PhD, OCF
Supervisor
Rashid Sumaila
Research Unit
Fisheries Economics Research Unit (FERU)
Degrees
MA – University of Southern California
BSc – University of Southern California
Contact Information
Email: w.mannella@oceans.ubc.ca
Thesis Topic
Wila’s research specializes in the equitable management of international tuna fisheries, with a particular focus on distributive justice within the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). As a member of the Fisheries Economic Research Unit (FERU), she takes a holistic approach to sustainable tuna fisheries management, integrating economic variables, game theory, and emerging technologies such as AI/LLM-driven biomass estimation models. Her work ultimately bridges these quantitative and technical advances with the international policy frameworks that govern Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), aiming to translate improved fisheries evaluation into more equitable governance outcomes.