Chief Research Scientist Marine & Coastal Fisheries Fisheries Assessment & Sustainable Management Stock Assessment • EAF • Data-Poor Fisheries • Recruitment Dynamics Location KMFRI Mombasa Years of Experience 1993–Present (33 Years at KMFRI) Current Role Assistant Director, Marine and Coastal Fisheries Research Interests Marine and coastal fisheries assessment and management; Data-poor fisheries stock assessment; Fisheries-independent surveys and underwater visual census (UVC); Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF); Fisheries sustainability assessments and decision-support tools; Vulnerability Risk Assessment; Gear selectivity and destructive fishing; Climate change impacts | Research Focus: Advancing sustainable marine fisheries management through stock assessments, ecosystem-based approaches, and decision-support tools to strengthen fisheries governance and inform national and regional policy frameworks. Dr Gladys Okemwa is a Chief Research Scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, with over 30 years of professional experience in marine fisheries research and sustainable management support. She has led assessments of various priority fisheries, including aquarium fisheries, demersal reef fisheries, small-scale tuna fisheries, and ringnet fisheries. Her work has informed national fisheries management plans and applied internationally recognized frameworks such as the FAO Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Implementation Monitoring Tool (EAF-IMT), the Weight of Evidence Framework (WoEF), and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment approaches to strengthen national fisheries governance and sustainability. Dr Okemwa has represented Kenya in regional and international fisheries forums through the Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC), the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), and key FAO-supported regional programmes. She has served as Vice-Chair of the SWIOFC Scientific Committee, Chair of the SWIOFC Demersal Fishery Working Group, and as a technical advisor on fisheries sustainability assessments. In addition to her research and advisory roles, she remains deeply committed to mentoring early-career scientists. Research & Administrative Responsibility
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Selected Publications Okemwa GM, Maina GW, Kimani EN, Abubakar A, Silas MO, Mwakosya C, Everett B, Mutombene RJ, Mwangata J, Yussuf H and Osore W (2025). Perspectives on beach seine fishing in the Western Indian Ocean: A review. Marine Policy 182: 106880. Kiilu B, Kaunda-Arara B, Oddenyo R, Okemwa GM, Mueni E, Musembi P, Fulanda B, Menya-Otieno L, Okeri M, Nduku G and Musembei J (2025). Vulnerability assessment of elasmobranch species to fisheries in coastal Kenya: Implications for conservation and management policies. Marine Policy 171: 106459. Okemwa GM, Abubakar AA, Mzingirwa F, Kimani EN, Kamau JN, Njiru JM and Sauer W (2023). Characterizing gear-based exploitation patterns of artisanal tuna fisheries in the western Indian Ocean: A snapshot from Kenya. Regional Studies in Marine Science 61: 102877. van de Geer CH, Bourjea J, Okemwa GM, et al. (2022). Marine turtles of the African east coast: Current knowledge and priorities for conservation and research. Endangered Species Research 47: 297–331. Trisos CH, Adelekan IO, Totin E, et al. (2022). Africa. In: Pörtner HO, Roberts DC, Tignor M, Poloczanska ES, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Craig M, Langsdorf S, Löschke S, Möller V, Okem A and Rama B (eds) Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Sailley SF, Wilson RJ, Jacobs ZL, Kamau J, Mgeleka S, Okemwa GM, Omukoto JO, et al. (2021). Large projected reductions in marine fish biomass for Kenya and Tanzania in the absence of climate mitigation. Ocean and Coastal Management 215: 105921. Okemwa GM, Kaunda-Arara B and Kimani EN (2019). Patterns of juvenile reef fish recruitment in Kenya's shallow fringing lagoon reefs. African Journal of Marine Science 41(3): 291–304. Kimani EN, Aura CM and Okemwa GM (eds) (2018). The Status of Kenya Fisheries: Towards the Sustainable Use of Renewable Aquatic Resources for Economic Development. Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, Kenya. 177 pp. Okemwa GM, Maina GW, Munga CN, Mueni E, Barabara M, Ndegwa S, Thoya P and Ntheketha N (2017). Managing coastal pelagic fisheries: A case study of the small-scale purse seine fishery in Kenya. Ocean and Coastal Management 144: 31–39. Links |
