Alfred “Bubba” Cook has spent a lifetime on the ocean and 19 years working in fisheries.  He began his career in the US Navy, which took him around the world and sparked an interest in international fisheries.

Troubled by fishery declines he observed, he secured a B.S. in Fisheries from Texas A&M University followed by a J.D. in Environmental Law from Lewis & Clark College. He then worked for the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service in Alaska, where he led implementation of the Bering Sea crab quota programme. He later joined WWF's Arctic Programme supporting fisheries projects in Russia and Alaska.  In 2010, he joined the U.S. Peace Corps in Fiji, where he supported small-scale marine conservation projects.

Since 2012, he has served as the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme Manager for WWF out of New Zealand, where he supports sustainable tuna fishing through policy improvements, market tools, and technological innovation.