Illegal Wildlife Trafficking: Local Efforts on a Global Threat

Dr. Samuel Wasser holds the endowed chair in Conservation Biology at the University of Washington, where he is a Professor in the Department of Biology and Director of the Center for Conservation Biology. He is acknowledged worldwide for developing noninvasive tools for monitoring human impacts on wildlife. Professor Wasser pioneered methods to measure the abundance, distribution and physiological condition of wildlife from their feces, relying on detection dogs to locate these samples over large wilderness areas. He uses these methods to address diverse conservation questions including impacts of poaching, oil development or overfishing on the well-being of multiple endangered wildlife populations. He also applies these tools to forensic analyses of transnational wildlife crime. He used elephant dung to assemble a DNA reference map of elephants across Africa, which is now widely used to determine the geographic origins of poached ivory. By comparing genotyped ivory to this reference map, he has been able to identify Africa’s largest elephant poaching hotspots, track the number and connectivity of major ivory traffickers operating in Africa, and uncover strategies that transnational organized crime syndicates use to acquire and move their contraband around the world. This work has led to prosecutions of major transnational ivory traffickers and nurtured key collaborations with the International Consortium on Combatting Wildlife Crime, INTERPOL, US Homeland Security Investigations, the Task Force on Combatting Wildlife Trafficking, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of State and wildlife authorities in numerous source and transit countries across Africa and Asia.

Commissioner Fred Felleman has been a conservation leader protecting the Pacific Northwest’s marine environment through research, photography, and advocacy for over three decades. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and his Master of Science degree in Fisheries Biology from the University of Washington where he studied the feeding ecology of Southern Resident killer whales.

Fred recognizes his primary obligation to protect industrial lands from encroachment in order for the Port to provide the broad-based economic opportunities that have supported the cultural fabric of the region. He also understands the importance of the Port being a good neighbor in order to retain the social license for businesses to succeed which requires a trained workforce that can afford to live in an increasingly expensive region that has grown detached from the working waterfront. He has long recognized the importance of sustainable fisheries and the need to work with those who depend on the marine environment to advance its long-term health.

Fred is acutely aware of the nexus between environmental protection and social equity. He has led efforts to reduce the Port’s carbon footprint by installing solar arrays on Port buildings and advancing the use of sustainable aviation fuels. He has also worked with cab and drayage truck drivers to minimize the impacts of environmental challenges as well as with communities neighboring the airport and Duwamish River.

Ultimately Fred is committed to elevating the profile of the Port so the public can better appreciate the diverse economic opportunities the Port offers the region.

Fred grew up in New York and has lived in Ballard since 1990 where he raised his son and continues to stay close to the briny source of his motivation for public service.