promote both conservation and industry growth. Receiving a bursary from Women in Seafood Australia (WISA) to participate in the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program marks an important milestone in Kristin’s career. This opportunity will not only allow her to enhance her leadership skills but also empower her to drive further conversations and change in the seafood industry. Kristin is excited about the future and the opportunity to continue working toward the balance between thriving fisheries and marine conservation.
Meesha Bassett
I’m looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone & experiencing professional growth
Owner Westmore Seafoods
A small-town girl and a bit of an introvert, Meesha grew up in the Pilbara, home was red dirt & pristine coastlines. The daughter of a Commercial Fisherman, her first job was packing fish. Westmore Seafoods started when her mum was pregnant with Meesha almost 40 years ago! In 2020 Meesha's husband quit his “mining” job, and they moved to Perth to take on work full-time in the family business head office.
Meesha is inspired to honour the hard work of people like her father, and those who inspired (or challenged) him to continue when times were tough. "It’s amazing how diverse the Seafood Industry really is. I’m excited to be a part of the 2025 NSILP, to get some whole industry exposure, and to network with other professionals who are passionate about Seafood. The WISA Bursary has made travelling from WA to attend the residential cohorts possible, I’m so thankful for this opportunity. To have WISA's support, knowing they are cheering for my success is amazing."
Laura Fatovich
What I like about the seafood industry is that it brings together different aspects of important issues, such as food security, environmental values, trade-off decision making, multiple uses and economics.
Engagement Specialist Dept of Fisheries Tasmania
Working in fisheries in Tasmania, as an engagement specialist, Laura develops and implements stakeholder engagement activities in wild fisheries and aquaculture. This includes designing engagement strategies and support for ongoing projects, delivering communication activities and collaborating with other organisations. Laura likes hearing about practical actions and solutions, to lead a community of practice in engagement and communications across the Department, with the group sharing ideas and collaborating on how to improve engagement and communications. Being able to talk to others across the seafood industry at the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP) will give Laura insights into how other areas of the seafood industry are engaging and communicating with their audiences.
"As a recipient of the Women In Seafood Australasia (WISA) bursary to participate in NSILP in 2025, I’m thrilled to be supported to attend. Having the support of WISA is an honour and I want to make WISA (and its members) proud by connecting with other women in seafood and sharing and implementing, what I learn through the program."