Sarah McLaughlin ’89
As a federal Fishery Management Specialist, Sarah McLaughlin ’89 travels to amazing regions around the world such as Brazil, Japan, Morocco, and South Africa setting fishing regulations to sustain the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Currently Sarah is employed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (“NOAA Fisheries”). Her agency provides science-based conservation and management for sustainable fisheries, as well as for marine mammals, endangered species like sea turtles, and marine habitats. She focuses on domestic and international Atlantic tuna fisheries management, regulations, and policy, particularly regarding Atlantic bluefin tuna. Sarah states fishery management is an important element in maintaining balance in the marine environment.
Her initial interest in the sciences developed in Lower School at Albany Academy for Girls when she began collecting mail-order packs of “Safari Cards”. In Middle School, art became a great influence that sparked her curiosity of biology, specifically animal anatomy. She notes, “In Mr. Dyer’s middle school art class, I labored over drawing a kingfisher and recall obsession over the bird’s morphology to be sure I was drawing it right.” Developing a fondness for amphibians and aquatic insects, Sarah was involved in the “saving the pond” campaign at AAG in the 1980s. Her science teacher at the time, Mrs. Patricia McTighe introduced her to cell biology which influenced her later studies in the Biology.
Sarah double-majored in Biology and Environmental Studies at Tufts University before transferring to Northeastern University's East/West Marine Biology Program her junior year. The program at Northeastern provided her opportunities to closely examine marine life throughout the Pacific northwest, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic northeast. While at the University of Maryland, Sarah enrolled in night classes in order to work part-time for NOAA Fisheries as a contractor and eventually graduated with a Master of Public Management degree.
At her current job, Sarah manages fisheries to maintain the Atlantic bluefin tuna quota. She administers fishing rules to limit the number of tuna caught on a daily catch, as well as the seasons in which the tuna can be fished in order to provide U.S. fishing vessels a reasonable opportunity to harvest the U.S. quota without exceeding it. Once these rules are set, Sarah will monitor the catches and make changes to what is allowed throughout the year to ultimately stretch opportunities across wide geographic areas.
Pulling from her experience at Albany Academy for Girls to a career in fishery, Sarah believes the more prepared girls are coming out of high school, the more likely they are to excel in technical fields and thrive in their careers. She states, “Science is one of the most supportive places a woman could work. Once you’re in the lab, no one asks whether you’re a man or a woman.” She advises others from the Academies to foster curiosity and remain involved with extracurriculars in and outside of school. “Volunteering, science clubs or trips to museums are great ways to meet people in STEAM fields and other kids who are interested in the things you are.”
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