Awards and Distinctions

2026 Research.com Social Sciences and Humanities in Canada Leader Award (link)
2025 Awarded "Highly Cited Researcher" by Clarivate (link)
2025 Awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal. Nominated by Joyce Murray (link)
2025 Research.com Social Sciences and Humanities in Canada Leader Award (link)
2024 Appointed as "Extraordinary Professor" by the University of Pretoria's Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development (link)
2023 Named among the 100 most influential Africans in 2024 (link)
2023 Winner of the Prince Albert I Medal in Science, Oceanographic Institute of Monaco (link)
2023 Named as Co-Winner of Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, alongside Daniel Pauly (link)
2023 Named Pierre Edward Trudeau Fellow, The Trudeau Foundation (link)
2022 Named as American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow (link)
2022 Winner of the Royal Society of Canada Miroslaw Romanowski Medal (link)
2021 Winner of SSHRC Partnership Award - Impact Category (link)
2021 Named University Killam Professor, University of British Columbia (link)
2021 Named Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate (link)
2020 Named Distinguished International Professor, National University of Malaysia (link)
2019 Inducted to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (link)
2019 Appointed as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics (link)
2018 Murray A. Newman Research Award, Coastal Ocean Research Institute (link)
2018 UBC President's Award for Public Education Through Media (link)
2018 Appointed Member of High-Level Panel on Building a Sustainable Ocean Economy (link)
2017 Volvo Environment Prize (link)
2017 Peter Benchley Award - Excellence in Science (link)
2016 UBC Killam Research Prize in the Sciences (link)
2016 - 2018 named Hokkaido University Ambassador (link)
2013 - Named 'Science without Borders' Fellow by Brazilian Science (link)
2013 American Fisheries Society Excellence in Public Outreach Award Recipient (link)
2013 Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies International Roundtable Award (link)
2012 2nd Johan Hjort Chair in Marine Economics and Management. Appointed by the Nordic Centre of Excellence (link)
2010 Top 10 most cited articles in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, from 2005-2010 (link)
2010 Japan International Fisheries Research Society Yamamoto Prize Award, First Prize (link)
2010 National Geographic Ocean Restoration Advisory Council Member (link)
2009 Leopold Leadership Fellow (link)
2008 Pew Marine Conservation Fellow (link)
2007 Peter Wall Senior Early Career Scholar (link)
2007 Craigdarroch Award for Societal Contribution to project members of Coasts Under Stress project (link)
2007 Nominee for the Conference of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA/BC's) Distinguished Academics Awards (link)
2006 Zayed International Prize for the Environment awarded to the authors of the "Millennium Ecosystem Assessment" (link)
2005 Lifetime membership in the North American Association of Fisheries Economists (link)
2005 Honorary member of the UBC Food Co-op (link)
2005 W.F. James Professor of Pure and Applied Sciences Chair for 2004, St. Francis Xavier University (link)
Visiting professor of Natural Resource Economics and Management, University of Namibia (link)
2002, 2003, 2004 UBC Author (link)
1994-1997 The Norwegian Research Council PhD Fellowship (link)
1991 and 1993 Recipient of the "Meltzers Hogskolefond" award (link)
1982-1986 Best student in B.Sc. degree program (link)