Marco Hatch is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at the College of the Environment, Western Washington University. Marco is marine ecologist with a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a member of the Samish Indian Nation. Prior to WWU he directed the Salish Sea Research Center at Northwest Indian College. His research weaves traditional ecological knowledge and marine science through the exploration of food systems. He is currently co-PI for the NSF funded Native Food, Energy, Water Systems INCLUDES Alliance. Hatch is on the Board of Trustees for the Washington Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and an Advisory Committee member for the UN Decade Northeast Pacific Collaborative Center.