Over the last 30 years Brandii O’Reagan has worked in seafood processing and fishing, as well as political, regulatory, and educational aspects of commercial seafood. She is driven by opportunities to share knowledge and innovation.
Brandii believes that one of the most important aspects of improving seafood harvest quality and sustainability is to create educational opportunities. She has fished on drift, setnet, jig and longline fisheries in Alaska and worked on a tender for herring and salmon. She has taught quality processing and handling, direct marketing and food safety workshops online and in person.
Brandii has also spoken at industry events and worked one-on-one with fishermen to guide them through independent marketing and processing. She’s taught classes to fishermen in a classroom and on their vessel to increase the awareness of quality handling measures and wrote a technical column for Fishermen News.
She has traveled and spoken with processors and fisher groups about quality handling methodologies and emerging technologies in China, Vietnam, Canada, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Oregon. Brandii was elected to a Borough Assembly seat while living in Alaska, served on the Economic Development District board of Directors, the Oregon Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia task force and currently serves as chair of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute technical committee.