Our team

Jean-Loup VELUT

President

Graduated in Political Science and Private Law, since 1978, Jean-Loup VELUT has held important responsibilities in the maritime field, with particular expertise in maritime and naval law.

Expert in the management of maritime public policies and in the interdepartmental conduct of emergency operations at sea, he worked ashore in metropolitan France (Toulon, Brest, Paris), boarded on the ships of the French Navy (for 12 years), Overseas (Tahiti, Reunion) or abroad (Morocco).

Jean-Loup VELUT is Commissioner General of the Navy (2s), and Secretary General of the Maritime Cooperation, professional organization grouping all the Maritime Cooperatives of artisanal fishermen and their subsidiaries the “Comptoirs de la Mer”, present on the whole coastline French.

He is Knight of the Legion of Honor, Officer of the National Order of Merit, Knight of the Academic Palms and Officer of Maritime Merit.

Charline GAUDIN-GOESER

Managing Director

Graduated in international law and international organizations, Mrs Charline GAUDIN-GOESER has more than 15 years of experience in the field of fisheries, project management and international cooperation. Director of International Development at COFREPECHE from 2017 to 2023, she now fulfills the position of Managing Director. Prior to joining COFREPECHE in September 2017, she worked for The International Union for Conservation of Nature, various consulting companies and international organizations like the European Union (DG MARE), the FAO and RFMOs (e.g. GFCM).

Expert long-term on an EU project for two years, she has realized since then various short-term missions on technical assistance project to developing countries in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, blue economy, integrated coastal zone management and conservation of marine biodiversity and environment.

She specialized over her career in combating IUU fishing, fisheries legislation, policies and institutional aspects but also in evaluation including Fisheries Partnership Agreement. In the context of her missions, she has worked in more than 30 developing countries in West Africa, Southeast Asia, in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Finally, in parallel of her expertise, she has extensive experience in managing complex international projects financed by the EU, the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the German cooperation (GIZ and KfW) including projects with a budget over one million euros.

Hacène HAMDANI

Observer Program Manager

Mr. Hacène HAMDANI has acquired specific expertise in the fisheries sector and its organization. Mr. Hacène is a key player in the artisanal fishing sector, having been frequently called upon by United Nations, European Union, African Union, regional fisheries organizations, and international NGOs, both African and Mediterranean. These requests stem from his recognition as a representative of several North African professional organizations at the regional and international levels, contributing his expertise in various areas such as sustainable fisheries policy in the Mediterranean, artisanal fishing organizations, and the establishment of marine protected areas.

Since the 2015-2016 season, he has joined the group of regional observers for ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) for bluefin tuna. His frequent deployment has allowed him to cover all activities in this sector, including purse seiners, fixed tuna traps, fattening farms, and harvesting, in relation to ICCAT’s management plans for Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna.

Since 2021, Mr. Hamdani has joined COFREPECHE to take on various responsibilities, including planning the preparation of the fishing campaign (equipment management, recruitment, review of technical documentation), organizing and conducting training related to the ICCAT observer program for Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna (ROP-BFT) in several North African countries as well as Europe. He also ensures the monitoring of observers’ activities during their deployment and participates in the preparation of various technical reports. His role also includes maintaining relationships and managing links between various stakeholders, including ICCAT, member states, operators, and partners. Despite sometimes challenging and complex environments, Hacene HAMDANI has successfully carried out these missions with professionalism and success.”

Yann MONTEIL

Project Manager

With over 7 years of expertise in Aquaculture, project management, and coastal ecology, along with an MSc in Coastal Ecology and Environment Management, Mr. Yann MONTEIL excels in handling complex scientific and project-related challenges.

He oversaw the development of aquaculture sites in Southeast Asia, maintaining stringent production standards while effectively addressing intricate environmental and biological challenges.

Before joining COFREPECHE in 2023, he provided valuable operational and technical expertise for coastal environment projects, aquaculture development strategies, and conservation advisory, across the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Louis BIDARD

Research Manager

Graduated in Environmental Management at the University of Montpellier, Louis Bidard developed knowledge in the sustainable production and exploitation of aquatic bio-resources. Prior to joining COFREPECHE in 2023, he gained valuable professional experience in the field of fisheries science and project management. Indeed, he worked at the Basque research center AZTI, specializing in marine sciences and technologies. Within this institution, his work focused on implementing the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries within ICCAT. Furthermore, Louis Bidard collaborated with various NGOs, where he contributed to the improvement of regulations and management of commercial fisheries in the marine protected area of the atoll of Turneffe in Belize.

Jean-Pierre SILVA

Associate Expert

Mr. Jean-Pierre SILVA cumulates more than 25 years of working experience, of which the last 19 with COFREPECHE as Finance and Project Director. Recently, he was the Managing Director of COFREPECHE from 2019 to 2023.

He has developed a large experience in the fishery sector, specifically in the management of complex programmes and projects that require a day by day interaction with experts and sectoral operators ranging from public officers to associations directors and fishermen. He was the Project Director of the ‘SFP’ Programme Management Unit (EU funds – 44 million euros) – www.sfp-acp.eu but also of the framework contract implemented for the DG MARE to evaluate the external dimension of the Common Fisheries Policy for an overall budget of 1.5 million Euro

Manon TROUCELIER

Research Manager

A fisheries science engineer and a graduate of Agrocampus Ouest, Manon is specialized in the study and management of marine resources. With extensive international experience, she worked in Indonesia on ocean conservation and research projects with NGOs. Before joining COFREPECHE, she spent over a year at IFREMER in Port en Bessin, where she gained project management experience. Specifically, she coordinated a European Commission project aiming at improving cooperation in fisheries data collection. Subsequently, Manon joined a producer organization that is a member of the French maritime cooperation. In this context, Manon was particularly interested in fishermen’s declarations in order to improve data quality and good fishing practices. She also monitored the evolution of issues of interest to the various stakeholders involved, to ensure that the organization was optimally integrated into the fisheries context.