Porfirio Álvarez-Torres is the Executive Secretary for the Consortium of Marine Research Institutions of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. He has a doctorate in Fisheries Science from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. He has been a professor, researcher and public servant at various Mexican academic and federal research institutions including the National Fisheries Institute where he served as a general director for the division of research in aquaculture.
Dr Álvarez Torres’ research interests focus on aquaculture, aquatic invasive species, living marine resources, fisheries science, marine policy, ocean observing systems and ecosystem based management of marine ecosystems.
He has directed numerous scientific projects within Mexico’s federal agencies and academic institutions. Dr Alvarez has been the lead in the development and instrumentation of Mexico’s environmental policies for oceans, the set-up of the Inter-ministerial Commission for Oceans and Coasts of Mexico (CIMARES) and the leader of the Marine Spatial Planning Process of the Gulf of Mexico. Dr Alvarez coordinated the binational Mexico-U.S. Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem Program that established the Gulf´s Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (2011) and its Strategic Action Programme. He has been appointed as advisor for Mexico’s permanent representation at UN, and has represented Mexico in multilateral forums related to oceans.
He received the SANKEI award in Japan (1989), and the US-EPA Gulf Guardian Award twice (2013 and 2015) for his continuous efforts and leadership to enhance the dialog and networking among the US and Mexican researchers and institutions devoted to oceans affairs.
Dr Álvarez currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Gulf Research Programme of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and is an invited expert to the International Resource Panel for marine resources of the United Nations Environment Programme.