Alumni testimonial

Alumni story Amerik Schuitemaker

Amerik Schuitemaker: Amerik Schuitemaker, Fisheries Representative at the Dutch Fishermen’s Association

“Growing up in the fishing village meant that the fishing industry was always close by. That’s where my connection with and passion for the sea began.”

During my studies, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do in the fishing industry. Research wasn’t really for me, and an internship at a government ministry helped me realise that a career in policymaking wasn’t quite the right fit either. When I mentioned during my internship that I was looking for a job, someone in my network connected me with the Dutch Fishermen’s Association. Within a few weeks, I had an interview and was able to start working there.

Making fisheries more sustainable

My job combines ecological knowledge with practical work that keeps me closely connected to the fishing industry. A major part of my work is helping fisheries become more sustainable. We do this, for example, through sustainability certifications such as the MSC label. I also represent the interests of the fishing industry when nature policies and management plans for areas in the North Sea are being developed. Another part of my job is helping to make sure that regulations work in practice. Take a measure that requires shrimp fishers to reduce their fishing activity when shrimp populations decline. Such measures need to make sense from an ecological perspective, but they also have to be practical at sea and shouldn’t be unnecessarily complicated. Rules are only effective if the people affected by them understand and support them. In that sense, I’m a link between fishers and policymakers.

From the harbour to Brussels

My work is very varied. Some days I’m in the office, but I also spend a lot of time on the road. I talk to fishers by phone or meet them at the harbour. I also regularly attend meetings in The Hague or abroad, for example in Brussels or with partners from Germany and Denmark. My work is highly interdisciplinary. It brings together ecology, policy, legislation and practical knowledge of the fishing industry. Communication and flexibility are essential. You need to be able to switch between different perspectives and communicate with very different groups, from fishers to policymakers.

Wageningen: where science meets practice

Before coming to Wageningen, I completed a degree in Coastal and Marine Management at a university of applied sciences. During that programme, I discovered that I was particularly interested in fisheries management and ecology, and I wanted to explore those subjects in greater depth. Wageningen offered exactly what I was looking for: a combination of scientific knowledge and its practical application in policy and management. That was very valuable to me. The combination of ecology, governance and management from my master’s is also a major part of the work I do today. If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: keep exploring and don’t be afraid to make choices, even if you don’t know exactly where you want to end up yet.