Panel 1 Speakers

Kindra Arnesen

 Kindra Arnesen is a self-described bayou girl raised in Southeast Louisiana and a licensed boat captain. Captain Arnesen, together with her husband, runs their family fishing business in both state and federal waters. Deeply rooted in her coastal community, she serves as president of the Women’s Southern Fisheries Alliance and is now in her eight year as the commercial fisheries representative on the Plaquemines Parish Coastal Zone Management Program’s advisory committee. 

Kindra brings decades of on-the-water experience and leadership to her advocacy for fishers and families across the Gulf. She’s also a proud mother of two and grandmother of two. 

“ Advocating for small family fishers has been the greatest and most challenging experience of my life. Fisheries are vital for the food security of our nation. There has been a very successful effort to eliminate the harvesting of the bounty of the sea. Management has managed America’s access to wild harvested seafood to the brink of becoming lost, possibly permanently. This is why for the last 17 years, I’ve participated in advisory panels, senate briefings, countless meetings with elected officials, state and federal, all to help ensure our fisheries continue with what we do have access to and to educate officials in an attempt to hopefully see some growth in access to harvest. Our oceans possess more than enough resources for responsible sustainable harvest of wild seafood. Generational harvesters of the sea “fishermen and fisherwomen” are our access to this vital food source.  As a nation we must consider burdensome regulations that caused harvest of many species to completely shut down or become a very small fraction in comparison to what those fisheries produced prior to decades of destructive regulations throughout coastal communities nationwide. Ask, how does a nation remove its own access to the bounty of its waters? Our fisheries haven’t been destroyed by harvesters, but have been crippled and slowly eroded through decades of harmful management practices. This must change.”

George Barisich

 George Barisich is a third-generation Croatian commercial fisherman from St. Bernard Parish and one of Louisiana’s most outspoken advocates for the state’s shrimping and fishing communities. A lifelong shrimper and president of the United Commercial Fishermen’s Association, George has spent decades fighting for fair markets, strong coastal protections, and policies that sustain both the environment and the livelihoods of working fishers. He is a St. Bernard Parish Board Member and member of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, as well as the longest serving member of the Governor’s Louisiana Shrimp Task Force. His firsthand knowledge of the Gulf—from hurricanes to habitat loss to the influx of cheap imports—has made him a vital voice in the ongoing effort to protect Louisiana’s cultural and economic lifeblood: its local seafood industry.

Kim Chauvin

Kim Chauvin is a powerhouse leader, businesswoman, and advocate for Louisiana’s seafood industry. As president and co-owner of David Chauvin’s Seafood Company and Kim Chauvin’s Seafood Company, she and her husband operate the largest warm-water shrimp docks in the United States—built through decades of hard work, innovation, and commitment to quality. A lifelong champion of Gulf fisheries, Kim founded Down the Bayou Shrimp Tours to educate visitors on the state’s working coast and continues to fight for fair markets, domestic seafood, and the future of Louisiana shrimping. She also serves as Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman for District 8, where her servant-leadership approach reflects her deep dedication to family, faith, and community.

Sandy Nguyen

Sandy Ha Nguyen has over 36 years of experience supporting coast- dependent businesses. As the daughter of a first-generation Vietnamese fisherman, she is fluent in Vietnamese and English and has deep roots in the fishing industry. In response to the 2010 BP Oil Spill, she co-founded Coastal Communities Consulting, Inc. (CCC) to extend and increase her work to provide small business and disaster assistance to commercial fishermen and related rural/coastal businesses across Southeast Louisiana, particularly immigrant and generational American fishermen with limited formal education. Under her leadership, CCC has assisted over 2,200 clients, securing more than $50 million in disaster recovery aid at no cost to them. A Tulane School of Business graduate and proud New Orleans East resident, Sandy has earned numerous accolades, including City Business Woman of the Year (2007), ASBDC State Star (2012), and the City of New Orleans “Notable Vietnamese Women” Award. Her most cherished honor was meeting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in recognition of her work during Hurricane Katrina.

James Mitchell 

James Mitchell serves as Legislative Director for Don’t Cage Our Oceans, a national coalition working to protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities from the expansion of industrial ocean fish farming. Based in Washington, D.C., James leads the organization’s federal policy efforts, engaging lawmakers, agencies, and grassroots partners to advance sustainable fisheries and equitable ocean policy. With a background in marine conservation and environmental justice, he focuses on ensuring that ocean policy decisions prioritize people, place, and planet over corporate interests—advocating for a healthy, thriving future for America’s working waterfronts.

Margee Green

Margee Green is the Executive Director of the Louisiana Food Policy Action Council (FPAC), where she works to build equitable, resilient food systems that support local producers and strengthen coastal communities. A lifelong advocate for farmers, fishers, and food workers, Margee brings years of experience in grassroots organizing and policy development to her leadership at FPAC. She has been instrumental in shaping statewide initiatives that connect food access, climate resilience, and economic opportunity—bridging the gap between policy makers and the people who feed Louisiana. Passionate, pragmatic, and deeply community-focused, Margee is helping redefine what sustainable food policy looks like in the Gulf South.

Moderator: John Fallon

John Fallon is Director of Sustainability and Coastal Conservation Initiatives at the Audubon Nature Institute, where he leads Audubon’s Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (G.U.L.F.) work to strengthen sustainable seafood supply chains across the Gulf. Since joining Audubon in 2008, John has helped build chef and restaurant partnerships, advance third-party certifications like Responsible Fisheries Management, and translate science and policy into practical tools for fishers, buyers, and the public. Based in New Orleans, he brings more than 15 years of hands-on experience in fisheries outreach and conservation—making him a natural fit to moderate this panel and connect working-waterfront perspectives with policy and market realities.