Todd Janeski, natural resource program manager at VCU Rice Rivers Center, was recently selected as an advisor to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC). His three-year term began July 1, 2024.

MAFMC currently has 10 advisory panels, with the purpose to provide insight on current fishery trends, management issues, and research needs. Additionally, panel members educate the counsel on the potential impacts of how upcoming decisions will reflect on stakeholders and the environment. Janeski will serve on two advisory panels for MAFMC. He will provide oversight on a Fisheries Management Plan for the Atlantic Spiny Dogfish, which maintains a significant fleet in Virginia. He will also be a member of the Ecosystem and Ocean Planning panel, advising MAFMC of the broad-reaching changes in the ocean that will occur due to ecosystem changes from climate and ocean use, and shifts in species abundance and habitat.

Janeski’s career with VCU spans more than 18-years, of which 15 have been in fisheries management including serving as the Virginia Commercial Fishing Coordinator.  He provides policy analysis for the VMRC, VCZM and Administration on changes in ocean use that affect Virginia’s commercial fishing industry. He also ensures the commercial fishermen are actively informed, engaged and involved in those changes, specifically from the deployment of offshore wind as this renewable energy source is rapidly being deployed in the Atlantic.

"Todd's appointment to the Mid-Atlantic Council is a first for Rice Rivers Center and recognizes his recent and very successful efforts to engage and support sectors of Virginia's economically valuable commercial fishing industry,” says Greg Garman, Ph.D., director of Rice Rivers Center. “Through his work on the Council, Todd will contribute significantly to the effective management and conservation of the region's marine fishery resources."  

Many also know Janeski as the director of the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program, a public-private and nonprofit collaborative effort whose focus is the restoration and replenishment of oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay. The program’s home base is Rice Rivers Center.